IOCDF Annual Conference

Don’t miss the International OCD Foundation’s Annual Conference! It’s not too late to register — the conference will be July 7-9th in San Francisco. Ben will be speaking at a panel on Sunday — “Navigating Treatment with OCD and an Anxiety Disorder”. You can find both Ben and Erin at the OCD North Carolina booth. Hope to see you there!

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.

Come check us out at ADAA in Washington DC!

The annual Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) conference will be in Washington DC from April 13-16. I’ll be giving a talk with some amazing colleagues, Keith Cox, PhD and Beth Brawley, LPC, all about the varied uses of exposure outside of traditional ERP for OCD. Keith will be talking about using exposure principles in the treatment of PTSD, Beth will address exposure in the treatment of eating disorders, and I’ll be talking about adapting exposure for worry and mental compulsions. If you’re going to ADAA, stop by and check out the talk!

ADAA Blog — Infusing ERP with Self-Compassion

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) features guest blog posts by industry experts. Recently, Ben Eckstein, LCSW contributed an article titled “Infusing ERP with Self-Compassion”. While Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an effective evidence-based treatment for OCD, it sometimes doesn’t quite get the job done. This approach works great for fear-based obsessions (where the primary emotion is anxiety), but it can get a little messier when OCD involves other emotions, like shame, guilt, disgust, or a not-just-right feeling. It can help to augment ERP with other tools, like compassion-focused therapy. To read more, check out the article here.

Introducing Erin Jones

We’re thrilled to welcome Erin Jones, LCMHC to the practice! Erin joins us from Asheville, where she’s spearheaded the OCD North Carolina awareness walks for the past few years. She brings years of experience treating OCD, Anxiety, and related disorders. We’ve spent a while planning our growth as a practice and knew it was pivotal to start that growth by building around the right people — Erin brings an exciting blend of solid, evidence-based experience and team collaboration and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the group. You can learn more about Erin here.

We're Hiring!

We’re doing our best to keep up with the need in our community, but when it comes to OCD and Anxiety, the demand for specialized treatment far exceeds the supply of therapists. We have a new therapist joining the practice in early February, but we’re still hiring for another position and hoping to continue to grow the team! If you or someone you know is a therapist who would be a good fit, please check out the information below and give us a shout! For more details, you can also go our Careers page.

We have a newsletter!

This has been perpetually on my to-do list. I’ve wanted to carve out the time to do write a newsletter consistently and I think I’m ready to make it happen. I’m not aiming too high — I’ll be sending the newsletter out quarterly. You’ll find news and updates, resources, and community events. If you’d like to receive our newsletter, you can sign up here. Thanks for reading!

2022 Online OCD Conference

The Online OCD Conference was this past weekend. While I miss the community of the in-person conference, it is such a gift to be able to have a trove of OCD presentations to watch over the next couple of months. I was pretty busy this weekend — three different talks with some incredible colleagues. Check them out if you were registered for the conference!

OCD Walk

As you can see, it’s been a busy fall I’m just now catching up on the blog. The OCD Walk was a success this year — great people, a good turnout, and we raised a lot of money for IOCDF and OCDNC.

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.

One Million Steps for OCD Walk

Join me on Saturday, October 8th at C.M. Herndon Park in Durham to raise awareness for OCD. All funds raised will go to the IOCDF and OCD North Carolina. Come out and hang with the community while supporting an awesome organization.

Register here.

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.

Going to Denver!

An in-person conference! Finally! I’m really excited to be heading to Denver to present at the ADAA Annual Conference. My talk will be about utilizing the principles of exposure transdiagnostically, using our understanding of experiential learning to treat a variety of presentations of anxiety and worry. I can’t wait to catch up with colleagues and soak in the community… and I’ll be making a bee-line for the mountains after my talk is over. After all, what’s a conference in Colorado in March without a quick ski trip!

ERP Basics Training — April 2, 2022

Our next ERP Basics training will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2022. This is a one-day training covering OCD diagnosis and assessment, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) theory, principles, and application. The training is available both with and without individual follow-up consultation. You can find more information and register on our training page. Hope to see you there!

Interview with Insider on claustrophobia

Ben was featured in a recent article for Insider, offering information and tips for treating claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is a fear of enclosed spaces, often triggered by an awareness of being unable to easily escape from a situation. Check out the article to learn more!

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!

New Year, New Updates

Happy New Year! I’ve been meaning to post some updates, but it seems to perpetually end up getting bumped from the to-do list. I have a couple of new Psychology Today articles to share:

“Are Coping Skills Really Helping You?”

“How Much Do OCD Subtypes Matter?”

I swear, I try not to make every article title a question, but the editors at PT seem to prefer to make them a little more “clickbait-y”.

I’ve also started an Instagram account, sharing resources, information, updates, etc. Follow along if you’re interested! I imagine it will probably be updated more frequently than this blog, so perhaps a better place to stay connected.

I have a Psychology Today blog!

Today I posted my first article to my new Psychology Today blog! The blog is called “Capturing OCD” and will feature articles related to OCD and Anxiety. The first article went live today — it’s called “Willpower is Overrated: Why You Can’t “Just Stop” Doing Compulsions”. Please check it out!