Posts Tagged with family and loved ones ocd support group

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Join us this Saturday, July 19th, from 11am to 1pm PT for our July virtual, Family & Loved One’s OCD Support Group!

We are excited to hold a special edition of our monthly family and loved ones OCD Support Group this Saturday, July 19, from 11 AM to 1 PM PT. We typically have our support group every second Saturday of the month, but last Saturday, your group co-facilitators, Chris Trondsen, LMFT, And Liz Trondsen, were presenting at the IOCDF’s 30th annual OCD conference. It was great to meet many of you there and hear that our support means so much to you! So, to make up for missing last week, we are actually holding the July support group this Saturday, July 19 from 11 AM to 1 PM. If you would like to get the link to this Saturday’s support group, and are already not on our mailing list, please email us at: info@ocdsocal.org and provide all the email addresses you would like the Zoom link emailed to.

We are bringing on a special guest doctor, Stephen Poskar (https://www.ocdnyc.com), a psychiatrist practicing in New York. Dr. Poskar recently led the International OCD Foundation’s launch of updated treatment guidelines https://iocdf.org/ocd-treatment-guide/. These guidelines explain to the public the frontline, gold standard, and evidence-based treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder, both through medication and other psychopharmacology interventions, as well as appropriate behavioral interventions.

For this Saturday’s presentation, Dr. Stephen Poskar and Chris Trondsen, a licensed therapist specializing in the treatment of OCD and related disorders, will team up to go over those treatment guidelines. Our goal is to have a discussion on what families should expect when first seeking out treatment, what treatment should look like as it progresses and then the final stages of treatment. We will speak based on the guidelines, as well as years of clinical practice.

Our goal for you as an attendee is to get a good solid understanding of what to expect if you or a loved one is first seeking out treatment, is currently in treatment or if you are wrapping up treatment or cutting back on sessions. All participants should have a solid understanding of the frontline treatments for OCD, what to expect in each stage of treatment, and what new research is on the horizon.

For this support group, we want to give you plenty of time to share your story and ask questions. We will be leaving plenty of time for questions and answers so you may ask any personal medication or clinical questions. This group is open to family members, spouses, siblings, parents, and loved ones of someone with OCD, or for clinicians wanting to learn more, or people with OCD and related disorders!

We look forward to seeing you this Saturday. Below is Dr. Stephen Poskar’s bio and then the zoom link to join us this Saturday. We’re excited to see you there!

Dr. Poskar is one of the nation’s leading experts on the treatment of OCD and Related Disorders.  He is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation. He also serves on the faculty of the IOCDF Behavior Therapy Training Institute.  Dr. Poskar co-founded OCD New York, a charity whose mission is to help all those affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Related Disorders to live full and productive lives.

Dr. Poskar is one of the few clinicians in the country with expertise in using both medication and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat OCD and Related Disorders.  Patients are commonly referred to Dr. Poskar by their individual therapists so that he may treat them with medication.  In these cases Dr. Poskar works closely with each patient’s therapist because he views this collaborative approach to be essential for the provision of the best possible care.

Dr. Poskar is medically licensed in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Connecticut and Virginia.

If you would like to get the link to this Saturday’s support group, and are already not on our mailing list, please email us at: info@ocdsocal.org and provide all the email addresses you would like the Zoom link emailed to. We look forward to seeing you this Saturday!

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Stronger Together: A Team Approach to OCD Treatment. Join the Free, Virtual Event Saturday, June 14, from 11am to 1pm PT!

We know that OCD is a debilitating disorder and, in order to get better, you need a support team. This upcoming Saturday, June 14, from 11 AM to 1 PM PT, we are putting together an all-star panel consisting of people that represent different parts of a treatment recovery team. This panel will help attendees understand their role and the importance of available resources. This panel will consist of clinicians treating OCD, a psychiatrist, people with OCD, as well as parents, family members, and loved ones of people with the disorder.

