A young man called me last week seeking treatment for his OCD. He said he had been suffering for all of his life but never new it was OCD until he read the blog below. So much made sense to him now and he was eager to learn more about his illness and how to treat it successfully. He read the book, “Overcoming Unwanted and Intrusive Thoughts” by Sally Winston and Martin Seif and he saw my name as someone who had reviewed the book. He tried a therapist who knows CBT but said he knew from his research that he was not getting good therapy. He went to the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation and tried to find a therapist in his hometown of Buffalo. My name came up, again, as the closest person to him….100 miles away.

I am sharing this story because it highlights a few important issues. First, there are not enough therapists trained in evidenced based treatment for OCD. It is a tragedy that someone in Buffalo, NY cannot find a therapist who uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Exposure and Response Prevention with confidence. Second, it is wonderful that clients have access to online resources so they can identify what is wrong and how to get help. Therapists also have access to these resources. There are a multitude of blogs, twitter feeds, online associations including the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (www.IOCDF) and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (www.ADAA.org). This may be one way for therapists to gain access to important information about OCD. There are new books coming out, as we learn about the most helpful ways of treating OCD,  that have great information in them for clients and therapists.

AnxietyTraining.com is another way for therapists to become more proficient at treating clients with anxiety and OCD. We provide online training through webinars that provide CE’s, skill videos, case consultation and blogs about best treatment practices. We recently won an award for one of the best OCD blogs (http://blog.feedspot.com/ocd_blogs/). We provide a personal experience through our training and provide a safe, nurturing environment to discuss cases and how to put these skills into practice. Treating OCD can be challenging but, as with most challenges, the benefits far out way the risks!

I dream of the day that someone with OCD or any mental health disorder can pick up the phone and easily find someone who can treat their disorder. Contact us today to get started learning about how to treat OCD and other anxiety disorders.

Here is the blog that helped one person find help for his OCD:

Dark, Dark, Dark,Dark by Corey Hirsch

This post is sponsored by nOCD.  Dowload this mobile tool for free.