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!
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. This article is a good introduction to the disorder, featuring stories of people living with BDD.
We excited to share the article “5 Things People With Body Dysmorphia Want You To Know” 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 opened up about his personal struggles with BDD and was also featured as the clinician discussing the disorder in the section with other people’s personal experiences with the disorder.
If you, or someone you love, is interested in BDD, the article shares ‘5 things people with BDD want everyone to know!’ We hope it’s 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!
We are excited to hold a free, virtual event in partnership with board members Chris and Liz Trondsen’s Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group! The event is this Saturday, January 13, from 11am to 1pm PST! If you are interested in attending, please email info@ocdsocal.org requesting the event’s Zoom link (subject title: Jan. 13 Link Request). Here is the information about Saturday’s event:
For this Saturday’s event, we are excited to offer a special event. One question we have often received is if diet, exercise, supplements, sleep, yoga, social support, meditation, and other stress relieving measures help reduce anxiety and improve OCD symptoms. We heard you loud and clear and are excited to offer a group focusing on this very topic!
On Saturday, we are featuring four experts (scroll down to see full bios and links) in this interactive and informative presentation.
Tom Smalley, MS, CSCS, is a strength and conditioning coach, as well as an Olympic weightlifter who recently won three gold medals. He will be discussing the importance of exercise, movement, conditioning, and activity and how it correlates with a reduction in symptoms of anxiety and OCD.
Elizabeth Trondsen, RD, is a registered dietitian with 42 years of experience in the field working with patients in major hospitals in Southern California. She will discuss the role of nutrition in anxiety and OCD, the mind-gut connection, supplements that are found to aid in stress reduction, and offer sites, recipes, and recommendations.
Krista Reed, LSCSW, is a licensed therapist who utilizes yoga, mindfulness, diaphragmatic breathing, and other similar techniques when working with clients diagnosed with anxiety and OCD. She will lead Saturday’s attendees in chair yoga exercises that help with stress relief.
Lastly, Chris Trondsen, LMFT, is a licensed therapist who has received additional training in CBT-I, which stands for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. He will be discussing the correlation between sleep and wellness, the importance of sleep and its impact on OCD and anxiety, how to improve your sleep, and techniques to help someone who is struggling with proper sleep.
The presentation will conclude with these four speakers having a roundtable discussion on how you can tangibly and realistically utilize the information provided to create a wellness plan of your own to aid in OCD and anxiety treatment. Then, the second half will feature an open Q&A where you can ask any question about any of the topics discussed in the presentation or OCD-specific questions that are relevant to your personal situation, either as someone with OCD or how to support a loved one with OCD! We look forward to seeing you at the event this Saturday.
Tom Smalley, MS, CSCS –Strength and Conditioning Coach; Olympic Weightlifter
Tom Smalley received his Masters of Science in Exercise and Sports Science from Merrimack College and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Siena College. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. In addition, he holds a USAW Level 1 Weightlifting Coaching certification and a Level 1 Coaching certification from Precision Nutrition.
In January 2020, Smalley co-created the Anxiety in Athletes – a task force and online resource center with the help of the IOCDF. Smalley has a strong passion for weightlifting and began competing in 2021, 8 years after his mental health—OCD and muscle dysmorphia—forced him to put a halt to his athletic career.
Krista Reed, LSCSW –Licensed Therapist and Certified Yoga Teacher
Krista obtained her bachelor’s in social work at Kansas State University in 2005 and her master’s in social work at Newman University in 2008. She enjoys working with children, adolescents, and adults. She has specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and has been utilizing this model for over a decade. She is certified in Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD Treatment through the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a professional member of the International OCD Foundation and has completed their Pediatric OCD Training. She has completed training in Body Dysmorphic Disorder through Massachusetts General Hospital. She is also a member of The TLC Foundation for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors and has completed her Professional Training to treat those with trichotillomania, skin picking disorders, and other BFRBs. In addition, she is a certified Yoga Teacher and utilizes yoga and mindfulness techniques in treatment. To learn more about Krista and her therapy practice, please visit: https://apbwichita.com.
Liz Trondsen, RD –Registered Dietition
Liz earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and food science and completed a dietetic internship in Detroit, Michigan before becoming a Registered Dietitian. She has worked in various hospitals throughout Southern California in both food service and clinical nutrition. Liz is especially interested in the relatively new area of nutritional study – the mind-gut connection and the recent advances in the study of nutrition and mental health. Liz is a mother of a son with OCD and is on the Board of Directors for OCD Southern California.
Chris Trondsen, MS, LMFT, APCC –Licensed Therapist; CBT-I Trained
Chris Trondsen suffered from undiagnosed, severe OCD, BDD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety and panic attacks beginning as a young child. It was not until his early 20s that Chris received both a formal diagnosis and specialized treatment. Once in recovery, Chris began advocating publicly for mental health and shared his story of recovery on TV, including the Dr. Drew Show, the Montel Williams Show, and NBC, as well as in various newspapers and websites including Buzzfeed and VICE. Additionally, Chris began speaking at Annual OCD Conferences, including giving the keynote with his mom at the 2011 conference.
No longer under the control of the disorders, Chris now works as a clinician in the mental health field, treating OCD, BDD, and related disorders at The Gateway Institute in Costa Mesa, California (https://www.gatewayocd.com/chris-trondsen/) . He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Psychology at California State University, Long Beach, and earned a Masters of Science in Counseling at California State University, Fullerton. In addition to the training he received in both undergrad and graduate school, as well as at The Gateway Institute, Chris received specialized training in the treatment of OCD through the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)’s Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) – https://iocdf.org/professionals/training-institute/btti/. Chris has completed both the general BTTI and the pediatric BTTI, which focuses in treating OCD and related disorders in children and teens. He is Vice President and board member of OCD Southern California (www.ocdsocal.org), an official affiliate of the IOCDF, and a board member of the IOCDF (https://iocdf.org/board-of-directors/). Every Wednesday of the month, at 9am PST, Chris hosts the IOCDF’s “Ask the Experts” and “Lunch and Learn” livestreams with Dr. Liz McIngvale. You can find more information here: https://iocdf.org/livestreams/
Chris is diagnosed with his own sleep condition, which led him to research the impact of sleep disorders on physical and mental health, as well as receive additional education in how sleep disorders are treated. He started noticing a pattern of poor sleep habits in clients diagnosed with OCD, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders, and became interested in the connection between poor sleep and heightened anxiety. He received training in CBT-I, a front-line treatment modality to treat insomnia and other sleep conditions. To learn more about CBT- I, visit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10002474/ .
If you would like the link to join the event this Saturday, please email info@ocdsocal.org with the subject line as Jan. 13 Link Request. You can use this email if you have any questions as well!
We look forward to seeing you this upcoming Saturday, January 13th, at 11am PST for our two hour event!
OCD SoCal is constantly hosting free and low-cost events in the local Southern California area. We also host virtual events, which means those events are open to anyone from anywhere! Additionally, we send out information on exciting OCD-related events thrown by other outstanding organizations and individuals.
To stay up-to-date on what is happening with OCD SoCal and the OCD community, sign up to be on our email list. Email: info@ocdsocal.org and include your name in the body of your email and that you would like to be on our mailing list. We will then add you! OCD SoCal sends out a sensible amount of emails monthly and does not share the email list with other organizations.
