Chris Trondsen, LMFT, a clinician with OCD, and his mom, Liz Trondsen, two board members of OCD Southern California, are excited to remind you about our September virtual, free Family and Loved Ones OCD Support Group.
The support group is held the second Saturday of every month. Our next group is Saturday, September 12th from 11am to 1pm PT. Please read below for the information on the September 12th Family & Loved Ones’ OCD Support Group.
There have been multiple requests to discuss common co-occurring disorders that many of your loved ones experience in addition to OCD that often makes treatment challenging. In August, following a review of effective OCD treatment by Nathan Peterson, LCSW, therapists spoke on OCD and depression (Michelle Massi, LMFT), OCD and autism (Dr. Rebecca Sachs), and OCD and PTSD (Dr. Christina DiChiara).
For the month of September, we are excited to offer a special presentation with a panel of OCD experts including part 2 of our OCD and co-occurring disorder’s series. For the first part, Chris Trondsen, LMFT, will be doing a presentation for family members, loved ones, spouses, and siblings of someone with OCD titled, “Expected Treatment Milestones of Your Loved One’s Therapy.” This presentation will focus on the major goals and milestones your loved one should reach during evidence-based treatment and when to expect them to be met. For instance, after the first few sessions, your loved one should understand what obsessions and compulsions are, understand what is going on in their brain, and be aware of the evidence-based treatments offered. As a supporter of someone in your life with OCD, this will help you understand what your loved one is doing in therapy, what goals they should be meeting in treatment and when, give you a realistic timeline of recovery, and what to do if you feel as if your loved one is not making progress.
After that, there has been a request to discuss common co-occurring disorders that many of your loved ones experience in addition to OCD that often makes treatment challenging. We’re splitting up these co-occurring disorders into three presentations; September 12th will be Part Two.
Anthony Pinto, PhD, will discuss the intersection of OCD and obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Many people confuse OCD and OCPD, however, they are entirely different disorders. OCPD features rigid thinking, perfectionism, preoccupation with order and details, and it often makes it difficult for interpersonal relationships.
Sara Vicendese, LMFT, will discuss the intersection of OCD and bipolar disorder. There are unique challenges when experiencing both disorders, including the medication prescribed and difficulties doing treatment in manic and depressive episodes.
Scott Granet, LCSW, who is an expert on both OCD and BDD, and has written several books on both disorders, will talk about how treatment is different for people with BDD and those with OCD, as well as the high co-occurrence rates.
Finally, Erin Jones, LCMHCS, will discuss OCD and anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders have the highest co-occurring rate with OCD at around 75 percent. Erin will discuss multiple anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety (also known as social phobia), and more!
Each individual will give a presentation that discusses the co-occurring disorder and how it differs from OCD, how having both can make OCD more challenging to treat, and how OCD treatment is modified to address these co-occurring disorders. This presentation will provide greater insight if your loved one has a diagnosis of one of these co-occurring disorders. If they don’t, you may see that your loved one is actually also experiencing the co-occurring disorder but has never been diagnosed.
The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session with all five presenters. The presenters will address questions family members of loved ones have about OCD or these related disorders. You can ask questions about the specific topics brought up in group, or general questions about your family’s experience with OCD. This group is perfect for family members, loved ones, spouses, siblings, or anybody supporting somebody with OCD to learn how to best support them, as well as getting information on common co-occurring disorders that may be relevant to your situation.
We look forward to seeing you Saturday! To join, simply email info@ocdsocal.org and ask to be on the mailing list for the Zoom link., as well as share this with people with OCD—or anyone else interested.
Scroll below to get information on our presenters.
