CBT for OCD – Practical Techniques and Usable Insights

Presenter: John Chamberlain, Ph.D.

Category 1 | 4 CEUs 

Workshop Description: This workshop is designed for clinicians familiar with basic prinicples of cognitive-behavioral therapy to have a better understanding of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and OC-spectrum disorders -- how the OC sufferer's mind works and how it can be counteracted. Dr. Chamberlain will give an overview of the CBT model for understanding OCD and the treatment applications of exposure with response prevention, including the cognitive foundation for behavioral work and the application of mindfulness practice, to a variety of OC problems and obsessional themes (including contamination, harm to self or others, sexual deviance, perfectionism, religious or morally based obessions, relationship OCD, and other variations).

Participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate OCD from other similar-appearing problems
   
2. Utilize strategies for building rapport with clients who suffer from OCD
   
3. Understand, and explain to clients, a clear and plausible theory of why they have OCD and what perpetuates it
   
4. Explain the CBT treatment approach of exposure with response prevention (E/RP) and why it is well-designed to target OCD
   
5. Name and explain four ways in which exposure works on OCD
   
6. Identify the most common obsessional themes - including violence, sexual perversions, contamination, perfectionism, religious and moral scrupulosity, and relationship OCD - and develop E/RP strategies designed for each
   
7. Distinguish classic OCD from Tourettic OCD
   
8. Know what makes for a good exposure
   
9. Provide an approach for handling OCD in day-to-day life, including the role of mindfulness
   
10. Know the most common treatment complications and what to do about them
    
11. Be conversant in the role of medication and its pros and cons
    
12. Apply E/RP principles to other OC-spectrum disorders
    

9:00-9:05 Introduction
9:05-9:15 A brief overview of and rationale for cognitive-behavioral therapy
9:15-9:35 OCD: Differential diagnosis, causes, subtypes, and treatment approaches
9:35-9:40 Basic principles of CBT for anxiety
9:40-9:45 Basic principles of exposure with response prevention (E/RP)
9:45-9:50 Quantitative assessment
9:50-10:00 Laying the cognitive foundation
10:00-10:05 Developing an exposure hierarchy
10:05-10:20 In vivo vs. imaginal exposure with loop tape demo
10:20-10:25 Tips on response prevention
10:25-10:35 Elements of a good exposure
10:35-10:55 E/RP applied to specific themes Part I
10:55-11:10 BREAK
11:10-11:30 E/RP applied to specific themes Part II
11:30-11:35 Tourettic OCD
11:35-11:55 Managing OCD in day-to-day life
11:55-12:05 Maintenance and "cure"
12:05-12:20 Complicating factors and how to handle them
12:20-12:30 Other treatment considerations
12:30-12:35 Treating sub-clinical OC tendencies
12:35-12:50 Treating OC-related disorders
12:50-1:00 Summary

Q&A welcomed throughout presentation

Recommended Reading:

• Stop Obsessing by Edna Foa and Reid Wilson Freedom from OCD by Jonathan Grayson 
• Treatment of OCD by Gail Steketee 
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well by Fred Penzel 
• Concepts and Controversies in OCD -- Jonathan Abramowitz and Arthur Houts (Eds.)