Register Today for OCD SoCal’s Saturday, May 30th, 10am – 3pm, In-Person Speaker Series!
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.
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.
Meet the 23 presenters who will be speaking on Saturday, May 30th, at our in person, OCD Southern California Speaker Series (names in alphabetical order by first name):
Alec Pollard, PhD – Pollard, Alec | International OCD Foundation
Dr. Pollard is Founding Director of the Center for OCD & Anxiety-Related Disorders (COARD) and Professor Emeritus of Family and Community Medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He graduated in 1981 from the California School of Professional Psychology-San Diego with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and received postdoctoral training in anxiety disorders at the Behavior Therapy Unit at Temple University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Pollard is a licensed psychologist who works with a range of obsessive-compulsive and anxiety-related disorders, with a special interest in patients ambivalent about or resistant to therapy. He is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation and chairs the organization’s national training initiative: the Behavior Therapy Training Institute. Dr. Pollard also serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Canadian Institute for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders and the Obsessive-Compulsive Cognitions Working Group research collaborative, and is former chair of the Clinical Advisory Board of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. He serves as a reviewer for a number of professional journals and conference program committees and has authored more than 100 publications, including 2 books: The Agoraphobia Workbook and Dying of Embarrassment: Help for Social Anxiety & Phobia.
Barbara Van Noppen, PhD, LCSW – Barbara Van Noppen, PhD – Keck School of Medicine of USC
Barbara Van Noppen, PhD is the Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Argyros Family Foundation Endowed Chair in OCD and Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles. Dr. Van Noppen is co-Director (with Adam Frank, MD) of the OCD Treatment and Research Program at Keck Medicine, USC. As an internationally recognized specialist in cognitive behavioral therapy and family-based treatment, Dr. Van Noppen has treated OCD for 40 years and “coined” the term “Family Accommodation” for OCD in 1990. She teaches and supervises in the residency training program at LA General Medical Center, serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, the Scientific Advisory Committee of The Canadian Institute for Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (CIOCD) and International Accreditation Task Force. Dr. Van Noppen 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 she has numerous publications and clinical research in these areas. In addition, Dr. Van Noppen is a faculty member for the Behavioral Therapy Training Institute of the International OCD Foundation, and is on editorial boards for peer reviewed journal articles on OCD. Dr. Van Noppen served as the president of OCD Southern California, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation, and is currently a board member Emeritus.
Cathy Agostino will be a panelist on the talk, “More than OCD: Real Stories of Recovery and Living Fully.” Her journey with OCD began in her early 20s, shortly after graduating college. Like many others, she faced the challenges of navigating a new diagnosis while transitioning into adulthood. However, through years of dedicated therapy and persistence, she successfully reclaimed her life. Today, Cathy is living a full and vibrant life, but she hasn’t forgotten the hurdles she cleared along the way. Driven by her own success in treatment, she is now devoting her time to the Southern California OCD community. Her mission is twofold:
- Raising Awareness: Helping others recognize OCD not as a lifelong sentence of struggle, but as a highly treatable illness.
- Providing Insight: Sharing her personal perspective to offer hope and practical understanding to those still in the thick of their journey.
Cathy is a firm believer that with the right tools and support, everyone living with OCD can find their path to a fulfilling life.
Chris Trondsen, LMFT – Chris Trondsen: LMFT & OCD Specialist – The Gateway Institute
Chris Trondsen suffered with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) until receiving specialized treatment. No longer under the control of the disorders, Chris now works as a clinician in the mental health field, treating OCD, BDD, and related disorders at The Gateway Institute in Costa Mesa, California. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Psychology at California State University, Long Beach, and earned a Masters of Science in Counseling at California State University, Fullerton. Chris has shared his story of recovery on the Montel Williams Show, Dr. Drew, Fox 5 San Diego, Vox, Vice, Buzzfeed, NBC, and speaking at IOCDF annual conferences. He also on the Board of Directors of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and is one of the IOCDF’s lead advocates. He is also a member of their BDD, OCD, PTSD & Trauma, Young Adult, and LGBTQ+ Special Interest Groups, and created the Young Adult Track at the annual IOCDF conference.
