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The International OCD Foundation is Hosting Their First Annual Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Online Conference! Register Today!

Register here: CLICK HERE to register for the Online BDD Conference!

The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) is hosting their first annual, Online BDD Conference on Saturday, March 16, 2024. This online conference is from 11am – 5pm ET (8am – 2pm PST)! Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), is an OCD-related disorder, meaning it falls under the OCD disorders section in the DSM-5, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. BDD shares similarities, and many differences, with OCD. BDD is when an individual does not like their appearance and often blames this dissatisfaction on one or more appearance “flaws” they see– but these “flaws” are either not seen by others or are so minor that others do not notice these flaws. The disorder is often called “body dysmorphia” in the media, but body dysmorphic disorder is the clinical term and individuals with BDD are suffering greatly about their appearance dissatisfaction.

The conference is available to both mental health professionals, who can earn up to 5.75 CEs, and those with BDD, and their supportive loved ones.

The Online BDD Conference offers an opportunity for professionals to learn how to treat individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Professionals will hear from leading researchers and experts in the field and will walk away with a new understanding and practical strategies for working with those affected by BDD.

The Online BDD Conference also provides critical information to individuals, families, and loved ones affected by BDD to educate people and their families about effective treatment. The presenters for this track will be mental health professionals specializing in the treatment of BDD, individuals successful in BDD treatment, and their family and loved ones who supported them on their journey.

Registration costs:

$25 – Individuals with BDD and their Supporters

$65 – Clinicians – Up to 5.75 CE Credits Included. IOCDF Professional Members are eligible for a 15% discount. If you are unsure whether you are a member or have not received a discount code, please email conference@iocdf.org.

The full schedule will feature sessions for a variety of audiences:

  • Individuals with BDD: Those with lived experience with BDD. Programming focuses on recovery options and building motivation for treatment.
  • Family Members and Supporters: Non-professionals who have been affected by BDD in their families or other relations. Programming focuses on communication skills and effective support systems.
  • Clinicians: Professionals who treat  BDD. Programming focuses on skills training and enhancing the clinical understanding of the disorder.

Register here: CLICK HERE to register for the Online BDD Conference! We hope to see you at the event and please email us with any questions: info@ocdsocal.org. Thank you!

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Save the Date(s)! OCD Southern California’s Speakers Series is Back and Bigger Than Ever!

www.ocdsocal.org/speakerseries

OCD Southern California is excited to announce the return of the Speakers Series!  There will be more speakers this year and CEs will be offered at the Orange County location! 

These low-cost, in-person events will feature presentations by local OCD specialist treatment providers. They will facilitate panels and presentations on OCD and related disorders and host a question-and-answer segment. This will also be an excellent opportunity to meet and connect with others in the local OCD community.

Registration at each event is $15 per individual. The low-cost sign-up will aid our non-profit in covering venue, food, and parking costs. Each event will offer food and beverages.

This year we are thrilled to announce that we are providing 3 CE credits to clinicians at the Orange County location.  We welcome OCD therapists as well as non-OCD clinicians who would like to learn about OCD treatment. The cost to attend for CE credits is $45.00. CE credits are for continuing education activities for clinicians; these are not for the general public.

We will present the Speakers Series at four locations in Southern California. Join us on Saturday, April 6 in Orange County, and on Sunday, April 7 in the Inland Empire. San Diego will hold its event on Saturday, April 20 and the Los Angeles event will take place on Sunday, April 21.

These events are open to individuals with OCD, their family members and loved ones, mental health providers, students, and the general public. Please join us at your local event, or feel free to attend all four! More information will be up on our website soon, so please save the date(s)!

If you have additional questions, please contact us at info@ocdsocal.org.

Published

NEW ARTICLE, “8 Uncomfy Things That Are Totally Normal to Talk About in Therapy!” How To Open Up To Your Therapist About OCD Intrusive Thoughts!

https://www.wondermind.com/article/what-to-talk-to-your-therapist-about/

Opening up to your therapist is already difficult enough. When someone has OCD and wants to share the content of their unwanted, intrusive thoughts, that can add an additional challenge.

