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An Affiliate of the International OCD Foundation

Posts Tagged with ocd conference

Published April 29, 2025

Final Week to Register for Our Speakers Series Conference Events Happening THIS Weekend in Orange County (May 3) and Los Angeles (May 4)!

At both the Orange County location on Saturday, May 3rd, and the Los Angeles location on Sunday, May 4th, there are presentations aimed at people with OCD, their loved ones, supporters, and anyone interested in learning more about OCD and related disorders.

Additionally, at the Speaker Series conference events at both locations, there is a professional track that will offer clinicians (LMFT, LPCC, LCSW, and psychologists) 3 CE credits at low cost.

Email us with any general questions at info@ocdsocal.org. Additionally, OCD Southern California never wants cost to be a deterrent from joining any of our events. If you need complimentary registration for you or your loved ones, please email us.

Scroll below to learn more about both events and to register!

To register, please visit: REGISTER for Orange County Speakers Series!

Meet the Orange County Speaker Series presenters! There are 12 OCD experts, local to the Orange County and Southern California area. Learn more about the 12 speakers here: BIOS FOR THE 12 ORANGE COUNTY SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTERS offering presentations on OCD and related disorders with topics to include: medications, family accommodations and how to best support your loved one with OCD, taboo mental obsessions, combating rumination, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), shame and guilt, getting into the treatment mindset, co-occurring disorders, the treatment for OCD, and more! To learn more about the presentations being offered, as well as the agenda and program, visit here: PRESENTATION INFORMATION, AGENDA, AND BIO FOR MAY 3RD EVENT.

The 12 presenters speaking at the Saturday, May 3rd, Orange County Speaker Series Event

Event Info: Orange County will host a Speakers Series conference event on Saturday, May 3, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM PST.  This event is being held at Orange Coast College at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.  There is free parking adjacent to the event location. 

This event is open to individuals with OCD, their family members and loved ones, mental health providers, students, and the general public. Talks for the general public will be presented throughout the day. 

Beverages and a catered lunch will be provided.

Registration is $15 per individual. The low-cost sign-up will aid our non-profit in covering venue and food costs. 

This event is also for mental health providers wanting to learn more about OCD. There will be a clinician track at Orange County, and we are offering 3 CE credits to licensed clinicians who attend the full day. For licensed therapists (LMFT, LPCC, LCSW, and psychologists), please purchase the Professional ticket when you register. 

Schedule 

9:30 AM: Registration opens 
10:00 AM: Welcome & introductions
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM: Speakers
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Speakers
12:30 PM – 12:45 PM: Lunches Provided (Catered)
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM: Speakers
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Ask the Experts: Q&A Panel

(More information on the schedule here: PRESENTATION INFORMATION, AGENDA, AND BIO FOR MAY 3RD EVENT).

To register, and for more information, please visit: REGISTER for Orange County Speakers Series!

The next day, on Sunday, May 4th, we are offering a Speaker Series event in Los Angeles!

Sign Up Link: REGISTER for the Los Angeles Speakers Series

Los Angeles will host a Speakers Series on Sunday, May 4, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM PST.  This event is being held at the USC Health Sciences Campus, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033.
There is a parking lot adjacent to the event site.  Here is a map of the venue: https://events.usc.edu/assets/docs/USC-HSC-Map-2022.pdf. There is a parking lot adjacent to the event site. Enter Lot 17 from Alcazar Street and proceed down the one-lane entryway to the rear parking lot (3G and 4H on the map).  Park in any unmarked parking space.  Entry to the CSC Building is from this rear parking lot (red circle with gold cross at 4H on the map).  Once parked, please go to https://www.offstreet.io/location/SBT977EW and enter code 584236 when prompted. 

This event is open to individuals with OCD, their family members and loved ones, mental health providers, students, and the general public. Talks for the general public will be presented throughout the day. 

Beverages and a catered lunch will be provided.

The suggested donation is $15.00. The low-cost sign-up will aid our non-profit in covering venue and food costs. 

This event is also for mental health providers wanting to learn more about OCD. There will be a clinician track at the Los Angeles event, and we are offering 3 CE credits to licensed clinicians who attend the full day. For licensed therapists (LMFT, LPCC, LCSW, and psychologists), please purchase the Professional ticket when you register. 

