Check out the most recent episode of the OCD Whisperer podcast! Ben joined host Kristina Orlova to talk about Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and how to avoid some of the more common pitfalls that can interfere with the treatment being effective.
Moms with OCD Group
We’re excited to offer a new therapeutic group, created just for moms with OCD. Erin Jones, LCMHC will be facilitating, using an ACT framework, with emphasis on building self-compassion. The group will be closed (i.e. new members will not be allowed to join after the group has started) and participants will be limited. If you’re a mom with OCD who could stand to be a bit kinder to yourself, please consider this group!
Intensive OCD Program
North Carolina is severely lacking in intensive treatment options for OCD. For a long time, we’ve seen the impact of this on our clients and community. We frequently field inquiries from community members looking for OCD-specific higher levels of care. We witness our own clients as they navigate treatment, knowing that they could use more than weekly therapy, but not wanting to take the leap of putting life on hold to travel to another state for intensive treatment. We’ve decided to help fill this gap by offering an intensive treatment program. And selfishly, this allows us to work together as a team and to provide truly top-notch treatment. You can check out some FAQs about the intensive program here. Or please feel free to reach out to us if we can help to answer any additional questions.
New OCD Support Group!
We’re rolling out a new support group for adults with OCD! It can be incredibly isolating to deal with OCD. Many people suffer in silence, feeling alone and unable to tell others about those pesky intrusive thoughts. We hear over and over again from clients — “I must be the only one who has these thoughts”. YOU’RE NOT. Connecting with other folks who have OCD can be a powerful way of decreasing isolation and building compassion. If you’d like to connect with people who really KNOW what it’s like to live with OCD, come check out our new support group. More info can be found here.
Online OCD Conference
Join us this weekend at the 2023 Online OCD Conference! Our team will be giving a talk — “Thinking About Thinking: How to Break the Cycle of Compulsive Rumination”. Ben will also be giving two additional talks — one about comorbid OCD and ADHD and the other for parents of adult children with OCD. The online conference is a great way to learn more about OCD and to connect with the OCD community, without the hassle and expense of the in-person conference. Check it out!
OCD Walk!
We had an awesome time at this year’s One Million Steps for OCD Walk! Our BCAOTC team was able to raise over $1,200 for the IOCDF and OCD North Carolina. The four walks across North Carolina raised over $8,000! It was a great turnout this year and a joy to connect with community members and colleagues. We’ll see you out there again next year!
Interview for TIME Magazine
Ben was recently interviewed for TIME Magazine for an article titled, “What It Really Means to Have Intrusive Thoughts”. The article explores the recent trend on TikTok using the phrase, “intrusive thoughts” and sheds light on what this term really means for individuals struggling with OCD.
Catch Ben on The OCD Family Podcast
I recently joined Nicole Morris, LMFT on The OCD Family Podcast to talk about parenting adult children with OCD. This is a complicated and often overlooked aspect of OCD, as many resources for parents are geared toward parents of younger children. Parents of older children have some unique needs and it’s important to find ways to offer support to this segment of the OCD community. Check out the episode here or where ever you listen your podcasts.
IOCDF Annual Conference — Denver 2022
I’ve loved the IOCDF’s pivot to the Online Conference these past couple of years, but I don’t think I fully appreciated just how much it means to be surrounded by friends and colleagues in person. The OCD community is truly magical and this year’s conference was a much needed boost. Can’t wait for San Francisco 2023!
ERP Basics and ERP Group Consultation — Registration now open for Fall 2022
Registration is open for Fall 2022 ERP Basics training and ERP Group Consultation.
Appearing on "All the Hard Things" Podcast
Check out the latest episode of “All the Hard Things” with Jenna Overbaugh. I sat down with Jenna to discuss postpartum OCD and anxiety in fathers and partners. While mothers understandably receive the bulk of the focus when it comes to postpartum struggles, fathers and other non-child-bearing partners are not immune. Hormones are one piece of the puzzle, but there’s much more to postpartum OCD and anxiety. Give it a listen when you have a chance!
Logic Won't Help Your Anxiety
Check out my latest article featured on Made of Millions. If you’re unfamiliar with Made of Millions, they’re a really cool organization dedicated to raising awareness and breaking down stigma related to mental health. Really excited to work with them!
Veritas Collaborative Symposium - OCD & Eating Disorders
Join me this weekend at the Veritas Collaborative Symposium on Eating Disorders! I’ll be giving the keynote talk along with my colleague, Steve Tsao, PhD, addressing the complicated task of “Untangling OCD & Eating Disorders”. For a sneak peak, check out my blog post here.
ERP Basics Training
Feeling energized after wrapping up our most recent training series! And excited to cultivate more therapists trained in using ERP to treat OCD!
How do you adapt ERP for a pandemic?
Many people wonder about where to draw the line with exposures. This conundrum has become particularly muddy in our current situation, as we are faced with new and uncertain risks. Some of my former colleagues at McLean Hospital’s OCD Institute recently wrote an article, detailing many of the considerations affecting how we deliver ERP during a pandemic. The article is featured in the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies’ newsletter, the Behavior Therapist and is called “Adapting Exposure and Response Prevention in the Age of COVID-19”.
In short, the article suggests that we can adjust by: doubling down on response prevention (given the limits on actual exposure), focusing on function over form (am I washing my hands to follow the recommended guidelines or to reduce distress?), and by leaning into inhibitory learning rather than habituation-focused exposures (changing our relationship to anxiety and uncertainty rather than trying to eliminate it).
OCD NC Community Events
OCD North Carolina has been working hard to develop more events to raise awareness of OCD and to build community across North Carolina. There will be two events in the Triangle coming up in the first week of December.
The first event will be Mental Health Trivia Night. It will be December 4th at 7pm at Bull City Cider Works, where $1 of every purchase of Off Main Cider will go to support OCDNC.
The second event will be gingerbread cookie decorating on December 7th at 3:30pm. We will also be creating holiday cards to be sent to individuals in residential treatment for OCD.
IOCDF Annual Conference 2019
Great conference in Austin this year! I ran a support group for parents of adult children with OCD, manned the OCD NC booth, reunited with friends and colleagues, and connected with lots of wonderful folks affected by OCD. I was especially proud to be able to present a scholarship, courtesy of OCDNC, to a family attending their first conference. This organization is at its best when it’s bringing much needed treatment and information to the people who need it - this scholarship hit that mark!