Chris Trondsen, LMFT, suffered with severe OCD and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) until receiving specialized treatment. No longer under the control of the disorders, Chris is now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) at the Gateway Institute in Costa Mesa. He received his bachelor’s degree in human development and psychology from California State University, Long Beach. Additionally, Chris earned a Master of Science (M.S.) Degree in Counseling at California State University, Fullerton. Chris is on the Board of Directors for the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), as well as in leadership for four of their special interest groups (SIG) including the BDD SIG, Trauma & Grief SIG, and others. He also currently serves as the Vice President of the IOCDF’s Southern California Affiliate (OCD Southern California – OCD So Cal), leading efforts in OCD awareness and education in the local community. Chris is a national speaker on OCD and was the keynote speaker at the International OCD Foundation’s yearly conference in 2011. He continues to be a regular presenter at the IOCDF’s annual conferences. At the annual conference, Chris helped create the Young Adult Track, which is now an essential part of the conference’s program.
Website: Chris Trondsen: LMFT & OCD Specialist – The Gateway Institute
Erin Jones, LCMHCS, is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor at Bull City Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center with over 8 years of experience treating obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders in youth and adults.
She is trained in evidence-based practices including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She also has experience utilizing Habit Reversal Training to treat Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin-picking and hair-pulling.
She enjoys advocating for the OCD community through various speaking engagements and serves on the board of OCD North Carolina. Erin loves spending time with her spouse, two kids, and two dogs.
Licensure: North Carolina; registered out-of-state telehealth provider for South Carolina and Florida residents.
Website: Erin Jones, LCMHCS — Bull City Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center
(919) 808-2318
info@bullcityanxiety.com
Scott M. Granet, LCSW, has been practicing adolescent and adult psychotherapy for over 35 years since receiving his master’s degree at New York University. He has been treating OC Related Disorders for several decades, and in 2008 formed the OCD-BDD Clinic of Northern California. He has taught extensively throughout the US and has given numerous presentations on BDD internationally. Additionally, Mr. Granet is a clinical social worker with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health where he facilitates treatment groups for both panic disorder and OC Related Disorders, with the emphasis of each group being on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Scott has also written various articles, two books, writes a bi-monthly column, The Therapist’s Corner, and has appeared on national and local television and radio shows. Mr. Granet is co-founder and former president of the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation of the San Francisco Bay Area, a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing support to people affected by the obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.
Written by Scott Granet, LCSW:
The Complete OCD Workbook
Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Mine and Yours: A Personal and Clinical Perspective
To watch a 15-minute video of Scott’s story: Scott Granet’s Personal Journey with BDD
Website: The OCD-BDD Clinic of Northern California
650-599-3325
Sara Vicendese, LMFT, is a psychotherapist with offices in Santa Monica and Calabasas. She is also able to see clients in New York and Ohio via teletherapy. Sara trained at the UCLA Anxiety Clinics (pediatric & adult), the UCLA Mood Disorders Research Program, and served as a staff research associate at the UCLA Child & Adolescent Mood Disorders Clinic under Dr. David Miklowitz. She also trained in psychodynamic therapy at The Maple counseling Center in Beverly Hills.
Her specialties include the assessment and treatment of both OCD and bipolar disorder; she sees a lot of clients with both disorders. She also provides trainings and consultations covering this specific intersection of diagnoses and the experience of individuals living with both.
Website: Meet Sara Vicendese, LMFT in California — Sara Vicendese & Associates
info@svatherapy.com
(310) 909-7253
Anthony Pinto, PhD, is Director of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Center, a specialized treatment program for OCD and related disorders, in Queens, NY, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. In addition to providing evidence-based care for those affected by obsessive compulsive disorder, the Center is a training site for doctoral-level clinicians in exposure and response prevention treatment.
Dr. Pinto received a National Institute of Mental Health Career Award to study obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), including its phenomenology and neurocognition, and develop treatments for the disorder. Dr. Pinto’s extensive publication record in the area of OCD includes studies on the symptom subtypes and course of the disorder, novel treatment approaches, and the relationship between OCD and OCPD.
Website: Anthony Pinto, PhD | Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
(516) 562-FIMR
We will see you Saturday, September 12, 2026, for 2 hours from 11am to 1pm PT! Email info@ocdsocal.org to get on the mailing list to receive this Saturday’s Zoom link! It’s a free, virtual event!
