Sessions with ** indicate experiential sessions that will only be available during the live summit days. These will not be recorded or eligible for CEs. All other sessions will be recorded and are eligible for CEs for 90 days.
Description:
OCD extends far beyond anxiety, and guilt is one of its most challenging forms of discomfort. Scrupulosity often magnifies ordinary doubts into overwhelming spiritual or moral fears, showing up in different ways across religious and spiritual traditions. For many, guilt is further compounded by religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and adverse religious experience, creating layers of complexity in treatment. Regardless of experience, this session explores strategies for helping clients separate OCD-driven guilt from authentic values as they reclaim their lives.
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Describe how OCD and scrupulosity create discomfort in the form of guilt.
Analyze the impact of religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and adverse religious experiences on OCD treatment.
Differentiate guilt of OCD from authentic emotional experiences.
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Rev. Dr. Katie O’Dunne
Rev. Dr. Katie O’Dunne (she/her) is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and founder of Stick with the Ick, a virtual inclusive interfaith community app for those navigating faith and OCD, offering resources across traditions. She spent seven years as Academy Chaplain and Chair of Religious Studies at Woodward Academy in Atlanta while consulting on interfaith programming nationwide. Katie now educates clinicians and clergy on culturally responsive treatment across religious/spiritual contexts, leads the IOCDF Faith & OCD Action Council, and consults with OCDI Texas on Religion & OCD. She received Vanderbilt’s Doctor of Ministry Award for Distinction in Integrative Care Practices.
Description:
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in adults is frequently misunderstood and misdiagnosed due to overlapping features with other psychiatric conditions, including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anorexia nervosa, and emetophobia. This course provides a comprehensive review of the diagnostic criteria, clinical presentation, and evidence-based treatment of ARFID in adults, with an emphasis on distinguishing ARFID from these commonly conflated disorders. Participants will examine the underlying mechanisms that drive restrictive eating behaviors, identify key diagnostic pitfalls, and learn how to select appropriate interventions, including CBT, ERP and ACT based on accurate diagnosis. Clinical case examples are used throughout to support improved diagnostic clarity and treatment planning for adults presenting with restrictive eating patterns.
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Define ARFID and differentiate it from picky eating, OCD, and other eating disorders
Identify key ARFID presentations and signs of clinical impairment
Apply diagnostic reasoning and recognize common assessment pitfalls
Describe core components of CBT-AR, including the role of exposure, regular eating, and values-based work
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Elian Beattie, LCMH
Elian Beattie is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, board approved clinical supervisor, and owner of Insights Group mental health therapy practice in Rye, NH. Elian is passionate about working with individuals struggling with eating disorders, body image, anxiety, and OCD. Elian has an MS in counseling psychology from Northeastern University and is a graduate of the International OCD Foundation’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). Over the past twelve years, she worked at residential levels of care for both eating disorders and OCD before moving to New Hampshire in 2020 and becoming a full time outpatient therapist. She also currently serves as a volunteer on the executive board of OCD New Hampshire, the NH affiliate of the International OCD Foundation.
Karen Chinca, LICSW
Karen Chinca is a psychotherapist and the owner and founder of Nourished Minds Counseling + Wellness, LLC. She brings over 20 years of experience and has worked in a range of settings, including schools, outpatient mental health, and long‐standing private practice.
Karen has extensive experience working with adults navigating anxiety disorders, eating disorders, OCD, and trauma, and she incorporates evidence‐based practices throughout her treatment approach. She is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist–Supervisor (CEDS‐S) through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP), a graduate of the International OCD Foundation’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), and a Certified Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. She is an LGBTQIA+ ally and is committed to providing affirming, culturally responsive care to individuals from diverse backgrounds and identities.
