OCD Foundations: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment

The more we understand OCD, the more we can help patients who struggle with it

OCD is often misdiagnosed, with many individuals going years without an accurate diagnosis or treated for a different disorder because their health care provider wasn’t familiar with OCD. This course will cover accurate diagnosis, underlying theory, and tools and strategies to help patients living with OCD.

This course will teach learners to recognize and differentiate OCD from other disorders. We will then review how to do a comprehensive assessment which will guide the treatment plan.

Goals of this training:

• Participants will be able to accurately diagnose OCD when it is present
• Participants will be able to discuss the underlying theory that helps inform treatment decisions
• Participants will be able to describe a number of different tools and strategies to use work with patients to impact their OCD symptoms, and how to intervene with those who may be ambivalent about treatment

Offered by the Education Outreach Department at McLean Hospital

More About the Course

Dr. Jeff Szymanski is a proponent of using theory to guide treatment decisions. This course will cover learning theory, inhibitory learning theory, and relational frame theory. In each case, theory will be translated into actual practice with specific step-by-step instructions of how to implement each of these approaches and how to integrate them into a coherent model.

OCD in many cases is a “family affair,” so the course will review tips and strategies about when and how to engage family members into treatment when applicable.

The last module of the training will go through a case example to demonstrate how to use what you have learned and implement it in a comprehensive way.

Learning Objectives

• Accurately diagnose OCD and differentiate it from at least four other psychological disorders
• Explain two ways in which inhibitory learning theory differs from emotional processing theory and why this is important when conducting exposure and response prevention therapy
• Identify at least three of the acceptance and commitment therapy processes and how to implement them in treatment for OCD
• Identify at least three family accommodating behaviors and why it is important to target these in OCD treatment

Accreditation and Disclosure Policy

This course is accredited for a variety of health care disciplines. Find access to accreditation details, disclosure policy, and more.

Refund Policy

Access to the course is available upon payment of the fee. We are unable to provide refunds for course purchases.