NOTE: These events below are just some of the virtual and in-person offerings from OCD Southern California. Each year we host our Speaker Series, an in-person event featuring presentations by OCD specialists from the Southern California area. We also join the IOCDF in hosting “One Million Steps for OCD Walks” in various counties in SoCal. We also host The Online OCD Conference, a Global low-cost, virtual event in November–with this year it being held Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8. More details to come but below is information on the conference and other upcoming events.
Please check this page frequently, as well as our home page, as we announce information on our Speaker Series, participation in the International OCD Foundation’s “One Million Steps for OCD” walks, OCD Awareness Week events, holiday party, online conference, and even more events! Scroll down to learn more about our featured events and how you can register to be in attendance!
The 2026 In-Person Speaker Series Event
https://ocdspeakerseries.eventbrite.com
Register Today for OCD SoCal’s Saturday, May 30th, 10am – 3pm, In-Person Speaker Series! We are currently offering discounted, early-bird registration so sign up today!
OCD Southern California is happy to announce that registration is now open for the 2026 OCD SoCal Speakers Series!
We are also pleased to announce that we will be offering 3 Continuing Education credit for professionals (LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs, and psychologists)!
To register for this event, click on: https://ocdspeakerseries.eventbrite.com.
What is new this year is that OCD SoCal is holding one Speakers Series event in one central location at Orange Coast College! We invite everyone in Southern California to join us under one roof!
This low-cost, in-person event will feature presentations by local, Southern California OCD treatment providers. They will facilitate panels and presentations on OCD and related disorders. This will also be an excellent opportunity to meet and connect with others in similar situations as you and your family in the local OCD community.
These events are for 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.
Ticket Prices:
Early Bird Tickets (ends April 20): $10.00
General Admission (ends May 14): $15.00
May 15 – May 30: $18.00
We are pleased that we are able to provide 3 CE credits for clinicians (LMFT, LPCC, LCSW and psychologists). Please register using the Professional Ticket at a cost of $45.00.
Beverages and a catered lunch will be provided. Parking is free. Thank you to OCD Anxiety Centers for sponsoring the catered lunch.
More information will be provided soon on the agenda, the program and the speakers on the Speaker Series page on our website: ocdsocal.org/speakerseries
For further information on the Speakers Series, please contact us through email at info@ocdsocal.org.
Once again, we will be hosting one Speaker Series event this year in a central location and invite all of the Southern California OCD community to join us and connect in one location!
To register for this event, click on: https://ocdspeakerseries.eventbrite.com.
To learn more about the 23 presenters speaking at our Sat., May 30th OCD Southern California Speaker Series, please click here: https://ocdsocal.org/4914/meet-the-23-presenters-speaking-on-saturday-may-30th-at-our-in-person-ocd-socal-speaker-series/
Here is the agenda for the event that includes a rundown of the day’s events, titles of the presentations, and details of the break-out sessions being offered (click on the image to enlarge):
The 2026 Online OCD Conference, A Global Event
Register now to take advantage of our low, Super Early Bird prices! Ticket prices will increase soon!
Registration continues for the Online OCD Conference, a Global Event, hosted by OCD Southern California, featuring presenters from around the world! Register here: https://ocdconference.eventbrite.com
This will be OCD Southern California’s 10th conference! Join us on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2026, for two days of information and community focused on OCD and related disorders.
We are so pleased to announce that we have added a Young Adult track, and a Kids track to our conference this year!
To register, go to: https://ocdconference.eventbrite.com
Following the Keynote presentation, the conference sessions will begin. The conference is two days filled with over 56 different panel presentations led by some of the top OCD experts, researchers, psychiatrists, advocates, and people impacted by OCD. To see our full conference agenda, please visit: https://ocdsocal.org/5355/the-agenda-for-ocd-southern-californias-online-ocd-conference-a-global-event-is-now-available/! All presentations will be recorded, and you will have 60 days to access the recordings.
We also have evening activities, including community discussion groups, an “Ask the Experts” call-in show, an activity for kids as well as a Young Adult event.
We will wrap up the conference with an “Ask the Experts” Q&A panel and an opportunity drawing for prizes.
We have more information on our registration page. Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the registration page will provide answers to many of your questions.
Register: https://ocdconference.eventbrite.com
Our Super Early Bird registration is from August 1 – September 14. This is our lowest cost registration at only $20 per person for admission to this two-day event.
