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Paul Peterson, CEO of OCD and Anxiety Treatment Centers, cuts the ribbon for the new Orem center on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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Orem City Council member LaNae Millett accepts an award from Paul Peterson at the new OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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Staff of the OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center in Orem pose for a photo along with Orem City Council members and Miss Orem on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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An OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center opened in Orem on Thursday, hosting a ribbon-cutting and open house for community members to celebrate.

The center will specialize in treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder, various anxiety disorders and trauma and is located near Utah Valley University on the west side of Interstate 15.

Paul Peterson, founder and CEO of OCD and Anxiety Treatment Centers, said they’ve heard from potential patients in Utah County who were seeking treatment but can’t always access the center’s existing locations in Salt Lake County because of the distance.

Mark Hobbins, president and chief operating officer of OCD and Anxiety Treatment Centers, said the most at-risk age groups for disorders like anxiety are young adults and teenagers.

“We feel like placing our facility in between two universities allows us to have access and them to have free access to a facility that’s close by that gives a world-class treatment,” Hobbins said. “So we really feel like this age group is our primary demographic.”

In Utah, about 33% of adults reported having symptoms of anxiety disorder, according to October 2023 data from the National Center for Health Statistics, with Utah having one of the highest anxiety rates in the county when comparing that data.

That same data shows that, nationwide, 45% of adults ages 18-29 are estimated to have symptoms of anxiety disorder. For people 30-39, the number reduces to 36%.

About 1 in 100 adults in the U.S. have obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute, with OCD being slightly higher in women.

Peterson said he already has met with staff the UVU counseling center who, he said, are “excited” to have a new treatment center nearby.

The treatment center doors are open to all ages, with programs and treatments designed for individuals as young as 8 years old. Some treatments involve group therapy and family involvement.

To hopefully be able to reach more low-income individuals, Peterson said they recently began accepting Medicare and Medicaid as well as most other health insurance.

During the ribbon-cutting, Peterson shared his excitement to be opening up a center in Orem, which is his hometown.

“I think when the treatment is this good, we have a moral obligation to give it to everybody,” he said. “And so we’re not going to stop and we’re going to save lives and we’re excited to be in Orem.”

Orem City Council members LaNae Millett and Jeff Lambson attended the ribbon-cutting and open house, with Peterson giving Millett a recognition award to express his gratitude to the city.

Peterson said he hopes Orem and the surrounding communities know that the center is a resource for those struggling with OCD, anxiety and trauma.

“Life is about enjoying it,” he said. “It’s not about being on alert all the time. It’s not about being triggered because things come to their mind and it takes over everything.”

The Orem location will be the OCD and Anxiety Treatment Centers’ third location in Utah, with other centers in Bountiful and South Jordan. The organization also recently opened a location in Mesa, Arizona.

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