Description:
Maintaining fidelity to the I-CBT model can be especially challenging in complex OCD presentations. In this talk, Mike Heady, LCPC and Katie Marrotte, LCSW focus on core clinical strategies for accurately identifying obsessional doubts, differentiating them from feared consequences, and avoiding common pitfalls that lead to lack of fidelity to I-CBT. Attendees will learn practical, in-session techniques to strengthen conceptual clarity and apply I-CBT with greater consistency and confidence.
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Differentiate primary obsessional doubts from feared consequences in challenging clinical presentations.
Implement skills to more accurately label obsessional doubts from everyday doubts.
Apply strategies to avoid common pitfalls and maintain fidelity to I-CBT
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Katie Marrotte, LCSW
Katie is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in the treatment of OCD. Katie has a Master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in Health and Mental Health from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. Social work focuses not just on pathology, but also looks at human development through a lens of policy, social justice, and social welfare to give a more complete look at factors affecting people on a grander scale. This background in social justice contributes to her passion for pursuing a more robust set of skills for treating OCD, as well as advocating for multifaceted treatment approaches and competency for OCD specialists.
Katie also runs a private practice offering Inference-Based CBT and Exposure Response Prevention for OCD. Katie believes that the most effective approach for treating OCD should be evidence based, multifaceted, and most importantly, informed by the needs of the client.
Mike Heady, LCPC
Mike Heady, LCPC is a full-time clinician and the Co-Owner & Co-Director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland (ASDI) where he has specialized in the treatment of OCD, anxiety disorders, and related conditions for the last 16-years. He is a faculty member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDFs) Training Institute and a Clinical Fellow with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). As a former adjunct professor of psychology at McDaniel College and a regular presenter at annual conferences for the IOCDF and ADAA, Mike has a passion for learning and teaching. He provides clinical consultation to therapists and has produced numerous professional webinars for organizations including ADAA, IOCDF, NOCD as well as group practices and clinics across the U.S. on topics related to OCD treatment as well as training in ERP and I-CBT. He has appeared on several podcasts discussing I-CBT, ERP, shame, intimacy, perfectionism and other OCD and anxiety related issues.
Description:
Join Kim Cox, LMFT and Melissa Mose, LMFT, as they act out role plays, engage with your case consultation questions, and guide you through small group practice related to skills building. If you are looking for help with how to best support family members and their loved one with OCD - this experiential session (only available live) could be for you! This session is not be recorded for playback is not eligible for CEs.
About Your Trainer:
Kim Cox, LMFT
Kim is an experienced psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and consultant with a strong background in clinical practice, managing clinical programs and teaching. With over 12 years of experience supporting families, children, adolescents, and adults in various clinical settings, she specializes in treating anxiety and OCD using ACT informed ERP and supporting loved ones of those with lived experience with anxiety and/or OCD through parent/family- focused approaches including SPACE/SPACE-FTL and Family Wellbeing Program Approach (FWPA). Further, Kim specializes in working with the intersection of OCD, ADHD, AuDHD or Autism with a focus on neurodiversity-affirming care. Her approach integrates specialized practices to effectively address the systemic impacts of anxiety and OCD on individuals with lived experience and their loved ones who are motivated to support their treatment goals and needs.
Melissa Mose, LMFT
Melissa Mose, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in the treatment of OCD and related disorders. She is IFS Level 3 Certified, a graduate of the IOCDF Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), and currently serves as President of OCD Southern California. With 30 years of clinical experience—15 specializing in OCD—Melissa has developed an integrative approach combining Internal Family Systems therapy with evidence-based OCD treatment. She is the author of Internal Family Systems Therapy for OCD: A Clinician's Guide (PESI, 2024). Melissa maintains a private practice in Calabasas, California, and trains clinicians internationally through her professional training program at ifsforocd.com.
Description:
Accurate diagnosis of perinatal mental health conditions is critical, yet intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and mood symptoms are often misunderstood in the postpartum period. This course provides clinicians with a practical framework for differentiating perinatal OCD from postpartum psychosis, depression, panic disorder, and trauma-related disorders. Through case vignettes and clinical discussion, participants will explore common diagnostic errors and their treatment implications, with an emphasis on safe, evidence-based care.
