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An Affiliate of the International OCD Foundation

Articles by Jennie Kuckertz

Published December 15, 2021

Call for Proposals: OCD SoCal Sixth Annual (Virtual) Conference

OCD SoCal is now accepting proposals for our sixth annual OCD Southern California Conference. This conference is an opportunity to learn more about obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and its treatment, provide support for individuals with OCD and their families, and gain practical knowledge about a variety of issues that may arise with OCD and related disorders.

The 2022 conference will be a virtual conference, taking place on April 30th, 2022 from 9am-6pm PST. We expect attendees from other affiliates to attend, and we welcome submissions from professionals outside of California. The deadline for proposals is February 1, 2022.

Who attends this conference?
This event is particularly designed for individuals affected by OCD and related disorders as well as their families, however, we encourage clinicians, researchers, and students interested in learning more about OCD to attend. Conference attendees often include individuals with a great deal of experience with OCD as well as individuals and family members who may just be learning about the disorder and its treatment.

Who should submit a proposal?
We are looking for presenters with a breadth of personal and professional experiences with OCD and related disorders. In the past, our speakers have included OCD therapists, psychiatrists, individuals affected by OCD and related disorders, as well as family members. If you choose to submit as a panel, please limit participants to five members.

What topics are appropriate to submit?
You are welcome to propose your own topic that you feel will be of interest to attendees. Past topics have included: overview of OCD, OCD and families, taboo topics, OCD related disorders, recovery from OCD, ACT and mindfulness, medications, and ERP experiential workshop. Based on attendee feedback from past conferences, we particularly encourage submissions on the following topics:
– Finding treatment resources/connecting to care
– OCD and comorbidities
– OCD subtypes
– Lived experience/disclosure/self-advocacy issues
– Support for family members of children and adults with OCD
– Therapist-focused workshops
– OCD in the schools

What is the format for break out sessions?
Each breakout session will be one hour and fifteen minutes. We recommend the final thirty minutes of the presentation be left for audience questions. Breakout sessions will be held in the afternoon following the keynote presentation.

What information is required for proposals?
1) Contact information including name, email, and phone number.
2) Title of presentation.
3) Brief abstract describing your presentation, and the intended audience (maximum 200 words).
4) Learning objectives (3) for the audience of your presentation
5) Brief biography (short paragraph) describing your background and experience with OCD and/or OCD-Related disorders. If you have previous speaking experience, please include a summary.
6) CV if you are a clinician or are interested in providing CEUs.

How do I submit my proposal?
We prefer that speakers submit their proposal information here via Google Forms. However, if you do not have a Google-based email address and are unable to access the form, you may also email your submission to info@ocdsocal.org.

When is the deadline to submit my proposal?
The deadline to submit a proposal is February 1, 2022.

When will I hear if my proposal was accepted?
Presenters will be notified regarding whether their proposal was accepted by February 28, 2022.

Published November 23, 2021

Support OCD SoCal through Amazon Smile this Holiday Season

Do you want to support OCD Southern California while shopping on Amazon this Black Friday and Holiday season? Shop through AmazonSmile and designate OCD Southern California as the charity you would like to support! 
AmazonSmile offers the same shopping experience as Amazon, but by choosing OCD Southern California as your charity of choice, .5% of your payments made through AmazonSmile will be donated to OCD Southern California. This means you purchase products or gifts as usual, and a portion of your payment supports our mission of increasing awareness and resources for OCD without you paying anything extra! 
Please note, when selecting the charity, the full name, OCD Southern California, is required. Searching OCD SoCal will NOT pop up with the charity for selection. Whether you are using a web browser or the Amazon app to shop, some guidance for shopping through AmazonSmile is provided below: 

If you are using a web browser, you can find OCD Southern California on AmazonSmile by clicking here. Please note, for a portion of your purchase to be directed to support OCD Southern California when shopping through a web browser, you MUST always shop through the AmazonSmile website (smile.amazon.com), otherwise, your order will not designate a portion to support our charity.

If you are using the Amazon app and using AmazonSmile for the first time, go to your app account Settings, select “AmazonSmile,” enter OCD Southern California as the charity name, and follow the prompts to confirm your charitable selection. 

If you are already using AmazonSmile and want to update the charity you are supporting, go to your app account Settings, select “AmazonSmile,” select “change charity,” type OCD Southern California into the charitable organization search bar, and choose “Select” next to OCD Southern California.

You can confirm AmazonSmile is set up when checking out at the end of your shopping as you should be able to see “Supporting: OCD Southern California” listed below your “Order total.” If you do not see this when checking out, please verify you have correctly selected the charity and are using AmazonSmile rather than just Amazon if shopping through a web browser. On the app, you can also view your account Settings for AmazonSmile to verify OCD Southern California is listed, and confirm “Generating donations” is selected to be “ON.” 
AmazonSmile and the AmazonSmile logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Please contact us at info@ocdsocal.org if you have any questions or trouble setting up your shopping through AmazonSmile. Thank you for all of your support this shopping season and beyond!

Published November 5, 2021

Traveling with a mental illness

Mental health conditions shouldn’t stop you from traveling.

It’s Meggie’s mission to destigmatize mental illnesses through travel. In this talk, Meggie Tran will share what they’ve done while traveling with a mental illness based on their experiences.

Together, we will learn how to:

  • Look at mental illnesses objectively as medical conditions
  • Unlearn misunderstandings about how travel plays a role in mental health
  • Accommodate your travels and make plans that best suit you
  • Seek therapy before and during travel
  • Manage mental health medications
  • Use helpful resources and tools

MEGGIE TRAN (she/they) is a second-generation Vietnamese American who has OCD, social anxiety, and intergenerational trauma.

Meggie shares practical resources to make travel more accessible for people with mental health concerns. They also enjoy writing hilarious and inspiring stories about people, places, and the planet we live on. Their writings have been featured on Fodor’s Travel, Thrive Global, and the International OCD Foundation.

Disclosure from Meggie: I am not a doctor or therapist. Do not use my advice as a diagnosis or official treatment/therapy. I only share thoughts and information based on my experiences. Please visit a registered doctor and/or therapist before basing any mental health decisions from me.

Connect with Meggie on their blog Mindful Meggie, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Meggie leads another life as a famous figure in an online gaming community. If you’re a gamer or a fan of an online community game called Club Penguin, follow Meggie (known as Tech70) on their Twitter gaming account @Tech70CP.

Published November 4, 2021

Are you an athlete with significant anxiety or OCD?

IOCDF recently launched a new resource focused on mental health in sports called Anxiety in Athletes. Our lead advocate, Tom Smalley, is heading up the task force developing content and resources for this website. Anxiety in Athletes will serve as a resource for team staff (coaches, managers, trainers, etc.), athletes, and loved ones. If you or someone you know would be interested in contributing to this resource, we would like to invite you to fill out our interest form. We will follow-up with more information about how you can get more involved. 

Mental Health in Sports Interest Form: https://www.tfaforms.com/4920144

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