CE Credits
We’re excited to partner with USC and OCD Training School (NBCC ACEP #7365 – http://www.ocdtrainingschool.com/) to offer continuing education opportunities at this year’s conference. The conference fee, which includes entrance to the conference allows attendees to earn up to 8.75 continuing education credits through APA and NBCC for eligible sessions. During Super Early Bird registration, conference admission and CE registration are available for $50 total.
CE acceptance and requirements vary by licensing board and jurisdiction. Psychologists, LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs and other mental health clinicians are responsible for checking with their individual licensing board to confirm whether APA and/or NBCC continuing education credits will meet their specific licensing requirements.
Keck Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at Keck School of Medicine USC is approved by the APA to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Keck Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
You must attend live to earn CE credits. Credits cannot be obtained by watching recorded sessions after the conference ends.
For both general admission or for professionals wanting to earn CEs, register here: https://ocdconference.eventbrite.com
Make sure to email info@ocdsocal.org with any questions, as well as to request to be added to our mailing list as we continue to send out more information about our November event. We will be sending you more information on our keynote speakers, the full program, and more details in the very near future.
The low cost of registration is to cover the event as we are working with an expert event team that is building our conference website and event platform. We will be utilizing Zoom for this conference, so if you’re comfortable with Zoom, the conference will be familiar to you and easy to navigate!
Register ASAP to take advantage of our lowest cost registration and make sure to email us at scholarships@ocdsocal.org if cost is a factor and you’d like to request a scholarship ticket for attendance.
For up-to-date information on our conference, please visit our conference page on our website, https://ocdsocal.org/conference.
Our Board of Directors and conference committee thank you for your interest and we’re excited to bring you one of the largest OCD conferences in the world! We look forward to seeing you on November 7th and 8th! All presentations will be recorded, and you will have 60 days to access the recordings.
Our free, virtual Family and Loved Ones OCD Support Group
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 (last month’s group), 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!
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We look forward to seeing you this Saturday! To join, simply email info@ocdsocal.org and ask for the Zoom link., as well as people with OCD—or anyone else interested.
The support group facilitators:
Chris Trondsen 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
Liz Trondsen is the mother of a son with mental illness. When her son, Chris, was diagnosed at age twenty, she was able to locate a treatment center in Los Angeles where he received excellent cognitive behavioral therapy. From a young man consumed with obsessions and compulsions, Liz watched her son regain his life, graduate college, and now work to help others fight this disorder. Liz helps to facilitate a Family Support Group online that brings families and people with OCD together to provide support, suggestions and hope to one another. Liz graduated from CSULB with a bachelor’s in science in Dietetics and Food Administration and completed her dietetic internship in Detroit, Michigan. Liz spent her career working in hospitals, as a Food Service Director and a Clinical Nutrition Manager. Since retiring in 2024, Liz has focused her interests on nutrition and mental health. With the others on this panel, she has presented twice at the IOCDF conference and presents an update annually to the Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group.
Website: https://ocdsocal.org/about-us/board-of-directors/
One Million Steps for OCD Walk
Registration is now open for the Santa Clarita OCD Walk! We will meet at the beautiful Fair Oaks Park. Join us in raising awareness, fighting stigma, and supporting those affected by OCD. We welcome EVERYONE including individuals with OCD, family, friends, clinicians, researchers, and trainees – it takes a village!
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm PT
Location: Fair Oaks Park
17468 Honey Maple Street, Santa Clarita, CA, 91387
This is an amazing event and we don’t want to miss you – sign up today! Registration is FREE, but walkers who raise at least $75 will get a t-shirt!
In its 6th year, this free, fun, family-friendly event will feature OCD success stories, interactive activities, educational resources and a ¾ mile walk in support of IOCDF’s “One Million Steps for OCD.” All are welcome! Registration is FREE, but walkers who raise at least $75 will get a t-shirt! https://support.iocdf.org/santaclarita
Upcoming 2026 In-Person and Online Events!
Information coming soon on our upcoming events. In addition to our in-person Speaker Series and opportunity to speak at our November Online OCD Conference, we will hold a virtual Speaker Series, “One Million Steps for OCD” Walks, OCD Awareness Week events, a holiday party, and more. Keep checking our website for up-to-date information on all the events OCD SoCal has to offer!