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Differentiate perinatal OCD from postpartum psychosis, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and trauma-related disorders.
Appraise common diagnostic and treatment pitfalls in perinatal OCD.
Utilize differential diagnosis principles to complex perinatal case presentations.
Design evidence-based treatment approaches based on accurate diagnosis.
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Gina Abbondante, LCSW
Gina began her education at Rider University, with a Bachelors of Psychology and concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience. She went on to obtain a Masters of Social Work from Rutgers University in 2009, and completed her clinical licensure in 2012. During that time, she worked for Virtua Hospital’s The Center for Women in Lumberton. There, Gina counseled women experiencing anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum, infertility, pregnancy/infant loss, and birth trauma.
Gina’s specialty and passion is treating anxiety disorders and OCD, particularly in pregnancy and postpartum. She is trained in Exposure and Response Prevention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Inference-Based Therapy, and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, as well as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. In addition to treating clients, Gina also provides clinical supervision for LSWs and LACs looking to obtain clinical licensure, and consultation for training and tough cases.
Elena Katrantzos, LMHC, PMH-C
Elena is a licensed mental health counselor in NY and Founder & Clinical Director of EK Mental Health Counseling, a specialized group practice serving adults and mothers navigating anxiety, OCD, and perinatal mental health challenges. She holds the Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International and has trained in Exposure and Response Prevention through the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) of the International OCD Foundation.
Elena specializes in the assessment and treatment of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, with particular focus on perinatal and postpartum OCD. She emphasizes accurate differential diagnosis, evidence-based treatment, and reducing stigma in maternal mental health. In addition to her clinical work, she provides supervision to pre-licensed clinicians in her practice and educates professionals on the nuanced presentation of perinatal OCD.
Description:
This course expands on Barb Benson, LPC's Emetophobia courses she has done for OCD Training School. In this more advanced course, you will learn to make treatment specific to each unique client and how to problem solve roadblocks in treatment. If you have questions about emetophobia - this is a great session for you!
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Build upon their existing knowledge to provide targeted, effective emetophobia treatment
Create treatment objectives that target each unique client’s specific challenges
Demonstrate strategies for troubleshooting when treatment stalls
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Barb Benson, MA, LPC
Barb is a therapist in private practice who has treated emetophobia for 18 years. She cares deeply about those that suffer from this phobia and knows the crippling effects of it firsthand. She owns a practice in Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis, specializing in treating anxiety disorders and OCD and roughly 50% of her caseload is made up of emetophobia clients at any given time.
Description:
OCD extends far beyond anxiety, often intertwining with grief and loss in complex ways. For many, this includes not only the pain of tangible loss, but also the loss of time, opportunities, or relationships. Diverse religious and spiritual traditions shape emotions around grief, but OCD can distort and even block authentic grief processes by fueling compulsions. This session equips clinicians to support clients navigating grief on the OCD journey.
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Apply knowledge of how OCD compounds the experience of grief.
Differentiate religious and spiritual traditions shape expressions of grief and how OCD can distort these processes.
Integrate approaches that help individuals face grief with compassion rather than compulsions.
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Rev. Dr. Katie O’Dunne
Rev. Dr. Katie O’Dunne (she/her) is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and founder of Stick with the Ick, a virtual inclusive interfaith community app for those navigating faith and OCD, offering resources across traditions. She spent seven years as Academy Chaplain and Chair of Religious Studies at Woodward Academy in Atlanta while consulting on interfaith programming nationwide. Katie now educates clinicians and clergy on culturally responsive treatment across religious/spiritual contexts, leads the IOCDF Faith & OCD Action Council, and consults with OCDI Texas on Religion & OCD. She received Vanderbilt’s Doctor of Ministry Award for Distinction in Integrative Care Practices.
