Posts Tagged with mental illness

Chris Trondsen, LMFT, a clinician with OCD, and his mom, Liz Trondsen, are excited to remind you about our February, virtual, free Family and Loved Ones OCD Support Group. 

It will be held this Saturday, February 14 for two hours, from 11 AM – 1 PM PST. To receive the Zoom link for this support group, please email info@ocdsocal.org.

We are excited to announce that we are going back to basics and have invited a family to discuss their OCD journey. Dianne and her husband, Matt Tiberg are parents of a teenage daughter. Their daughter suffers from OCD, as well as emetophobia (fear of throwing up). Dianne and Matt will discuss what they did as parents when symptoms first appeared, how they helped their daughter navigate treatment, and their new role now that their daughter is doing well.

They will share with you what they did right and what mistakes they made in an effort to help you navigate supporting a loved one with OCD. 

The Tibergs will also address the sudden onset of their daughter’s OCD from a PANS / PANDAS infection. 

By attending this support group, you will feel a sense of hope and recognize you are not alone in this journey. Come and learn from a family that has successfully traveled this road.

The first hour will be dedicated to hearing their remarkable recovery journey.  The second hour will be an open Q&A session where anyone can ask questions. You do not want to miss February’s support group!

We will see you this Sat, February 14th from 11 AM -1 PM PST!

The event is open to loved ones, family members and spouses of someone with OCD, as well as people with OCD—or anyone else interested. Anyone from anywhere can join!

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.

To receive the Zoom link for this support group, please email info@ocdsocal.org.

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/

Every second Saturday of the month, from 11am to 1pm PST, OCD SoCal board members Chris Trondsen, LMFT, and Liz Trondsen host a virtual, free, Family & Loved Ones OCD Support Group. To join us for our December support group, which is Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 11am to 1pm PST, please email us at info@ocdsocal.org and just request the link! Anyone from anywhere can join!

An OCD Master Class: Family & Loved Ones’ Edition

For the final group of 2025, on Saturday, December 13th, we invite you to an OCD master class that addresses all aspects of OCD and its treatment. We receive so many questions during our Family & Loved Ones Support Group, that we will focus on this for the December support group. We have invited two experts in the field.

However, you do not want to miss the opening discussion that precedes the Q&A. We have invited Lauren Rosen, LMFT, the author of the upcoming “The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD.” Additionally, we will be joined by USC Psychiatrist and researcher, Adam Frank, Ph.D., MD. These two special guests will lend their expertise to lead a complete master class on OCD. 

The opening discussion will incorporate key OCD topics that include: what to do if your loved one has stubborn or difficult to treat OCD, how your loved one can get better if their OCD is predominantly mental, expectations on improvement during different stages of OCD treatment, how to find scientific-based resources for OCD, how one gets better from OCD, and what should family members and loved ones do or don’t do to make your loved one’s recovery more likely. Additional topics include a discussion on frontline medications for OCD treatment, what to expect regarding side effects and improvements, and a discussion on additional interventions that include TMS, ketamine, deep brain stimulation, and psychedelics.

We will kick off the group with a master class, so you have a solid understanding of every element of OCD recovery and treatment. We will then dedicate the second half to answering your specific questions that remain after the open discussion, either on what was discussed earlier or your personal situation.

Chris Trondsen, LMFT, who also has OCD, along with his mom, Liz Trondsen, will host the support group and provide additional insights and resources! Do not miss the final group of 2025!

The event is this Saturday, December 13th from 11AM – 1 PM PST. To join us for our December support group, please email us at info@ocdsocal.org and just request the link!

Learn more about our guest presenters:

Lauren Rosen, MA, LMFT is a psychotherapist and the Founder & Director of the Center for the Obsessive Mind. She is a well-respected member of the OCD and Anxiety Treatment Community. Lauren is the author of The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD. She regularly speaks at conferences on the topics of OCD, Anxiety and Eating Disorders and has offered lectures and keynote presentations on these topics, too. She is the co-host of the Purely OCD Podcast and an advocate for those with OCD and Anxiety Disorders.
While the center is based in Southern California, Lauren also works with individuals in Florida, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. She also offers services in select other states and countries as is permitted by law.
In her work as a therapist, Lauren specializes supporting people who struggle with OCD, Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders. She also has experience supporting individuals in navigating trauma and depression.
Lauren thrives on supporting others to live full and rich lives while contending with a whole host of thoughts and feelings. Brains can be tricky. Learning how to operate them effectively is key! In the service of helping people navigate the ins and outs of their minds, Lauren’s work focuses on evidence-based treatments, like Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure & Response Prevention and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. 
Lauren trained at the OCD Center of LA and under Elyse Resch MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND, Nutrition Therapist and co-author of Intuitive Eating. Lauren graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with her BA in Psychology before earning her MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University and is a certified Intuitive Eating counsellor.
Website: Home – The Center for the Obsessive Mind

Dr. Adam C Frank is a psychiatrist, researcher, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.  He attended UCLA for medical school and graduate school and holds a PhD in neuroscience.  He completed adult psychiatry residency at UCSF where he participated in additional training and research in neuromodulation treatments—such as TMS and DBS—for psychiatric indications like depression and OCD.  Dr. Frank currently divides his time between caring for individuals with OCD in an outpatient psychiatry clinic, supervising and teaching psychiatry residents at USC, and conducting research on the mechanisms of OCD and improving treatment outcomes through the use of neuroimaging, wearable biosensors, and neuromodulation. 
Website: Adam Frank – Keck School of Medicine of USC

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 this Saturday, December 13th from 11AM – 1 PM PST. To join us for our December support group, please email us at info@ocdsocal.org and just request the link!