October 13-19 is OCD Awareness Week. Andrea Gutierrez-Gilk, LCSW, and I collaborated to share some books, blogs, and a self-guided course to help with your OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of neurodivergence. It consists of patterns of uncomfortable & unwanted thoughts/urges/images (obsessions) that can lead to repetitive & unwanted behaviors (compulsions).

OCD is triggered by doubts (not intrusive thoughts), which then lead to feelings of anxiety and compulsive behaviors. OCD is not just “needing things to be clean” and expands far beyond contamination OCD (just one of many subtypes!). Some other subtypes of OCD are relationship OCD, harm OCD, postpartum OCD, pure “O” OCD, and “just right” OCD.

Sources: Mayo Clinic, NOCD, I-CBT for Adults

Here are the sources and links brought to you by OCD expert, Andrea Gutierrez-Gilk, LCSW:

1. “Pure O” OCD by Chad LeJeune, Ph. D.

   This book focus on a particular subtype of OCD called “pure O” OCD. This subtype focuses primarily on obsessions without any visible compulsions. Instead, compulsions show up more internally in the form of seeking reassurance, avoidance, or thinking strategies. Dr. LeJeune uses acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to teach psychological flexibility — using your values to become more present and less burdened by what’s keeping you stuck.

2. Relationship OCD by Sheva Rajaee, MFT

   This book focuses on another subtype of OCD called relationship OCD. This subtype focuses primarily on obsessive doubt and anxiety in relationships. Rajaee uses a CBT approach to not only understand your OCD better, but also learn evidence-based strategies that you can apply to help alleviate symptoms that show up in your relationships.

3. NOCD’s Blog

   NOCD is a directory of OCD therapists who are specialize in offering exposure-response prevention (ERP). ERP is one of the main therapeutic modalities used in treatment of OCD. In addition to helping clients find a therapist, NOCD’s blog offers a wealth of information on OCD, including education about the science of OCD, videos to help understand different kinds of OCD, and strategies to work with OCD.

   NOCD also provides free continuing education for mental health professionals to increase their skillset when working with clients with OCD.

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4. International OCD Foundation’s Blog

   IOCDF’s blog has a plethora of articles ranging from symptom support, personal accounts written by others with OCD, and how to support loved ones with OCD. The IOCDF website as a whole also serves as a great resource, offering resources to find OCD support for both professionals and people with OCD.

5. Self-Help Workshop by OCD Training School

   This course ($150) is a self-guided course that uses another therapeutic modality for OCD treatment, Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT). This is a 12 module course that involves 4 hours of video and self-led activities to experience as you go.

6. Dr. Michael Greenberg’s Blog

   Dr. Greenberg is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in OCD, and whose practice focuses on providing rumination-focused ERP. He has done much research over his career to understand the roots of OCD to develop more precise treatment. He shares his findings on his blog.

Andrea Gutierrez-Gilk, LCSW, is a queer therapist and educator. She specializes in working with OCD, anxiety, trauma, and complex trauma.

She is also the author of Healing the Oppressed Body, a therapeutic guide for queer folks, trauma survivors, and other members of marginalized communities.

You can find more from her at @somaticwitch and www.andreagilk.com.

What are some other topics & issues you’d like to see resources for? I’m always looking for more ideas that can be helpful to you.

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