Description:
Orthorexia is an increasingly discussed pattern of rigid, anxiety-driven eating characterized by an excessive preoccupation with food quality, purity, and health. Although not currently recognized as a formal DSM diagnosis, orthorexia frequently overlaps with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), eating disorders, and health anxiety, creating challenges in assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment planning. This presentation provides an overview of current research on orthorexia, including common clinical features, prevalence and assessment and treatment planning.The course emphasizes the intersection between orthorexia and OCD, highlighting shared features such as obsessionality, compulsive rule-following, moral rigidity, and avoidance behaviors. Particular attention is given to the role of social media and wellness culture in reinforcing rigid food rules, health-related fears, and moralized eating behaviors. Through clinical examples and applied discussion, participants will examine diagnostic distinctions and clinical implications for accurate case formulation and evidence-informed intervention.
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Identify common clinical features and symptom presentations associated with orthorexia, including rigid food rules, anxiety-driven avoidance, moralized eating beliefs, and functional impairment.
Differentiate orthorexia from related conditions—including obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa, and health anxiety—by evaluating the function and mechanisms of rigid eating behaviors.
Analyze the role of sociocultural factors, including social media and wellness culture, in the development and maintenance of orthorexic eating patterns.
Apply evidence-informed clinical strategies, including principles of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), to assessment and treatment planning for individuals presenting with rigid, anxiety-driven food rules and avoidance behaviors.
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Elian Beattie, LCMH
Elian Beattie is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, board approved clinical supervisor, and owner of Insights Group mental health therapy practice in Rye, NH. Elian is passionate about working with individuals struggling with eating disorders, body image, anxiety, and OCD. Elian has an MS in counseling psychology from Northeastern University and is a graduate of the International OCD Foundation’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). Over the past twelve years, she worked at residential levels of care for both eating disorders and OCD before moving to New Hampshire in 2020 and becoming a full time outpatient therapist. She also currently serves as a volunteer on the executive board of OCD New Hampshire, the NH affiliate of the International OCD Foundation.
Karen Chinca, LICSW
Karen Chinca is a psychotherapist and the owner and founder of Nourished Minds Counseling + Wellness, LLC. She brings over 20 years of experience and has worked in a range of settings, including schools, outpatient mental health, and long‐standing private practice.
Karen has extensive experience working with adults navigating anxiety disorders, eating disorders, OCD, and trauma, and she incorporates evidence‐based practices throughout her treatment approach. She is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist–Supervisor (CEDS‐S) through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP), a graduate of the International OCD Foundation’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), and a Certified Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. She is an LGBTQIA+ ally and is committed to providing affirming, culturally responsive care to individuals from diverse backgrounds and identities.
Description:
Join I-CBT clinical experts Mike Heady, LCPC and Katie Marrotte, LCSW for over 90 minutes of case consultation focused on using Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT) with complex and challenging presentations. This will be a practical, collegial space to think through cases where progress has stalled and to refine I-CBT application. Participants are encouraged to bring cases they feel stuck on for consultation and group discussion. Also addressed will be common co-occurring disorders and how they shape clinical formulation and treatment planning within an I-CBT framework. The goal is for attendees to leave with clearer next steps and concrete ways to apply I-CBT in therapy.
This session is not be recorded for playback is not eligible for CEs.
About Your Trainer:
Katie Marrotte, LCSW
Katie is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in the treatment of OCD. Katie has a Master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in Health and Mental Health from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. Social work focuses not just on pathology, but also looks at human development through a lens of policy, social justice, and social welfare to give a more complete look at factors affecting people on a grander scale. This background in social justice contributes to her passion for pursuing a more robust set of skills for treating OCD, as well as advocating for multifaceted treatment approaches and competency for OCD specialists.
Katie also runs a private practice offering Inference-Based CBT and Exposure Response Prevention for OCD. Katie believes that the most effective approach for treating OCD should be evidence based, multifaceted, and most importantly, informed by the needs of the client.
