The OCD Stories

In episode 262 I chat with Chrissie Hodges. Chrissie is a certified peer and family support specialist in Colorado, and co-founder of OCDPeers.com. Chrissie was awarded the hero award by the IOCDF for her advocacy work.  In this episode I chat with Chrissie about what's new with her and her work, what's new with the OCD Gamechangers, what is (certified) peer support, what it is not, what does a pe...

In episode 261 I chat with Elizabeth who has kindly agreed to share her story. In this episode I chat with Liz about her story, her experiences growing up including the death of her dad, and school bullying, her experiences with OCD, the fear of being judged, contamination worries, getting a diagnosis, hit and run OCD, what's been helping her, her journey of finding the right treatment fit, dealin...

In episode 260 I chat with Ashley Annestedt and Felipe. Ashley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in OCD, Anxiety, and Neurobehavioral Disorders. Ashley is the founder of Beyond Borders CBT. She is joined by Felipe Malaco de Oliveira a former client from Brazil who has agreed to share his story.  In this episode I chat with Ashley and Felipe about what is beyond borders CBT and why...

In episode 259 I chat with Jon Hershfield. Jon is a psychotherapist and the director of The Center for OCD and Anxiety, at Sheppard Pratt. He is the author six OCD books, including his most recent book the 2nd edition of "The mindfulness workbook for OCD", and his upcoming book "The OCD Workbook for Teens". In this episode I chat with Jon about what's new with him, The mindfulness workbook for OCD...

In episode 258 I chat with Dr Jonathan Hoffman. Jon is a licensed psychologist in the states of Florida, New York, and Utah. He is Chief Clinical Officer of the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in South Florida, and director and founder of the NBI ranch residential program. He is author of the book Stuck: Asperger's Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviors. In this episode I chat with Jon about...

In episode 257 I chat with Stefan Batorijs. Stefan is an Integrative Psychotherapist and founder of Nature and therapy UK. He is an associate Lecturer at Plymouth University, where he teaches the role of Nature and benefits of natural immersion for mental health and recovery from trauma on the clinical psychology doctorate programme. In this episode I chat with Stefan about why he became a therapi...

In episode 256 I chat with Dr Sam Greenblatt. Sam specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD and other anxiety disorders. Sam works at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. In this episode I chat with Sam about what got him into therapy, why some other therapies may not work for OCD, fully embracing the uncertainty of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP)...

In episode 255 I chat with Dr Patricia Zurita Ona. Patricia is director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center and host of the Playing It Safe podcast. She is the author of several books including "The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD" and her new book "Living Beyond OCD Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Workbook for Adults".  In this episode I chat with Patricia about what is Acceptance...

In this special 5-year anniversary episode I share my thoughts on the evolution of the podcast, my own journey with the show, my wish for you the listener, future direction of the show, and of course a thanks to you for listening to the podcast. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/5 -years Thanks for listening, Stu

In episode 254 I chat with Stephen Johns who has kindly agreed to share his story with us. In this episode I chat with Stephen about his story: violent, sexual orientation and self harm/suicidal intrusive thoughts, getting ineffective treatment, eventually finding a therapist that helped, working hard in Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), he goes into details into the lengths he went...

In episode 253 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. In this episode I chat with Steven about when other people are the focus of one's obsessions, he sets up the episode by explaining his view of OCD for co...

In episode 252 I chat with Dr Michael Greenberg . Michael is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In this episode I chat with Michael about his OCD journey, the line between obsession and compulsion, what is rumination, why rumination is a compulsion, advice on stopping rumination, the ide...

In episode 251 I chat with Ashley Annestedt. Ashley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in OCD, Anxiety, and Neurobehavioral Disorders. Ashley is licensed to provide therapy in 6 US states, and the founder of Beyond Borders CBT. In this episode I chat with Ashley about what's new with her, teletherapy, when teletherapy may be useful, how it can help people do exposures where they are...

In episode 250 I chat with Justin Hughes. Justin is a licensed professional counsellor in Dallas, Texas who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In this episode I chat with Justin about his therapy story, how faith/spirituality and therapy can work together, when OCD shakes someone's faith, Christian scriptures around fear, worry and uncertaint...

In episode 249 I chat with Dr Ivy Ruths. Ivy is a licensed psychologist and licensed specialist in school psychology specializing in treating anxiety, depressive, and OCD-related disorders. In this episode I chat with Ivy about why she got into working with people with OCD, living by ones values, the therapeutic relationship, Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), the importance of doing...

In episode 248 I chat with Katy Marciniak who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. In this episode I chat with Katy about her OCD story, how seeing a school shooting on TV triggered her harm worries, googling symptoms and finding relief in what she found, going to get professional help, relationship worries that focused on her marriage, finding an OCD specialist and how that helped her, l...

In episode 247 I chat with Dr Steven Phillipson. Steven is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Steven is the Clinical Director at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York. In this episode I chat with Steve about why some people get more from Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) quicker than others, what is ERP and...

In episode 246 I chat with Jaclyn Steinmann who has kindly agreed to share her story with us. In this episode I chat with Jaclyn about her OCD story, suicidal themed obsessions, reassurance seeking, harm obsessions, sexual orientation obsessions, maternal harm obsessions, the different therapies she's tried, finding Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP), doing ERP with NOCD, the experienc...

In episode 245 I chat with Pete Weiss. Pete is a therapist who specialises in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as other mental health disorders. He is the co-founder of camp DCO, an annual OCD wilderness camp. Pete is a graduate of the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Ange...

In episode 244 I chat with Meg and Matt who have kindly agreed to share their story from the point of view of husband and wife. In this episode we discuss Meg's OCD story, losing a friend to suicide, contamination and harm worries, having the support of her dog, also getting worries around her dog, finding out it was OCD, going for inpatient treatment, talking with others with OCD, medication, how...

In episode 243 I chat with Ian Johnson. Ian kindly shares his OCD story with us. In this episode I talk with Ian about his OCD story, homosexual and relationship themed OCD, his childhood experiences, feeling suicidal, playing professional basketball while experiencing OCD, superstitious thinking, getting therapy, opening up and talking about his pain with a therapist, Exposure and Response Preven...

In episode 242 I chat with Dr Amy Mariaskin. Amy is a licensed clinical psychologist and director at The Nashville OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center.  In this episode I chat with Amy about what OCD looks like in 4-8 year olds, compulsions and obsessions, animism - inanimate objects having personalities, how 4-8 year olds conceptualise OCD, looking out for autism spectrum disorder, how OCD can impact...

In episode 241 I chat with Izzy Mather who has kindly agreed to share her story with us.  In this episode I chat with Izzy about her story, intrusive thoughts around abuse, false memory OCD, getting therapy through the NHS, her compulsions, relapse, her first panic attack, getting ineffective therapy for OCD privately, starting medication, seeing a psychiatrist, getting therapy again on the NHS, c...

In episode 240 I chat with John Tessitore from the JCK foundation who has kindly agreed to share his and his foundation's story with us.  In this episode I chat with John about his OCD story, depression, religious, sexual and suicidal themed intrusive thoughts, meeting someone else with OCD, dealing with the suicide of a close friend, going through CBT therapy, starting the JCK foundation and the...

In episode 239 I have Dr Patrick McGrath head of clinical services at NOCD, and Margaret Sisson founder of the not-for-profit Riley's Wish, which she started to honour the memory of her son Riley, who was a passionate advocate for people with OCD and addiction.  In this episode I chat with Margaret and Patrick about who they are, why they are passionate about helping people with OCD and substance...