From Rituals to Recovery: An Introduction to ERP for OCD

This workshop is designed for mental health professionals who are interested in gaining an in-depth and applied training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for adults with OCD. ERP, a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is considered the gold standard and first-line psychological treatment for OCD. In this workshop participants will learn how to conceptualize OCD within a behavioral framework, motivate clients to face their fears within the ERP model, and utilize assessments to map out and systematically address obsessions and/or compulsions utilizing ERP. Case examples will be used throughout treatment as well as demonstrations of core strategies.

1. Understand OCD: Learn more about different presentations of OCD and how to adequately use assessments to inform treatment planning

2. Understand the theoretical foundation of ERP: Learn how behavioral principles drive OCD and be able to explain this to clients and utilize as rationale for treatment

3. Utilize ERP techniques: Learn how to monitor symptoms, construct hierarchies for different presentations of OCD, and both design and complete exposures

Your Instructor:

Melissa Dackis, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist who provides evidence-based treatment for adults, adolescents, and children with anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, emotion regulation difficulties, and trauma. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and B.S. from Duke University. Dr. Dackis has expertise in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and provides specialized treatment protocols that include exposure and response prevention, prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, CBT-I and DBT-PE. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she teaches and supervises psychology and psychiatry trainees. She was formerly the Director of Externship Training, and the Director of the Adolescent DBT Program at Montefiore Medical Center. She is a member of several professional organizations including the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (ABCT) and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and NYC-CBT.