Curtis Hsia, PhD – OC Anxiety Center
Dr. Curtis Hsia is a Southern California native who attended UCLA for his undergraduate degree in psychology where he began clinical experience working with children with autism with Dr. Ivar Lovaas. Reluctantly leaving Orange County, he attended Hofstra University, where he earned his doctoral degree in a combined clinical and school psychology program. While there, he interned with Dr. Neziroglu and Dr. Yaryura-Tobias, both researching and treating OCD. Dr. Hsia wrote and presented several peer reviewed articles and learned the intricacies of cognitive behavioral therapy, and in particular, exposure and response prevention. He furthered his skills and training with Dr. David Barlow at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders as a postdoctoral fellow where he primarily focused on Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia and the intensive treatment programs for panic disorder and specific phobias.
Dr. Hsia then returned to California and held a professorship at Azusa Pacific University as well as several other posts, including Chair of Undergraduate Research and Assistant Chair of the Psychology Department. In 2012, he opened the Anxiety Research Center, which is now known as the Orange County Anxiety Center. He continues to engage in research, is currently writing a book tentatively titled “The Anxious Christian”, and enjoys hiking with his wife, young son and dog, Pavlov.
Dylan Mitchell will be a panelist on the talk, “More than OCD: Real Stories of Recovery and Living Fully.” Dylan had struggled with OCD for about 10 years of his adult life. But with the tips and tricks he learned from the Gateway Institute, from his therapists Jim Sterner, LMFT, and Chris Trondsen, LMFT, and life, Dylan is able to conquer OCD and make it into something that is more bearable in his life.
Elena Fasan, MSW, LCSW – Meet Elena Fasan – Children’s OCD & Anxiety Collective
Elena Fasan (she/her) is an LCSW and psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of OCD, anxiety disorders, and related disorders in children, adolescents, and emerging adults. She is the founder and director of the Children’s OCD & Anxiety Collective and sees clients in person in Pasadena, CA, and virtually in CA, WA, FL, and some international countries. Elena trained at UCLA’s Child and Adolescent OCD Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program at the Semel Institute and worked at the OCD Center of Los Angeles as a staff therapist before going into private practice. She is passionate about providing evidence-based treatment grounded in CBT, including ERP, ACT, HRT, ComB, and SPACE and advocating for young people diagnosed with OCD and related disorders. Elena also has a special interest in educating and helping parents, caregivers, and others who support those young people. Her background in childcare and her academic study of child and adolescent development and then social work inform her work and collaboration with clients, parents, and families. She is also an educator, with experience working as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge, her undergraduate alma mater.
Gur Yilmaz will be a panelist on the talk, “More than OCD: Real Stories of Recovery and Living Fully.” He is originally from Izmir, Turkey. He is 41 and currently in recovery from OCD. He states that recovery means he is able to live his life more without the ball and chain called OCD. Gur has dealt with OCD since the age of 12. He has had about every symptom and subcategory of OCD from magical thinking, blurting things out loud to psychosomatic features becoming reality. Recovery to him means being on medication and being consistent with specialized therapy and most importantly the awareness of self. Gur was a kid who couldn’t come out of his room, served 5 years in the military and became a nurse during COVID and eventually transferred over to the Department of Defense wherehe works as a psychiatric nurse for active duty members and dependents. Gur’s OCD was especially difficult during his time in the military. Finding an OCD specific therapist, going to OCD anonymous groups, and spending time at Rogers Behavioral Health IOP/PHP have all been tough work but were invaluable resources that have aided him in his journey. It is Gur’s dream to help others with OCD and show them that anyone can knock down the walls of compulsions and live free.
Jennie Kuckertz, PhD – Jennie M. Kuckertz, PhD | McLean Hospital
Dr. Jennie Kuckertz is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Administrative Director of Research at the McLean Hospital OCD Institute. She is also a faculty member at San Diego State University and Harvard Medical School. She has been working with individuals with OCD for over 15 years, and is committed to improving access to OCD treatment through direct patient care, training of early career OCD professionals, research, and advocacy. Her private practice focuses largely on working with children, teens, and young adults with OCD and other anxiety disorders. Dr. Kuckertz’s program of research, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, focuses on how and why exposure therapies work best.