There are two ways to join the event. If you are NOT currently on our mailing list and do not receive our email updates, please email: info@ocdsocal.org, and ask for the June 14th Zoom link. Please include all the email addresses you would like the Zoom link to go to. If you ARE ALREADY on our mailing list and DO receive our email updates, we are already sending you the Zoom link on Wednesday, June 11th, and you do not have to do anything additional except just show up when the event begins!

At OCD SoCal, we have been running a free, family and loved one’s support group for the past 13 years every second Saturday of the month. The support group and OCD Southern California are collaborating to bring you this special event!

Our all-star panel includes both experts in the field and people impacted by OCD. Lauren Rosen, LMFT, is a licensed OCD specialist and founder of “The Obsessive Mind” treatment center (https://theobsessivemind.com), and Adam Frank, MD, is a psychiatrist at USC and is on the OCD SoCal Board of Directors (https://iocdf.org/providers/frank-adam-c/); they are both OCD-specialized clinicians in the field. Andrew Cohen, LMFT and Danielle Cohen, LMFT (https://www.cohenocdtherapy.com/) are both licensed OCD clinicians who also have OCD. Additionally, they are married to each other and are representing the role of spouses on our event’s panel. Shannon (Switzer) Jakubowski has OCD and has been receiving evidence-based treatment for the disorder. She will share her personal experience with OCD and how treatment has allowed her to work for NAMI San Diego and be on the OCD SoCal Board of Directors (https://ocdsocal.org/about-us/board-of-directors/). The role of parents is very important when supporting a loved one with OCD, and Carrey Smalley and Matt Garcia will discuss how they both supported their young adult sons navigate treatment and how they now support them as they thrive in their adult lives. Finally, Austin Kang, a 17-year-old high school junior, is a sibling of someone with OCD. His older brother has OCD and received therapy. He will share the role of siblings in OCD treatment.

The panel will be moderated by Chris Trondsen, LMFT, a clinician who also has OCD, and his mom, Liz Trondsen. They both have navigated this journey and will ask questions valuable to anyone who is impacted by OCD and related disorders. They both serve on the board of OCD Southern California (https://ocdsocal.org/about-us/board-of-directors/).

We will start with the panelists having an open, moderated, roundtable discussion about everyone’s role in OCD treatment and how each discipline brings something special to the team. Then we will spend a majority of the time on a Q&A to allow you to ask questions to help navigate your own recovery journey. It’s a major event with a lot of expertise that you don’t want to miss!

On Wednesday, June 11th, we will send out an email with the Zoom link for the event and also have the list of all the speakers. We will re-send the Zoom link early on the morning of the event on June 14th, so if you sign up after the 11th, you will receive the link the morning of the event. We hope to see you there on Saturday, June 14th!

In order to foster a safe community, we do not record the support group. This allows attendees the opportunity to share their experiences and ask questions in a safe space. We encourage you to attend or listen in to the support group live on Saturday.

We look forward to seeing you at the event! If you would like to attend, please email info@ocdsocal.org and include any email addresses you want the Zoom link for the event to be sent to. Reminder, if you are already on our mailing list and receive emails from us, we are automatically sending out the link to our subscribers!

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You Are Invited To A Free, Virtual Family & Loved One’s OCD Support Group This Saturday, May 10 at 11am PT!

You are invited to join us on Saturday, May 10th, from 11 am to 1 pm PT for our monthly, free, virtual Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group! This support group is for family members, parents, loved ones, spouses, and anyone supporting someone with OCD! Additionally, if someone with OCD and related disorders would like to join us or a mental health professional wanting to learn more about OCD, you are invited as well. Since this event is virtual, anyone from anywhere can join us! To get the Zoom link for May 10th’s support group, PLEASE EMAIL: info@ocdsocal.org. Let us know in the email you would like the Zoom link, and please include any additional email addresses to which you would like us to send the Zoom link!

For our May 10th support group, we are thrilled to welcome Michelle Malloy, MFT, PMH-C. She will be speaking on S.P.A.C.E. or Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions, a program developed at Yale. As those of you who have attended our previous support groups know, many of you have been curious about SPACE and want to know more about it. Michelle’s talk will explain the program and discuss how to utilize SPACE in your own family.

