Posts Tagged with mental illness

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Join OCD SoCal’s in person Affiliate Meeting at the Orlando, Florida IOCDF Annual Conference!

You are invited! For any of our members who are attending the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)’s Annual OCD Conference in Orlando, Florida, which is happening July 25-28, please join us for the annual OCD SoCal meeting at the conference! Meet the OCD SoCal Board of Directors, fellow members, and have your opinions heard! Find out what is coming up for the affiliate in 2025 and share your ideas! The meeting is also in the conference program.

OCD SoCal General Interest Meeting
Friday, July 26, 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm ET
Silver Spring Room

If you are not signed up for the conference, there is still time. This year the conference is also offering a virtual option. For more information, see below:

29th Annual OCD Conference
July 25–28, 2024 | Hyatt Regency Orlando
For all those impacted by OCD and related disorders, mental health professionals, and researchers.

The Annual OCD Conference is the largest national event focused solely on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders. This extraordinary event brings together individuals with OCD, their loved ones, and mental health professionals under the same roof with the goal of educating attendees about the latest treatments, research, and practice in OCD and related disorders.

For further information: OCD Conference 2024

For the first time, there will be a Virtual option!  For more information, click here.

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Join OCD SoCal on Saturday, June 29th for the Orange County “One Million Steps For OCD” Walk!

For more information, visit: http://www.iocdf.org/walkorangecounty

Join OCD Southern California in Orange County on Saturday, June 29th at 10am (registration at 9:30am). We will be joining the IOCDF’s “One Million Steps for OCD” Walk and we invite interested individuals to join us in Orange County! The walk will take place at the Marriott Hotel near South Coast Plaza. The address is 500 Anton Boulevard, Costa Mesa, California, 92626.

When you arrive, please join us in the Lakeview Salon and Terrace on the first floor of the hotel, past the bar and lobby. Look out for signage and volunteers.

Following registration and t-shirt distribution at 9:30 AM, the Opening Ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM. The walk will start at 10:30 AM.  Coffee will be available.

The walk route is a one-mile loop around the Sparkling Pond. The walkway is flat and paved. Walk at your own pace, bring your friends and your dogs and meet new members of the community!  

The walk will be followed by speakers with lived experience, a Q&A and light refreshments.  Final remarks at 1:00 PM.

The fee for parking in the Marriot Costa Mesa parking structure has been waived for the Orange County OCD Walk. Please see the concierge prior to leaving for parking validation.

If you have not yet registered, walk-ins are very welcome!

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@ocdsocal.org. We look forward to seeing you at the Orange County walk!

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Join Us Saturday, May 11 at 11am PST for Our Virtual, Speakers Series Event Featuring Guest Speakers!

OCD Southern California is excited to offer an exciting event this Saturday, May 11, from 11 AM to 2 PM PST! For the month of April, over 350 people attended OCD SoCal’s in-person Speakers Series events, and we are excited to present this Saturday’s virtual Speakers Series event open to anyone from anywhere!

This free, virtual event is perfect for people with OCD and related disorders, family members and loved ones supporting someone with OCD, as well as anyone interested in learning more about OCD.

The event will feature 6 presenters and 4 presentations. We will then open it up for an extended Q&A, where you can ask these OCD experts any questions about your particular struggle with OCD, your family’s struggle with OCD, and listen to questions asked by others going through similar struggles.

The presentations will last the first half of the event and then the second half will be the Q & A. Scroll below the presenter’s information and talk titles and descriptions. If you are not on our mailing list, please email: info@ocdsocal.org to ask for the event’s Zoom link. See you this Saturday!

Presentation: Family Accommodation Across the Lifespan – Support for Family Members, Loved Ones, and Romantic Partners – Melissa Mose, LMFT (https://www.melissamosemft.com/meet-melissa/), Andrew Cohen, LMFT (https://www.cohenocdtherapy.com/andrew-cohen-bio), and Danielle Cohen, LMFT (https://www.cohenocdtherapy.com/danielle-cohen-ms-lmft)

Loving and supporting someone with OCD is both gratifying and can be challenging. This talk is specifically for family members, loved ones, and romantic partners supporting someone with OCD. The talk will dive into ways loved ones often accommodate the OCD, which in turn just strengthens the OCD—often causing conflict within the family or relationship. There will also be a discussion on how to create a relationship outside of OCD. This talk will give tangible strategies to those supporting someone with OCD on how to reduce family accommodations, strengthen the relationship, practice self-care, and supporting a loved one across the lifespan!  