Jennifer O’Connor, PhD – Dr. Jennifer O’Connor – PhD psychologist specializing in OCD, anxiety & eating disorders
Dr. Jennifer O’Connor is a licensed clinical psychologist and an expert in the field of anxiety and eating disorder treatment. Dr. O’Connor has been featured as an anxiety specialist on the Anderson Cooper Show, CNN Headline News, and A&E’s “Obsessed,” a TV series documenting CBT treatment of individuals with OCD. Dr. O’Connor trained at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles/ USC’s Keck School of Medicine where she specialized in pediatric and adolescent mental health. Dr. O’Connor then served as a direct patient care psychologist for 7 years in hospital and residential care settings, treating eating and anxiety disorders in children, teens and adults before transitioning to private practice in San Clemente. She has been practicing as a licensed psychologist since 2005, and has served as Adjunct Faculty at University of West Alabama Online Counseling and Psychology Program since 2010. Dr. O’Connor relies on evidenced-based practices including exposure therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy to help her clients to discover freedom in their daily lives.
Jennifer Siegel, MD – Jennifer Siegel Psychiatry | Discover Personalized Mental Health Solutions
Dr. Jennifer Siegel is a board-certified psychiatrist practicing in 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. She completed her psychiatry residency training at the University of Southern California, where she served as chief resident of outpatient psychiatry. Currently, Dr. Siegel specializes in medication management & therapy for OCD, OCD-related disorders, and anxiety spectrum disorders. She sees clients through her private practice as well as at OCD/anxiety-focused IOP/PHP programs.
Jarret Lovell is Professor of Politics, Administration & Justice at California State University, Fullerton. As a child, he spent countless hours performing daily rituals to keep intrusive thoughts about death and “thought contamination” at bay. After seeing an interview with Judith Rappaport on the Phil Donahue Show, he finally had a name for his suffering, and he confessed to his mother that he had OCD. His path to recovery began on his first day as a university student, receiving a referral to Dr. Rodney Boone from the student health center. As a graduate student, he attended a weekly support group at the Center of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York run by Dr. Steven Philipson, treating ERP homework as part of his graduate studies. In 2010, he began follow-up treatment at the Gateway Institute with Dr. Jim Sterner, and he has attended a support group each week led by Chris Trondsen, LMFT, since then. Today, he continues to practice ERP, viewing it as akin to the daily reading assignments he expects of his students. Jarret will be a panelist on the talk, “More than OCD: Real Stories of Recovery and Living Fully.”
Kevin Foss, MFT – About Kevin Foss • California OCD And Anxiety Treatment Center
Kevin Foss, MFT, is the founder and director of the California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center in Fullerton, CA. Kevin and the team at CalOCD treat the full range of OCD subtypes, as well as all other OCD spectrum disorders online, in-person, in-office group, and IOP settings. In addition to being a speaker on OCD and related disorders with the IOCDF and elsewhere, he is a writer for Psychology Today, and is the host of the FearCast Podcast, a question and answer based show about OCD and anxiety spectrum disorders.
Khashayar Nattagh, MD – Khashayar Nattagh MD
Dr. Khashayar Nattagh earned his medical degree from UCSF and completed his psychiatry residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He specialized in OCD and related disorders at UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. There, he trained at the intensive outpatient program for adults with OCD, the insomnia clinic, and the outpatient specialty clinic for children and adolescents with OCD, anxiety, and tic disorders.
He now uses his training to take care of his patients. He also volunteers as an adjunct clinical assistant professor at USC Keck School of Medicine to advance research on how TMS and psychotherapy can be combined to improve treatments for OCD.
Lauren Rosen, LMFT – Home – The Center for the Obsessive Mind
Lauren Rosen, LMFT, has dedicated her career to providing compassionate, evidence-based psychotherapy to those with OCD and Anxiety Disorders. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with her BA in Psychology, earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and trained at the OCD Center of Los Angeles. In 2022, Lauren founded the Center for the Obsessive Mind, an outpatient clinic serving individuals in California, Florida, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and select other states and countries. She and her team use ERP, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to help people take their lives back from anxiety, distress and intrusive thoughts. Lauren is the author of The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD. You can find Lauren on Instagram and via the Purely OCD Podcast.