A description of her talk:

S.P.A.C.E. To the Rescue! Tips for Parents to Manage Their Children’s* Anxiety and OCD (*Children of all ages)

Are you a parent finding it difficult to figure out how to best support your loved one’s OCD? This presentation is aimed at helping parents to support their children of all ages, while reducing parental support for their OCD behaviors. Utilizing techniques from SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), this talk aids parents in differing anxiety from behavioral issues, learning tools in how to support anxious children, learning how to increase support while reducing accommodations, and finding out how to make small changes that lead to big and successful outcomes! This talk is for parents of children who are all ages: adults, young adults, teens, and young children.

More info on our guest speaker:

Michelle Malloy, MFT, PMH-C

Website: https://oc-therapy.com/about-us

Bio: Michelle Malloy, MFT, PMH-C, completed her Bachelor’s Degree at UCLA in Psychology and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Cal State Fullerton. She has worked in mental health for over twenty years. She received training from the UCLA Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic and Western Youth Services. Michelle has completed the Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI)’s general and pediatric training programs through the International OCD Foundation and specializes in using cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention to treat OCD. She also treats generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and eating disorders. Additionally, she is certified in perinatal mental health and EMDR trained.

More info about the support group:

This support group meets every second Saturday of the month from 11 am to 1 pm PT. It features families and individuals who have overcome their OCD and share their journey. Additionally, we have special guest researchers, psychiatrists, authors, treatment providers, and other special guests each month. We hope to see you Saturday, May 10th, at 11 am PT. Please email us at info@ocdsocal.org to be on our mailing list and receive the May support group’s Zoom link!

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Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group (Virtually) on Saturday, March 8 from 11am to 1pm PT!

The Mitchell Family (Dylan, Dewayne, and Jamie) – March’s support group’s special guests

Join us this Saturday, March 8th, from 11 am to 1 pm PT (Pacific Time) for our free, virtual Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group! It is facilitated by Chris Trondsen, LMFT, a licensed therapist who overcame OCD, along with his mom, Liz Trondsen. To join, email info@ocdsocal.org and ask for the support group Zoom link to be sent! Anyone from anywhere can join!

We are excited to welcome the Mitchell family as our special guests for March’s support group. We know how important it is for you to find hope by hearing that people with OCD get better and live full and fulfilling lives. Also, hearing from parents and loved ones on what they did to support the person in their life with OCD to better ensure they recover from the disorder is important. Dylan, who has OCD, and his parents, Dewayne and Jamie, are excited to share Dylan’s recovery journey.

For Dylan, it all started in the senior year of his college career. Dylan started to struggle, and at the end of college, he was beginning to have a rough time. He noticed something was off when he returned home. In retrospect, his mom, Jamie, says he has had OCD his whole life, but Dylan never really noticed the symptoms until he got older.

It was not until college that he received an OCD diagnosis. He began treatment at The Gateway Institute, where he started getting support from the center’s founder and then began therapy with Chris Trondsen, LMFT.

Through both the treatment tools he was given in therapy and through medication, he was able to begin to live a normal and healthy lifestyle by conquering and facing his fears. Dylan recognized that it was challenging when he was first battling OCD, but he saw there was a light at the end of the tunnel if he worked hard and trusted the process.

After successful treatment, Dylan is now a business development manager for a landscaping company! He’s been successful in managing OCD, and he now feels that he has his whole life in front of him, and the days of struggling with OCD are behind him! Join us next Saturday to hear Dylan’s heroic journey and how his parents both supported him during his OCD recovery journey!

After Dylan and his parents share their recovery story, we will open the group for an interactive question-and-answer segment!

As a reminder, we do not record the support group for privacy reasons. This allows attendees the opportunity to share their experiences and ask questions in a safe space. We encourage you to attend or listen to the support group live on Saturday, March 8th! See you there at 11 am PT.

Email us with any additional questions at info@ocdsocal.org!