Mike Heady, LCPC
Mike Heady, LCPC is a full-time clinician and the Co-Owner & Co-Director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland (ASDI) where he has specialized in the treatment of OCD, anxiety disorders, and related conditions for the last 16-years. He is a faculty member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDFs) Training Institute and a Clinical Fellow with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). As a former adjunct professor of psychology at McDaniel College and a regular presenter at annual conferences for the IOCDF and ADAA, Mike has a passion for learning and teaching. He provides clinical consultation to therapists and has produced numerous professional webinars for organizations including ADAA, IOCDF, NOCD as well as group practices and clinics across the U.S. on topics related to OCD treatment as well as training in ERP and I-CBT. He has appeared on several podcasts discussing I-CBT, ERP, shame, intimacy, perfectionism and other OCD and anxiety related issues.
Description:
Perinatal OCD is often viewed as a condition affecting birthing parents, yet men and non-birthing partners also experience intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and significant distress during the perinatal period. This introductory training explores how perinatal OCD presents in partners, with particular attention to harm-related and sexual intrusive thoughts, identity-based shame, and family-system dynamics. Participants will learn how to differentiate OCD from normative new-parent worry and other conditions, and an overview of the available treatment options to support this under-recognized population.
Objectives:
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
Analyze clinical presentations and symptom patterns in non-birthing partners.
Differentiate perinatal OCD from normative new-parent worry and other disorders.
Appraise maintaining factors and family/system dynamics.
Utilize evidence-based treatment approaches tailored to this population.
CE Information (more info below):
NBCC: 1.75 CE
ACEP No. 7365
Gina Abbondante, LLC
ASWB: 1.75 CE
ACE #1909
OCD Training School
APA: 1.75 CE
About Your Trainer:
Gina Abbondante, LCSW
Gina began her education at Rider University, with a Bachelors of Psychology and concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience. She went on to obtain a Masters of Social Work from Rutgers University in 2009, and completed her clinical licensure in 2012. During that time, she worked for Virtua Hospital’s The Center for Women in Lumberton. There, Gina counseled women experiencing anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum, infertility, pregnancy/infant loss, and birth trauma.
Gina’s specialty and passion is treating anxiety disorders and OCD, particularly in pregnancy and postpartum. She is trained in Exposure and Response Prevention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Inference-Based Therapy, and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, as well as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. In addition to treating clients, Gina also provides clinical supervision for LSWs and LACs looking to obtain clinical licensure, and consultation for training and tough cases.
Description:
Join Max Maisel, PhD as he helps deepen your skills application in BFRB cases. If you have questions about BFRB cases or want to watch some role plays of how to apply skills - this session will strengthen your understanding of working with BFRBs.
This session is not be recorded for playback is not eligible for CEs.
About Your Trainer:
Max Maisel, PhD
Dr. Max Maisel is a clinical psychologist with over 10 years of experience working with children, teens, and adults with OCD and anxiety disorders using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). He is especially passionate about working with individuals with comorbid body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) or tics/Tourette Syndrome, and seamlessly integrating conceptualization of these concerns into their overall treatment plan. Dr. Maisel is the founder and CEO of Beachfront Anxiety Specialists, a boutique group practice in Los Angeles with 7 clinicians, all who work primarily with OCD, anxiety, and OCD related disorders. He is a member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and is the president elect for the Southern California Chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavior Science (ACBS). Dr. Maisel has provided workshops to thousands of clinicians through organizations such as Simple Practice LLC, California Association for Marriage and Family Therapy-Long Beach/South Bay Chapter, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science-SoCal chapter. He has also conducted trainings for doctoral programs at Cal Lutheran University, Loyola Marymount University, and California State University at Northridge. Additionally, Dr. Maisel has been featured as a guest on several podcasts, discussing a range of OCD and anxiety-related topics. Some notable appearances include “Your Anxiety Toolkit” by Kimberly Quinlan, LMFT, and “Mindstories” with Josephine McNary, MD. To find out more about Dr. Maisel and his practice, you can visit https://beachfrontanxiety.com/