Ben Eckstein, LCSW
Owner/Director
Ben is the owner and director of Bull City Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center. He’s a Massachusetts native and moved to North Carolina in 2014, initially starting a small private practice in Durham. Ben was trained at McLean Hospital’s OCD Institute and has now been treating OCD and Anxiety Disorders for over a decade. He serves as vice president on the Board of Directors for OCD North Carolina and offers training, workshops, and speaking engagements in additional to his clinical work. Ben’s first book, Worrying is Optional: Break the Cycle of Anxiety and Rumination that Keeps You Stuck was published in 2023. Ben is a father of four and, when not doing therapy or herding small children, he can be found enjoying the outdoors and tracking down the best Carolina barbecue.
Education: University of Vermont, B.A.; New York University, MSW
Post-Graduate Certifications:
Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), International OCD Foundation
Certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Boston University
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), Yale Child Study Center
Professional Training Institute, TLC Foundation for BFRBs
Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C), Postpartum Support International
Licensure: North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York
Articles:
Infusing ERP with Self-Compassion, ADAA
What It Really Means to Have Intrusive Thoughts, TIME Magazine
Untangling Eating Disorders and OCD, Veritas Collaborative
The Link Between OCD and Depression, PsychCentral
How Much Do OCD Subtypes Matter?, Psychology Today
Willpower is Overrated, Psychology Today
Are Coping Skills Really Helping You?, Psychology Today
Logic Won’t Help Your Anxiety, Made of Millions
Six Ways to Cope with Claustrophobia, Insider
Podcasts:
Becoming Anchored, “Worrying is Optional”
The Art of Charm, “Break the Cycle of Anxiety & Worrying”
Psychologists Off the Clock, “Worrying is Optional”
The OCD Stories, “Rumination” (Ep. 411)
Mentally Flexible, “Worrying is Optional”
The OCD Whisperer, How to Avoid Common ERP Pitfalls (Ep. 109)
The OCD Family Podcast, “OCD in Adult Children”
You’re Not Alone, “A Deep Dive Into OCD and Treatment Approaches”
All the Hard Things, “Dads Struggle Too: Postpartum OCD in Fathers/Partners”
Evidence Based, “Worry”