Mary Sponaugle Neustaedter, LMFT – Mary (Sponaugle) Neustaedter, MFT – OCD Center of Los Angeles
Mary (Sponaugle) Neustaedter, MFT, is a psychotherapist licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of California. Mary received her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University in Orange, CA. Prior to joining the clinical staff of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, Mary worked as a psychotherapist at The Gateway Institute in Costa Mesa, CA, where she specialized in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related-anxiety disorders. While there, Mary provided individual therapy, group therapy, and intensive outpatient treatment using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and mindfulness techniques. Mary has extensive experience working with all types of OCD (including all “Pure O” variants such as HOCD, POCD, ROCD, and Harm OCD), Social Anxiety, Phobias, Dermatillomania and Trichotillomania. Mary’s work at the OCD Center of Los Angeles focuses on CBT for adults, adolescents and children suffering from OCD. Mary has experience working with children ages 9-17, and collaborating with schools to form IEP and 504 accommodations. Her prior counseling experience includes The Francis Smith Center for Individual and Family Therapy, working with clientele suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Mood Disorders. Prior to entering the field of therapy, Mary earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Redlands. Mary is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and was a presenter at the IOCDF annual conference in 2017. Mary has also been involved with OCD SoCal, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation, since 2015.
Max Maisel, Ph.D. – https://beachfrontanxiety.com/max-maisel-phd
Max Maisel, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (e.g., tics/Tourette’s, Pure-O presentations, obsessional rumination, sensorimotor OCD, and body-focused repetitive behaviors) who blends compassion with clarity and evidence-based strategies to help people reclaim lives that feel meaningful and whole.
As the founder and clinical director of Beachfront Anxiety Specialists in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, and online, Max leads a boutique practice devoted to precision care, prioritizing not just symptom reduction, but durable psychological flexibility, relational connection, and values-driven living. He specializes in integrating change-focused evidence-based practices such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), CBT, and Meta-Cognitive Therapy (MCT), all strategies that empower clients to interrupt unhelpful cycles without becoming stuck in avoidance or reassurance-seeking.
Max maintains active professional affiliations with the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), where he serves in leadership roles and continues to advocate for behavior-analytic, context-driven approaches to psychological care.
Megan Alberoni, MA, BCBA, is an individual living with OCD who works closely with children with special needs in clinical practice and through a nonprofit dance program for individuals with disabilities. Driven by her own experiences, she is a strong advocate for access to care and is committed to helping others understand their rights and pathways to life-saving treatment.
Michelle Malloy, MFT, PMH-C – OC-Therapy
Michelle Malloy completed her Bachelor’s Degree at UCLA in Psychology and her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Cal State Fullerton. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFC 46002). She has worked in mental health for over twenty years.
Michelle received training from the UCLA Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Clinic and Western Youth Services. She has previously worked for College Hospital in their Partial Hospitalization Program and was a Part-Time Faculty Member at Cal State Fullerton where she taught Abnormal Psychology. Michelle also worked for St. Joseph’s Hospital in their Eating Disorder and Partial Hospitalization Programs.
Michelle is actively involved with the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation and has served as co-therapist to Dr. Reid Wilson in his 2 day treatment program for OCD. She also consults for Buzzfeed Video and LuciesList regarding mental health issues.
Sanjaya Saxena, MD – Saxena, Sanjaya | International OCD Foundation
Dr. Sanjaya Saxena has focused his clinical practice and research on OCD and Related Disorders for 30 years. He has treated over 1000 patients with OCD, Hoarding Disorder, BDD, Trichotillomania, and Skin Picking. He directed the UCLA OCD Research Program for 10 years, then directed the UC San Diego OCD Program for 14 years. He also has worked in intensive treatment programs. Dr. Saxena is on the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the IOCDF and has served as faculty for 5 IOCDF BTTI’s. He has trained, supervised, and taught psychiatry, psychology, and other mental health trainees for over 25 years.
Sheva Rajaee, MFT – The Center for Anxiety and OCD | Find Anxiety Relief
Sheva Rajaee, LMFT, is the founder and clinical director of The Center for Anxiety and OCD in Irvine, California, where she leads a team of clinicians specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She is the author of Relationship OCD, and has been featured on CNN, TED Talks, interviewed in HuffPost, and appeared on multiple episodes of The OCD Stories podcast as well as other leading mental health platforms.