Therefore, we wanted to share the article “8 Uncomfy Things That Are Totally Normal to Talk About in Therapy” by “Wondermind” (Wondermind), a mental health resource, website, and organization (a mental health ecosystem), founded by singer / actress Selena Gomez, her mom Mandy, and Daniella Pierson (Forbes’ 30 Under 30, entrepreneur who has OCD) – https://www.wondermind.com/our-story/! The interviewed featured our Vice President, Chris Trondsen, LMFT, who shared concrete ways to open up about your intrusive thoughts to your therapist, as well as addressing the shame many with OCD feel when in therapy.

If you, or someone you love, is in therapy and finding it hard to open up about their OCD, we hope this article is helpful! We would like to thank Selena Gomez and her team, who were incredible and clearly care so much for mental health! Also, a thank you to the journalist who interviewed Chris, Sam Brodsky, who was very knowledgeable and a pro! Click this link to view the article: https://www.wondermind.com/article/body-dysmorphia/ or the embedded link below!

8 Uncomfy Things That Are Totally Normal to Talk About in Therapy
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A Free Event with Stuart Ralph, Host of The Popular “The OCD Stories” Podcast, Saturday, February 10th at 11am PST! 

OCD Southern California is excited to partner with the virtual, Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group for a free, virtual event titled, “From Feeling Alone to Reaching Millions!” The event is happening this Saturday, February 10th, from 11am to 1pm PST! To receive the link to this event, please email info@ocdsocal.org and let us know you would like to receive the link and we will send it to you.

For this Saturday event, we are excited to announce our special guest, Stuart Ralph! Stuart is an individual with OCD (https://alisondotson.com/2016/09/20/tuesday-qa-stuart-ralph/). Like many others with OCD, it took him over a decade before he finally received proper care to treat the disorder. His treatment journey had many ups and downs, and he will share what was crucial in helping him recover and what were some of the missteps your family can avoid.

Scroll down to learn more about our special guest but here is the agenda for this Saturday’s support group:

Part 1: Stuart Ralph will be talking about his OCD recovery story, the good, the bad, the ugly, the real. Stuart will include what worked for him and what he suggests others do differently. He will walk us through his OCD recovery story from first symptoms to where he is now– becoming a therapist and starting The Integrative Centre for OCD (https://www.integrativecentreforocd.co.uk).  Additionally, he started an OCD Camp – https://www.integrativecentreforocd.co.uk/the-ocd-camp.

Part 2: The OCD Stories Podcast: How it got started and what the last 9 years of hosting it has been like for him– 5 million global downloads and still going strong! He will share the top OCD tips and interventions he learned from hosting the podcast. He will also highlight some of the specific episodes featuring family members and loved ones who supported someone with OCD.

Part 3: This is where Stuart will talk specifically about the things his family, friends, and wife Nami have done to support his recovery journey. This is direct advice to the family members and loved ones from Stuart. He will share how he and his wife have navigated marriage and being new parents while balancing an OCD diagnosis.
 
For the final hour we will open to a specific question and answer segment aimed at Stuart and his recovery story, and then we will open it to a general Q & A where we will answer general audience questions about specific challenges. Stuart will stay on and help answer those questions either from a personal or clinical lens!

Back to more about Stuart:

During his battle with OCD, he was looking for uplifting, success stories of people overcoming their OCD battle. After not finding many, he decided to create the podcast, “The OCD Stories.” (https://theocdstories.com)

The OCD Stories podcast is the number one OCD podcast in the world. Since launching in 2015, it has been downloaded over 5 million times globally! At our February 10th support group, Stuart Ralph will share his triumphant battle with OCD, including what worked for him and how he overcame an OCD flare up. In addition, he will share how his wife Nami has been supportive in his journey. Then he will share with attendees the major lessons he has learned after 417 episodes where he has interviewed some of the top OCD experts and researchers, along with people who have overcome the disorder, as wwith OCell as family members / loved ones of individuals with OCD.

Here are a few example of episodes aimed for family members and loved ones : https://theocdstories.com/tag/family/. You won’t want to miss nine years of knowledge from Stuart, who will share ways your loved one can overcome their OCD and how you can support them.

We look forward to seeing you there this Saturday and the event will not be recorded, so make sure to attend live!