About Me

I’m passionate about helping adolescents and adults reclaim their lives from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders (body dysmorphic disorder and hoarding disorder), anxiety disorders (social anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder), and depression. For a shorter version of my credentials, please see my official bio. 

I’m a cognitive behavioral (CBT) therapist and have specialized training in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, a type of CBT that’s the research-based treatment for OCD and a research-based treatment for anxiety.

I’m the author of Is Fred in the Refrigerator? Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life (Foreword by Jeff Bell and Afterword by Reid Wilson, PhD). I’m also the coauthor with Jon Hershfield, MFT, of Everyday Mindfulness for OCD: Tips, Tricks, and Skills for Living Joyfully. I also blog for Psychology Today, offering an inside perspective on life with OCD and the lessons of uncertainty, and publish the Shoulders Back! Tips & Resources for Taming OCD newsletter.

Along with working with people who have OCD, anxiety, and related disorders, I do advocacy work to help raise awareness of OCD and its appropriate treatment, including speaking at national conferences around the country (see below). I was the co-founder and Past President of OCD Georgia, the official Georgia affiliate of the International OCD Foundation. Prior to my counseling career I spent more than 15 years in sales and marketing, and you can learn more about my past business career in my LinkedIn profile.

To receive OCD-taming tips & resources delivered every month to your inbox, sign up for my Shoulders Back! newsletter. All new subscribers will receive my Top Five Tips for Taming OCD.

Education

  • MS in Mental Health Counseling from Mercer University, 2012
  • MBA from Emory University, 2001
  • BS in Business Administration from University of Illinois, 1993

License & Certification

  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC008785) in the state of Georgia

Honors & Awards

  • Selected as the keynote speaker for the 2013 International OCD Foundation national conference (the photos above are from the keynote)
  • Selected to become a member of The Adversity 2 Advocacy Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering the power of turning personal challenges into service to others with similar challenges.
  • One of three people selected nationally for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) 2013 Clinician Trainee Award for my work while I was an intern.

Speaking Engagements

International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)

  • 2024 Conference: Tales of the C(omorbid)ity: Exploring the Dynamic Features of Co-Occurring OCD and PTSD with Caitlin Pinciotti, PhD; Nathaniel Van Kirk, PhD; and Lauren Wadsworth, PhD.
  • 2022 Virtual Conference
    • No Cure? So What! – Living a Value-Driven, Joyful Life Anyway with Rev. Katie O’Dunne, IOCDF Lead Ambassador; Ethan Smith, IOCDF National Ambassador; and Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
  • 2020 – 2021 In-Person Conferences: talks accepted but not presented due to COVID
    • Five Cunning Strategies to Bring OCD to its Knees with Dr. Reid Wilson
    • It’s Not What You Think: How Meditation Can Supercharge Your OCD Recovery with Jon Hershfield, MFT and Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
    • From Patient to Practitioner: How You Can Become an OCD Therapist with Rachel Davis, MD; Nathaniel Van Kirk, PhD; and Hannah Breckenridge, LMSW
    • #RealOCD: Changing How the World Sees OCD with Jeff Szymanski, Executive Director of the IOCDF; Ethan Smith, IOCDF National Ambassador; Jessica Price, Communications & Outreach Specialist, IOCDF; Valerie Andrews, IOCDF Advocate
  • 2020 Online Conference
  • 2019 National Conference
    • Life After Treatment: Navigating Hidden Traps That Can Sabotage Your Recovery with Jon Grayson, PhD
  • 2018 National Conference
  • 2017 National Conference
    • ERP Games for Living Joyfully with OCD with Jon Hershfield, MFT
    • The Hero’s Journey (and YOU are the Hero): The Healing Power of Telling Your Story with Jeff Bell, Stuart Ralph, and Alison Dotson
    • Job Sharing with OCD: Managing OCD in the Work Environment with Rachel Davis, MD, Nathaniel Van Kirk, Ph.D. and James Snyder.
  • 2016 National Conference
    • Motivating Toward Recovery: Strategies for Maintaining Motivation Across Treatment and Beyond with Nathaniel Van Kirk, Ph.D. and Jeff Bell.
    • Regaining Your Balance When Slipping, Sliding and Backsliding: How to Create an OCD Maintenance/Recovery Planwith Jonathan Grayson, Ph.D.
  • 2015 National Conference
    • Coping with and Preventing Relapse: Create Your Personal OCD Recovery Maintenance Plan with Jonathan Grayson, Ph.D.
    • Don’t Talk to Me Like That! Maximize Your OCD Recovery Using Self-Compassion with Jon Hershfield, MFT and Amy Jenks, Psy.D. and cover article about self-compassion for the Summer 2015 IOCDF newsletter entitled “OCD: A Hostage Situation”
  • 2013 National Conference

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

  • 2020 – 2021 National Conference
    • Building Resilience in Clients with OCD: Addressing Hidden Traps that Can Sabotage Recovery with Jonathan Grayson, PhD
  • 2017 National Conference
    • Using Games to Improve ERP Compliance When Treating OCD with Jon Hershfield, MFT
    • The Art and Science of Using Imaginal Exposure for Anxiety Disorders with Ashley Smith, Ph.D.
  • 2016 National Conference
    • Self-Compassion and Self Depreciation in OCD: When Poor Self Esteem Becomes a Ritual with Jonathan Grayson, Ph.D., Jon Hershfield, MFT, and Amy Jenks, Psy.D.

The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

  • 2018 National Conference
    • Don’t Talk to Me Like That! Maximize Your OCD Recovery Using Self-Compassion with Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
    • That Worked Well Support Group with Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
  • 2017 National Conference
    • The Use of Exposure in the Treatment of BFRBs with Ashley Smith, Ph.D. and Bill Oakley, Psy.D.
    • Kids’ Corner with Ashley Smith, Ph.D. and Bill Oakley, Psy.D.

Beyond the Doubt Past Speaking Engagements

  • E-Course
    • Thriving with OCD: Four Keys Out When Locked in Doubt with Jeff Bell
  • Atlanta 2016 – 2018, The Anxiety & Stress Management Institute
    • Living Life Beyond the Doubt: Field-Tested (and Retested) Strategies for Navigating OCD with Jeff Bell
  • Boston, 2016, McLean Hospital Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute
    • The Motivation to Get Better with Jeff Bell
  • San Francisco, 2015
    • Getting Better & Staying Better: The Motivation You Need to Dare to Challenge Your OCD with Jeff Bell and Joan Davidson, Ph.D.

OCD and Related Disorders Mental Health Training & Continuing Education

  • IOCDF OCD Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) Graduate
  • IOCDF Conference in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 (virtual), 2021 (virtual), 2022 (virtual)
  • The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) conference in 2012 – 2013, 2015 – 2019, 2021 (virtual)
  • The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors Conference in 2017, 2018
  • The Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Conference in 2013, 2015
  • Behavioral Tech, LLC Foundations of Exposure Therapies
  • Various other workshops and webinars on OCD, anxiety, and disorders related to OCD.

Interviews, Podcasts, and Blogs

About Is Fred in the Refrigerator? Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life

The OCD Stories with Stuart Ralph

Your Anxiety Toolkit with Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT

About Mindfulness for OCD

Blogs and Interviews

Mentions

Professional Activities and Memberships