Stephanie Davis, PhD – Dr. Davis Therapy | OCD Therapist | Orange County, CA, USA
Dr. Stephanie Davis is a licensed psychologist who runs a private practice in Orange County specializing in OCD, anxiety disorders, and misophonia. She began her career counseling young adult populations at universities (BYU, Texas A&M, and St. Edward’s). While there she led anxiety and OCD groups, supervised graduate students in their clinical work, and supervised employees at a university crisis hotline. To further solidify her specialization in anxiety disorders and OCD, Dr. Davis completed a second post-doc at the Orange County Anxiety Center and continued working there until opening her private practice. Dr. Davis offers consultation services to clinicians and is a frequent speaker at conferences and community events addressing OCD and anxiety-related concerns.
Sue Chudy, LCSW – Chudy Counseling Services
Sue (pronouns: she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker in the states of California, Illinois and Ohio. She received her master’s degree in social work from the Jane Adams School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago in 2000 and a bachelor’s degree in social work at Illinois State University in 1998. In the past, she has worked in foster care, group homes, residential treatment centers and community mental health settings. For over 10 years, Sue worked for one of the leading psychiatric facilities in the nation, Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. While being part of a group practice from 2009 to 2015, she opened her own private practice in October 2014. After building a successful practice in the Chicagoland area, Sue moved her practice to San Diego in 2019.
Sue is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, a member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and the International Association of Trauma Professionals. In December 2022, she joined the Board of Directors of OCD SoCal, the local IOCDF affiliate, which was created to increase awareness and improve access to treatment for OCD and related disorders throughout Southern California. Sue founded and facilitates a Peer OCD Consultation group for clinicians in Southern California that treat OCD. In addition to the support that she enjoys providing to clinicians who treat OCD, she also helps facilitate a monthly support group for people living with OCD.
—
Here is the agenda and program for the event that includes a rundown of the day’s events, titles and full descriptions of the 13 presentations, and details of the break-out sessions being offered (click on the image to enlarge):
Registration: 9:30am PT
The event will be at Orange Coast College located at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626. Please park in parking lots C, D and E, which are adjacent to the College Center Building. This is the building where the event is being held. Parking is free on Saturdays (please do not park in staff parking). After parking, please proceed to where the event is being held, in the College Center Building, and go up to the third floor where the check-in desk is located. You do not need to bring your EventBrite ticket; we have the names of everyone who registered and will check you in at the check-in table.
Introduction and Welcome: 10 – 10:15am PT
An OCD Southern California board member (http://ocdsocal.org/about-us/board-of-directors/) will welcome attendees, go over the day’s events, and announce additional important information. Then the event’s presentations will begin.
The event is offering 12 total presentations with a final 13th presentation featuring all of the day’s speakers for an “Ask the Expert” Q&A Panel. If you scroll below, you will notice that the day is split into 4 sessions. During the first 3 sessions there are four talks being offered simultaneously and you can pick which one you would like to attend. Then the Q&A panel is for everyone in attendance.
Again this year, we are offering 3 continuing education credits (CEs) for licensed clinicians (LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs, and psychologists). These talks, specifically for mental health providers, will be held in the venue’s ballroom and will be held at the same time as the talks for the general public. NOTE: Pre-licensed trainees, students, and other mental health providers in the field are welcome to attend the CE talks. However, we are not able to offer CE’s to those attendees. Therefore, you can register as a general attendee. We thank USC for sponsoring the CEs!
Session I: 10:15 – 11:15am PT
Family Matters: How to Team Up Against OCD – Barbara Van Noppen, PhD, LCSW Barbara Van Noppen, PhD – Keck School of Medicine of USC and Stephanie Davis, PhD Dr. Davis Therapy | OCD Therapist | Orange County, CA, USA
OCD affects the entire family, which is why a family-focused approach to treatment can be so valuable. In this presentation, we will explore how you can work together to support your loved one with OCD. A key concept, “Family Accommodation” and how it creeps into all significant relationships as a benevolent attempt to “help” the person with OCD will be defined. This will be followed by how families can participate in exposure, as well as how to respond in a supportive (yet non-accommodating) way to requests for reassurance or help with compulsions. Then, how to make OCD family contracts that outline each family member’s role in teaming up against OCD will be reviewed. Lastly, building motivation to stay firm when facing your loved one’s OCD-related fear, anger, or feelings of abandonment will be included as an important area of maintaining progress.