Schedule & Speakers:

Morning Schedule
10:00 AM: Registration opens (coffee, bagels, pastries)
10:30 AM: Welcome & introductions
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM: Paul Zawacki, LCSW: How to be Uncomfortable: Getting ACT-y with Your ERP
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM: Dr. Jen Siegel: Medication for OCD

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch break 

Afternoon Schedule
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM: Melissa Mose, LMFT: The Role of the Family System in Treatment
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM: Dr. Adam Frank: Neuromodulation for OCD
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM: General Q&A and networking

Bios for the Los Angeles presenters:

Adam Frank, M.D., Ph.D.

Website: http://ocdsocal.org/about-us/board-of-directors/

Bio: Dr. Adam C. Frank is a psychiatrist, researcher, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Frank currently divides his time between caring for individuals with OCD in an outpatient psychiatry clinic, supervising and teaching psychiatry residents at USC, and conducting research on the mechanisms of OCD and improving treatment outcomes through the use of neuroimaging, wearable biosensors, and neuromodulation. 

Melissa Mose, LMFT

Website: https://www.melissamosemft.com

Bio: Melissa Mose, LMFT, has been in private practice for 30 years and has specialized in working with OCD for roughly half of that. She is currently the president of OCD Southern California, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation and she is an international speaker and educator on Obsessive Compulsive disorder. As a Level 3 trained and Certified Internal Family Systems therapist and an IFS-I Approved Clinical Consultant, Melissa is committed to developing a more compassionate, IFS-informed approach to treating OCD. She is devoted to raising awareness about OCD, training clinicians to identify and treat, improve early identification and wider range of treatment options for individuals with OCD.

Jennifer Siegel, MD

Website: https://communitywesttreatment.com/jennifer-siegel-md/

Bio: Dr. Jennifer Siegel is a current PGY4 resident and serves as Chief Resident of Outpatient Psychiatry at the University of Southern California. She earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine after graduating summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis, where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in graphic design and studio art. At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Siegel was a Bridging the Gaps Clinical Scholar, receiving an additional certificate in Community Health. Dr. Siegel specializes in medication management of mood & anxiety disorders (with particularly emphasis on OCD) as well as has training in ERP. She is actively involved in OCD-related research and has presented at the International OCD Foundation Annual Conference.

J. Paul Zawacki, LCSW

Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/courageous-act-therapy-irvine-ca/1440830

Bio: J. Paul Zawacki is a licensed clinical social worker and part-time clinical faculty member at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, where he specializes in the assessment and treatment of OCD and other anxiety disorders. Paul also maintains Courageous ACT Therapy, an OCD and anxiety-focused private practice serving adults in California. He received his bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. He has specialized training in both Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). He is a former three-year board member of the Southern California chapter of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), which is the primarily international organization for ACT-nerds. He is also a member of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation. He has lived experience with both OCD and ADHD.

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We hope to see you at one — or both — of these Speaker Series conference events. It is an opportunity to meet local OCD experts, get your questions answered, learn more about OCD, and meet others in a similar situation as yours. Email info@ocdsocal.org for any questions and to be added to our mailing list. We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Published April 7, 2025

The Online OCD Conference, A Global Event hosted by OCD SoCal is Now Accepting Proposals for Our November 15-16, 2025 Conference!

SUBMISSION LINK to Submit a Proposal for Our Online OCD Conference!

You may have seen that the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) will no longer host its Online OCD Conference. OCD Southern California has been hosting conferences since 2015, and in 2023, OCD SoCal co-hosted the Online OCD Conference with the IOCDF. With this loss of an online Fall conference, we are happy to step in and present the Online OCD Conference, a Global Event — Hosted by OCD SoCal! The event will be held Saturday and Sunday, November 15 -16, 2025.

In previous years, the IOCDF virtual conference has been a cornerstone for global collaboration, bringing together experts, innovators, and thought leaders from around the world. As we step into this role, we are committed to upholding its rich history while introducing fresh perspectives and opportunities for engagement.

Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or new to presenting, we invite you to participate in the OCD Online Conference, a globally connected event that brings together varied voices from around the world. Our proposal system is officially open today! We welcome innovative ideas, fresh perspectives, and research that resonates across borders from mental health providers, researchers, individuals with lived experience and their families, and others interested in speaking on OCD and related disorders.

