Fall Speaker Series Agenda
October 17th, 2015
11:00 – 11:20 Introduction
Jim Sterner, LMFT & Chris Trondsen
11:20 – 11:50 Out of the Depths: My Recovery from Severe, Disabling OCD
The Value of Online OCD Support Groups
PANS – Sudden Onset Severe OCD
Wendy Mueller
11:55 – 12:35 How to Respond to an Anger Outburst in the Context of OCD
Jim Hatton, PhD
12:35 – 12:55 Lunch
1:00 – 1:40 Less Fixing…More Attaching: Conceptualizing Body Dysmorphic Disorder with a Broader Lense
Arie Winograd, M.A., LMFT
1:45 – 2:15 Therapeutic Tools as Compulsions: How to Identify When This Happens and What to Do About It
Karen Pickett, LMFT
2:20 – 3:00 The Role of Family in OCD: Current Trends in Family Research, Genetics and Treatment Implications
Barbara Van Noppen, PhD, LCSW
Jim Sterner, LMFT, founder of The Gateway Institute, obtained his Master’s Degree in Psychology and focused his studies on comparing various treatment modalities for OCD. Mr. Sterner launched the Gateway Institute in November of 2008, and dedicated the Institute to treating OCD and other anxiety disorders with the most advanced techniques available for treatment.
Mr. Sterner is also committed to spreading OCD awareness to our communities, and recently become the President of the OCD Southern California, an affiliate of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation to help further that cause.
Mr. Sterner’s expertise includes treating individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive disorder as well as other spectrum disorders including Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Social Anxiety / Phobia, General Anxiety Disorder and Trichotillomania. Mr. Sterner has co- authored two articles describing the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Behavioral Therapy (MBBT) in the treatment of OCD and PTSD.
Chris Trondsen was diagnosed with OCD when he was 20 years old, although he had suffered for years with contamination and checking OCD. At that time, he was also diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). He received treatment at the OCD Center of Los Angeles under the care of Karen Pickett; Arie Winograd provided treatment for Chris’ BDD. After 14 months of behavioral treatment, he was able to leave therapy and manage his OCD on his own. Now, more than ten years later, he has few problems with his OCD or his BDD and is able to live an almost OCD-free and successful life using the tools he learned in treatment.
Following treatment, Chris decided that helping others with OCD would become his life’s work. He became part of the IOCDF’s Speakers Bureau, speaking on the topic of OCD to Fox San Diego, The Montel Williams Show, Dr. Drew, the Orange County Register as well as making public speaking appearances nationally. Chris currently helps facilitate three weekly support groups at The Gateway Institute while studying at Cal State Long Beach to become a Marriage and Family Therapist, focusing on the treatment of OCD and related disorders. Chris helped start the Young Adults track at the IOCDF annual conference and spends his time at the conference encouraging other young adults to become OCD advocates in their area.
Wendy Mueller has been a member of the International OCD Foundation since 1989. She has been leading online OCD support groups for 24 years and was the recipient of the IOCDF Service Award in 2014. Wendy suffered from severe, disabling OCD for seven years before recovering 20 years ago– thanks to medication and exposure and response prevention therapy. She uses her recovery story to encourage and give hope to others with OCD who are still struggling. Wendy is the leader of the “OCD-Support” online group which is an international group made up of more than 5,000 individuals with OCD and family members. She is also the co-leader of the “Parents of Teens and Young Adults with OCD” online group and is the parent moderator of the “OCD Support for Teens” online group. For anyone interested in joining any of these groups, feel free to email Wendy at wmueller@roadrunner.com.
Jim Hatton, PhD is the past president of the OCD Southern California, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation. After spending 20 years using cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help people with OCD and Impulse Control Disorders, he most recently has focused on coaching family members to thrive while dealing with the impact of those problems on the family. He also coaches couples seeking to optimize their relationships. His new book “How To Keep A Wife” is a humorous guide for husbands on understanding their wives, and is published by Oort Cloud Publications. Jim lives in San Diego with his wife Rachael and their two Huskies.
Arie Winograd, M.A., LMFT, is the founder and director of the Los Angeles Body Dysmorphic Disorder & Body Image Clinic. Mr. Winograd has been involved with the care and treatment of individuals with body dysmorphic disorder since 1997.
Karen Pickett, LMFT, is a Licensed Psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles. She is an expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders and body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB’s), including Panic Disorder, Somatic Disorders, Hoarding, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Skin Picking Disorder and Trichotillomania. Previously, Karen was the Clinical Director of the OCD Center of Los Angeles and Faculty in Counseling Psychology at the University of Santa Monica.
Karen was a featured psychotherapist on A&E’s acclaimed TV series Obsessed. She has also appeared on CBS’s The Doctors, Dateline NBC, and The Discovery Health Channel, as well as in numerous print, web and magazine articles. Karen is a professional member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences (ACBS), the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), the Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC), and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). She is a graduate of the TLC’s Professional Training Institute.
Karen is the CEO and co-founder of The Center for ACT, LLC (www.thecenterforact.com).
Dr. Barbara Van Noppen, PhD, LCSW, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at USC and is Director of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Administrative Director of Outpatient Psychiatry at LAC + USC and Director of Inpatient Quality Improvement. As a specialist in cognitive behavioral therapy and family based treatment, Dr. Van Noppen teaches and supervises in the residency training program at LAC + USC, has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation for over 20 years and is most well known for her contributions in OCD family treatment, particularly the development of a Multifamily Behavioral Treatment (MFBT), Family Accommodation Scale (FAS), group CBT for OCD and numerous publications and clinical research in these areas.