Dispelling Myths: What Effective CBT / ERP for OCD SHOULD Look Like & the 8 Most Common Reasons It Fails (with Solutions!) – Chris Trondsen, LMFT Chris Trondsen: LMFT & OCD Specialist – The Gateway Institute and Curtis Hsia, PhD OC Anxiety Center
A scan through the Psychology Today listings would show that everyone specializes in everything, inclusive of OCD; the same is often found when given a list of providers from an insurance company. This session will focus on what treatment for OCD should entail, what questions to ask when seeking a provider and reasons why it may not work.
Stuck at Night: OCD, Anxiety, and Sleep – Sue Chudy, LCSW Chudy Counseling Services and Khashayar Nattagh, MD Khashayar Nattagh MD
Sleep can be one of the most challenging parts of living with OCD and anxiety, especially when intrusive thoughts and mental rituals intensify at night. In this talk, a therapist and psychiatrist will explore the powerful connection between sleep, anxiety, and OCD, and why efforts to control sleep often make it harder to rest. We’ll break down common nighttime patterns like rumination, checking, and reassurance seeking, and offer a more effective, compassionate approach. Drawing from evidence-based strategies and clinical insight, you’ll learn how to respond differently to intrusive thoughts and reduce the struggle around sleep. Attendees will leave with practical tools and a renewed sense of hope that better nights are possible, even without perfect sleep.
Holy Smokes! Tackling Religious and Moral Scrupulosity – Kevin Foss, MFT About Kevin Foss • California OCD And Anxiety Treatment Center and Mary Sponaugle Neustaedter, LMFT Mary (Sponaugle) Neustaedter, MFT – OCD Center of Los Angeles
When trying to be a good person and working hard to be a better follower of your faith becomes all encompassing, problematic, and never ending, you might be experiencing Scrupulosity OCD. This Obsessive Compulsive Disorder subtype focuses on one’s moral and religious character and continuously searches for personal failings and shortcomings, and what you should do to fix those perceived problems. This presentation will discuss Scrupulosity OCD within the framework of OCD, highlight the common religious and moral components, and review tangible tools rooted in CBT, ERP, and ACT, to take a hold of these obsessions and live in a meaningful and sustainable way.
[CE Talk for Licensed Clinicians]
Consulting with Families of Treatment-Refusers: An Underutilized Therapeutic Option – Alec Pollard, PhD Pollard, Alec | International OCD Foundation
A substantial portion of individuals with OCD either deny they have a problem, acknowledge the problem but fail to seek help, or seek help but never seem to benefit. Family and friends struggle to understand why, especially when the OCD negatively impacts their lives. They often wrongfully conclude the OCD sufferer is willfully choosing to be impaired, which can lead them to react in ways that are counterproductive. In this presentation, I will introduce a concept called “recovery avoidance.” I will explain why the natural family response to recovery avoidance doesn’t work and often makes things worse, landing everyone involved into what my colleagues and I have called the “family trap.” I will describe how family members confronted with recovery avoidance can enhance their emotional well- being and, at the same, improve the quality of their interactions with the recovery avoider.
Session II: 11:30 – 12:30pm PT
When an Impaired Loved One Doesn’t Pursue Recovery: The Family Well-Being Approach – Alec Pollard, PhD Pollard, Alec | International OCD Foundation
Treatment-refusal is a significant healthcare problem. Untreated psychiatric disorders like OCD often lead to a lifetime of distress and disability, and not just for the diagnosed individual. Impairment in one person can jeopardize the physical health, psychological well-being, and socioeconomic stability of the entire family. For most people, hope rests on the promise of getting help, but even evidence-based treatment can’t help someone who never receives it. When families reach out to healthcare professionals, they are told nothing can be done. In this seminar, I will describe something that can be done, an intervention called Family Well-Being Consultation (FWBC), the result of 3 decades of clinical development and research. FWBC uses established cognitive and behavioral principles and focuses on the well-being of the entire family. Families are taught how to shape recovery-compatible behavior in the treatment-refuser and how to reduce conflict and stress within the family. The seminar will include lecture, slides, and demonstration of technique.