If you would like to speak at this conference, please follow this link to submit a proposal (Note, you must be signed in to a Google account to access the proposal form): SUBMISSION LINK

The new, extended deadline for proposals is Monday, May 19, 2025.

See the Proposal Form for Answers to FAQs. We hope you consider submitting a proposal! 

Published November 22, 2024

Three Exciting OCD Events Coming Up in November and December! Virtual and In-Person Events for You to Enjoy!

OCD Southern California is dedicated to providing you with information on free and low-cost events happening virtually or in the Southern California area! We appreciate so many of you for always joining us at these events, being part of our mailing list, and sharing our events with others. If you have not been to an event for OCD yet, we hope one of these three is your first–and we look forward to seeing familiar faces. If you have any questions on these events, please email us at: info@ocdsocal.org and we hope to see you soon!

The International OCD Foundation is hosting their annual Online OCD Conference on Saturday, November 23 – Sunday, November 24, 2024! This event is virtual and for those with OCD, their family members and loved ones, therapists who work with OCD, and anyone else wanted to learn more about the disorder.

The Online OCD Conference offers the opportunity for the global OCD community to connect, share, and learn from each other in this event filled with talks, discussion groups, and networking opportunities.

All the sessions will be available to watch for 60 days following the event and the cost for the entire conference, and the ability to watch all presentations after the event, for $90.

To register, and for more information, please visit: http://www.iocdf.org/onlineocdconference!

Please join OCD Southern California and the local OCD community on Saturday, December 7, from 1pm to 5pm PST. We are holding a free community event in person at the beautiful Costa Mesa Marriott!

The holiday party will be held in one of the hotel’s banquet rooms and on the outside patio overlooking a beautiful lake. The event is an opportunity for you and your loved ones to meet others in the OCD community, talk, eat and drink, and play fun games, including group trivia and an opportunity drawing!

OCD SoCal will provide refreshments, drinks, prizes and holiday music. It will be an opportunity to mingle and meet others in the community. We will also have a dedicated room for kids that will include fun activities and crafts, so bring them as well!

The event is free, including food, drinks, and parking. Come meet others in the community and enjoy a few hours of holiday fun with people you may already know and new friends as well! This event is hosted by the OCD Southern California Board of Directors. Feel free to share this event with anyone you feel would be interested and bring as many people with you as you’d like to the event!

To register for this free event, and for more information, please register here!

Our Saturday, December 14th, the virtual, free Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group will feature author and clinician Jon Hershfield, MFT, author of “When a Family Member Has OCD,” one of the books we often recommend. Mr. Hershfield has written many books for the family and loved ones of someone with the disorder, as well as for people with OCD. Please invite your loved ones to join us for the virtual event. Jon will be available for the Q&A session following his presentation. The support group is 2 hours on Zoom and runs from 11 AM to 1 PM PST. To join, simply email: info@ocdsocal.org (if you are not already on our mailing list), and in the subject line, let us know you are requesting the link for this support group and include any email addresses you would like us to send the Zoom link to in the body paragraph of the email!

About Jon Hershfield, MFT: Jon Hershfield, MFT, is the director of The Center for OCD and Anxiety, Sheppard Pratt’s outpatient treatment center for individuals with obsessive-compulsive and anxiety-related disorders and director of the OCD Program at The Retreat, where Sheppard Pratt offers residential treatment for those who can benefit from a higher level of care. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and is a Maryland Approved Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor and AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Jon is also a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation and on the faculty of the foundation’s Behavioral Therapy Training Institute.

Jon founded The OCD and Anxiety Center of Greater Baltimore in 2015; the practice joined Sheppard Pratt in 2020. Prior to founding The OCD and Anxiety Center of Greater Baltimore, Jon served as the Associate Director of the UCLA Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital and was a psychotherapist at the OCD Center of Los Angeles. He is the author of six books on the treatment of OCD using mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy, is a regularly featured speaker at mental health conferences and webinars and is the curator and moderator of Sheppard Pratt’s OCD and Anxiety Lecture Series.

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We hope to see you at one, or all, of these events. Please feel free to share these events with anyone in your life that would be interested in joining as well. Thank you from OCD SoCal!

Published July 20, 2024

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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