Alistair Brantley
Founder and therapist
- Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) · OH Lic. # 000000
Alistair sees adults, and writes ladders with people who have lived with OCD for a long time. He explains each step before you take it.
Blue Ash, Ohio
Therapy for OCD and anxiety, one rung at a time
Crux is a practice of three clinicians for adults and teens with OCD. We use exposure and response prevention, planned with you step by step, at a pace you set.
- Adults and teens
- In person in Blue Ash
- Video across Ohio
Who we see
Who Crux is for, and who it is not
It is better to know before the first call, so that you don't lose time.
Adults with OCD
Intrusive thoughts, and the checking, washing, counting or mental rituals that follow. You may already have a diagnosis, or only a suspicion.
Teens with OCD
Teens 13 to 17, with a parent or guardian involved from the start and a clear plan for what parents do and don't do.
Worry that has taken over
Anxiety and panic that make your days smaller. We use the same planned, step-by-step approach.
Not what we offer
Medication, testing, evaluations for school or court, and crisis care. We help you find the right door.
Services
Three ways we work
Every service is 50-minute sessions, in person in Blue Ash or by video from anywhere in Ohio.
Exposure and response prevention
For adults with OCD. You and your clinician write a ladder of situations, and you practice one step at a time.
See how ERP sessions go
OCD in teens
For teens 13 to 17. Parents join part of some sessions, to learn how to respond without feeding the obsession.
See how we work with teens
Anxiety therapy
For adults and older teens. We map what keeps worry going and practice small, planned steps toward what it tells you to avoid.
See anxiety therapy
How ERP works
A sample exposure ladder
ERP starts with a ladder: situations that set off an obsession, ordered from the easiest to the hardest. This one is an example. Yours is written with your clinician, and you decide when to take the next step.
- Urge 2 of 10
Touch a door handle at home
Wait five minutes before washing. Notice the urge without acting on it.
- Urge 3 of 10
Touch a door handle at work
The same practice, in a place where it matters a little more.
- Urge 5 of 10
Push a public restroom door
Skip the sanitizer on the way out.
- Urge 6 of 10
Shake a colleague's hand
Then touch your own face before you wash.
- Urge 7 of 10
Hold a shopping cart handle
Then eat a snack before you wash.
- Urge 8 of 10
Hold a bus rail for one stop
Then go on with your day. Your clinician is with you the first time.
Source: American Psychiatric Association, Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (2007), which lists cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention as a first-line treatment. ERP works differently for each person, and we can't promise a result.
Clinicians
The three clinicians you may see
Each has a license in Ohio, listed below and at the foot of every page.
Mihir sees teens and their parents, and adults who prefer evenings. He works with the family so everyone knows their part.
Lindsey sees adults and older teens whose worry, panic and OCD overlap, and keeps each plan simple enough to follow.
How fees work
The answers to what nearly everyone asks before a first session.
Insurance
We bill some PPO plans directly and are out of network with others, and we tell you which before the first session. We do not take Medicare or Medicaid; if you need a clinician who does, we give you names of colleagues.
If you pay yourself
Your fee is given to you in writing before your first session. A limited number of reduced-fee sessions are held each month. We take HSA and FSA cards. If you can't keep an appointment, tell us 24 hours ahead so you are not charged.
Receipts for reimbursement
Each month we send an itemized receipt (a superbill) you can submit to your plan if it reimburses out-of-network care. It carries a diagnosis code, which your insurer sees. Your plan decides whether it pays you back, and how much.
An estimate in advance
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to a written Good Faith Estimate of what your care will cost before it starts. If a bill comes in $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.
Checking your benefits
Before your first session we look up your plan's outpatient therapy benefits and tell you what they list, so the first bill holds no surprises. You can also call the number on your card.
Credentials
Licenses and training
Each clinician's license is listed with the board that issues it, so you can look it up.
Ohio licenses
Alistair Brantley, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)
OH Lic. # 000000 · Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board
Required to practice counseling in Ohio
Mihir Chadha, Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW)
OH Lic. # 000000 · Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board
Required to practice social work in Ohio
Lindsey Devlin, Licensed Psychologist
OH Lic. # 000000 · State Board of Psychology of Ohio
Required to practice psychology in Ohio
ERP training
Exposure and response prevention training
International OCD Foundation, Behavioral Therapy Training Institute
Questions
Questions people ask first
Do you take my insurance?
We bill some PPO plans directly and are out of network with others. We check your benefits and tell you before the first session. We do not take Medicare or Medicaid.
What does a session cost?
Your fee is given to you in writing before the first session. How fees work explains receipts for reimbursement, HSA and FSA cards, and the cancellation notice.
What happens in the first session?
You talk, and we listen. Your clinician explains how ERP works and what stays private, and asks what you want to change. We do not start exposures on the first day.
How often will we meet?
Sessions are 50 minutes. Your clinician sets the pace with you, and we don't promise a number of sessions.
Can you see my teen?
Yes, for teens 13 to 17, with a parent or guardian's consent to start. Teens, parents and privacy explains who learns what.
What do I do in a crisis?
Call or text 988, any time. In an emergency, call 911. Crux is not an emergency service and messages are not read around the clock.
Write to us
Tell us how you would like to start
We reply within one business day. If you would rather talk by phone, call us during office hours.
Phone(513) 555-0102
Hours
- Monday – ThursdayToday
- 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- FridayToday
- 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Saturday and SundayToday
- Closed