People with OCD Want to Have Sex, too! Let’s Talk Dating, Love and Intimacy – Chris Trondsen, LMFT Chris Trondsen: LMFT & OCD Specialist – The Gateway Institute and Sheva Rajaee, MFT The Center for Anxiety and OCD | Find Anxiety Relief
This presentation explores how to cultivate a fulfilling, values-aligned sex life even when anxiety or OCD is present. Sexual well-being is reframed beyond performance, certainty, or symptom elimination, emphasizing pleasure, imperfection, and flexibility. Physiological reasons anxiety and intrusive thoughts interfere with desire and intimacy through hypervigilance, avoidance, rumination, and perfectionism will be explored, as well as how to address those patterns without reinforcing compulsive control or reassurance-seeking. Offering perspectives from the fields of sex therapy, human development, and psychiatry, grounded in principles fundamental to evidence-based anxiety and OCD treatment, including ERP, ACT, and DBT, an expert panel will offer practical, sex-positive strategies for tolerating uncertainty, reconnecting with the body, and engaging in meaningful intimacy across diverse identities and relationship structures.
ERP Through an ACT Lens – Stephanie Davis, Ph.D. https://www.drdavistherapy.com/ and Lauren Rosen, LMFT Home – The Center for the Obsessive Mind
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the most effective treatments for OCD—but it can be really challenging. Have you ever wondered if there’s a way to make ERP more meaningful and more connected to what matters most to you? In this presentation, we’ll explore how ideas from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you get more out of ERP. We’ll talk about why trying to get rid of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings—experiential avoidance—often backfires, and how learning to make space for them—experiential acceptance—can stop them from controlling you and hijacking your life. We’ll also highlight how ACT’s mindfulness component is uniquely suited to support individuals struggling with mental compulsions and how connecting with your values can turn exposures from something you “have to do” into something you want to do.
Medication Management in OCD – – Jennifer Siegel, MD Jennifer Siegel Psychiatry | Discover Personalized Mental Health Solutions and Sanjaya Saxena, MD Saxena, Sanjaya | International OCD Foundation
This talk will provide an accessible overview of medication management for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), geared toward individuals with OCD, family members, loved ones, and anyone interested in learning more. We will review evidence-based guidelines for medication treatment, discuss what to consider when first-line medications are not effective, and explore common challenges and fears surrounding psychiatric medications. The presentation will also cover practical strategies to support treatment success and help individuals make informed decisions about their care.
[CE Talk for Licensed Clinicians]
Treating OCD: Assessment to Maintenance – Curtis Hsia, PhD OC Anxiety Center
The need to treat OCD using empirically supported approaches remains a dire need as many providers often use approaches that are not research based. This continuing education session will give an overview of the treatment of OCD with a focus on cognitive countering and exposure and response prevention, followed by a case presentation and Q&A.
Lunch: 12:30pm PT
Orange Coast College is providing a catered lunch and beverages. There will be different food options to choose from; you will select your preferred option at check-in. The lunches are provided in portable dinnerware. We ask you to bring your food into the room of the presentation you are choosing to watch during session three.
Session III: 12:45 – 1:45pm PT
Supportive Parenting in OCD: How to Stand Up to OCD While Holding onto Your Relationship with Your Child / Teen – Jennifer O’Connor, PhD Dr. Jennifer O’Connor – PhD psychologist specializing in OCD, anxiety & eating disorders and Elena Fasan, MSW, LCSW Meet Elena Fasan – Children’s OCD & Anxiety Collective
Parents are the most powerful resource for children and teens with OCD during their recovery process, but it can be very difficult to stand up to OCD’s demands while still holding onto a strong relationship with your child or teen. The presenters will explore common reasons why parents and other caregivers struggle with reducing accommodations and supporting at home exposures, even when the importance of taking these steps is well understood. A clear formula for supportive parenting will be offered, along with an opportunity to practice supportive communication through role playing. Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of how to reduce OCD’s presence in their children’s lives and boost their confidence in their ability to cope with distress, all while maintaining a strong emotional connection with them.