Presentation: Recovery From OCD is Possible” – Through OCD, I Lost Myself. Treatment Brought Me Back Stronger! – Chris Trondsen, LMFT (https://www.gatewayocd.com/chris-trondsen/)

People impacted by OCD need hope that recovery from the disorder is possible. Before becoming a clinician specializing in the treatment of OCD, Chris suffered from the disorder himself. He will share how he went from dropping out of college, isolating from friends and family, and becoming housebound to living a full life, advocating for OCD across various media platforms, and helping others recover from OCD.

In addition, Chris will discuss the specific ways OCD impacted his self-view and self-image. He was referred to as a ‘difficult child,’ he became scared of his own thoughts, and became a shell of himself—all at the hands of the disorder. He will then share how treatment helped him build himself back better— allowing him to gain confidence in himself, build resilience, and find a new life’s purpose.

Presentation: Medical Treatments for OCD – Ryan Vidrine, MD (https://www.ryanvmd.com/about-me)

The presentation will Inform attendees about the ins and outs of medication treatment for OCD. Dr. Vidrine will then describe the use of deep TMS for OCD & Deep Brain Stimulation. Lastly, he will briefly mention upcoming or novel treatments such as Ketamine or psychedelics for OCD. 

Presentation: Igniting Willpower: Separating Fact from Fiction in Motivation. – Nathaniel Van Kirk, Ph.D. (https://www.mcleanhospital.org/profile/nathaniel-van-kirk)

Getting better from OCD is challenging and takes a lot of motivation and dedication. This talk will first debunk some common motivational myths that can lead to burn out and hopelessness. After addressing these common myths, the talk will then provide attendees with strategies for building motivation around OCD treatment. If you are struggling with motivation in your own recovery, you will not want to miss this presentation!

We look forward to seeing you at the free, virtual event this Saturday! Please email us with any questions you may have: info@ocdsocal.org

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OCD Southern California Thanks The Sponsors of Our Orange County Speakers Series Event!

As part of OCD SoCal’s mission, we want to make sure that our events are accessible and affordable to all. In order to put on excellent events while keeping the registration costs low, we rely on sponsors from the OCD community to help support this mission. The Orange County Speaker Series is able to provide a catered meal, refreshments, complimentary parking, a superb location, and a movie screening at a low cost because of this year’s sponsors.

We are appreciative of our generous sponsors for this community event:

Curtis Hsia, PhD, is the Director of OC Anxiety Center, located in Mission Viejo. The OC Anxiety Center clinician use empirically supported treatments tailored to each individual to help overcome anxiety and related disorders. In addition to providing clinical services, the clinicians frequently give pro bono lectures to local schools, parent teacher associations, churches and professional groups, and offer a monthly support group. The center is dedicated to contributing to the body of knowledge through which therapy is improved by engaging in research and actively publishing/presenting findings at national and international conferences. https://ocanxietycenter.com

Jennifer O’Connor, PhD, specializes in anxiety, OCD and OCD spectrum disorders, eating issues, body image and additional areas. She has clinical associates who provide treatment as well under her supervision.Dr. O’Connor provides evidenced-based therapy in a compassionate and supportive environment. If you or your loved one is struggling with fear, anxiety, insecurity, or emotional pain, you deserve to receive therapy that is effective and efficient, tailored to your specific needs, and sensitive to your personal values. https://drjenniferoconnor.com

Newport Healthcare (Orange County, Mallery Stone, Clinical Outreach Specialist), provides specialized OCD treatment for teens and young adults.  To achieve long-term healing from obsessive-compulsive disorder, young people need treatment that provides more than symptom relief. Newport Healthcare’s specialized OCD programming addresses both the manifestations and the underlying causes of this disorder, using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy as part of a comprehensive, integrated treatment model. https://www.newporthealthcare.com

Roger’s Behavioral Health (Los Angeles, Amy Prout, West Coast Communications Liaison lead)- At Rogers, we’ve been helping people find a path to recovery for more than 115 years. We’re here to do the same today in the Los Angeles community by providing highly effective OCD treatment and compassionate care for those struggling with their mental health. As our third location in California, Rogers is honored to further meet the need for quality mental health treatment nationwide. Building from our San Francisco East Bay and San Diego clinics, the LA location offers specialized OCD treatment services for patients in need of the next level of partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) care. Patients receive evidence-based, individualized treatment led by board-certified psychiatrists and a multidisciplinary team of experts. https://rogersbh.org/locations/los-angeles-ca

Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders, Inc. was founded in 1994 by Eda Gorbis, PhD.  The clinicians specialize in treating OCD, BDD, Social Phobia, Specific Phobias, Eating Disorders, Compulsive Sexual Behaviors and other disorders.  Dr. Gorbis has successfully treated numerous patients from many parts of the world suffering from severe OCD, and has trained many clinicians from the United States and across the world on her intensive integrated method. WI offers twice/week, three times/week intensive programs. https://www.hope4ocd.com/index.php