Treating Intrusive and Taboo Thoughts in OCD: Getting Unstuck by Targeting Mental Compulsions & Rumination – Chris Trondsen, LMFT Chris Trondsen: LMFT & OCD Specialist – The Gateway Institute and Max Maisel, Ph.D. https://beachfrontanxiety.com/max-maisel-phd
This talk will cover the benefits of mindfulness for intrusive thoughts, misuses / contraindications of mindfulness, differentiating an intrusive thought from rumination / mental compulsion, and beliefs that drive rumination / mental compulsion and how to identify and challenge them.
We will also explain the difference between attention, awareness, and distraction and address “but what if my intrusive thought is real” or “what if I really am a XYZ?”
Finally, we will discuss using ACT’s cognitive defusion for intrusive thoughts, playing the “…and then” game to show the ridiculousness of intrusive thoughts, using humor in therapy to help take intrusive thoughts less seriously, and give examples of ERP for taboo intrusive thoughts.
Maximizing Your Insurance Benefits to Cover OCD Treatment – Michelle Malloy, MFT, PMH-C OC-Therapy and Megan Alberoni, MA, BCBA
Both federal and California state law says insurance companies must offer patients with OCD coverage for seeing a therapist that specializes in OCD. If there are no OCD providers in-network with an insurance plan, patients have the right to have specialist care covered under their in-network benefits. We will educate you on your rights, navigating insurance, and communicating effectively to maximize your reimbursement. In addition, a consumer will share her experience with this process. Learn how to advocate for patient rights in order to expand affordability and access to the best available OCD treatment.
More Than OCD: Real Stories of Recovery and Living Fully – Jennie Kuckertz, PhD – Jennie M. Kuckertz, PhD | McLean Hospital, Cathy Agostino, Dylan Mitchell, Gur Yilmaz, and Jarret Lovell.
OCD can be incredibly isolating, and even as awareness has grown, many people still feel misunderstood or fear that recovery is out of reach. Social media and popular culture can sometimes make OCD seem like a life sentence rather than something people can meaningfully recover from – but that is simply not true. In this panel discussion, four individuals will share their personal stories of recovery, what helped them move forward, and what life looks like outside of OCD. Hearing directly from people who have lived through OCD and found a fuller, freer life can be powerful, validating, and hopeful. Whether you are struggling with OCD yourself, supporting a loved one, or working as a clinician, we invite you to join us. The session will include personal stories from each panelist, a moderated discussion about recovery and healing, and an audience Q&A.
[CE Talk for Licensed Clinicians]
Evidence-Based Medication Management in OCD – Sanjaya Saxena, MD Saxena, Sanjaya | International OCD Foundation
This presentation will review the assessment and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We will focus most on pharmacotherapy (medication treatment) for OCD but will also cover other related topics, including comorbidity, standardized ratings, treatment planning, predictors of treatment response, practice guidelines, strategies for treatment-refractory patients, neurosurgical approaches, mechanisms of action of pharmacotherapy, and the neurobiology of treatment response in OCD.
Session IV: 2 – 3:00pm PT
Ask The Experts: Summary Q&A Panel – All of the event’s presenters
Please join us for an opportunity to ask questions of a panel consisting of all of the event’s presenters. This is an opportunity to ask any of the questions you were unable to ask during the day, or if you were unable to attend one of the presentaitons, that talk’s presenters will be able to answer your questions at this panel. The panel will consist of leading OCD experts and will be held in the ballroom.
Opportunity Drawing
Additionally, for those still in attendance at the end of our OCD Southern California Speaker Series conference event, we will be hosting an opportunity drawing for an opportunity to win gift card prizes! The ticket to win is already included with your registration at no additional cost!
Event Concludes: 3:00pm PT
On your way out, please make sure to sign up for OCD Southern California’s mailing list, our free and virtual Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group, and complete a quick evaluation of the event.
—
We look forward to seeing everyone at the Speaker Series event. Make sure to register before the event is sold out! For more information and to register for the event, click here: https://ocdspeakerseries.eventbrite.com.
A reminder, OCD Southern California is offering 3 CEs for LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, and Psychologists who attend the CE track of this event!