Re: Thanks for Input on my Question re:Creating new Obsessions next question, Therapist details sought

September 21, 2009

On my voice mail message I asked how much experience they have in

treating kids or teens with OCD, and if they do CBT with ERP. Is that enough or

is there something else to ask?

Hi Colleen, That's the right message to leave. You're right, the CBT is used

with other illnesses also (e.g., depression) so it needs to be specific to OCD

and with the ERP. So if they say they do CBT, they still need to have

experience with treating OCD. I'm glad Dr. March's book is already helping!

Here's one quick link I googled on CBT:

http://nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm

>

> I really appreciate your input on my question. Your knowledge and experiences

with your own children and thoughts on this has been extremely helpful. I

decided I will wait to show her the program after she starts the ERP therapy.

She has not been doing well at all, which I attribute to being back in school.

The OCD combined with being a teenager and all those emotions and growing pains

have

September 21, 2009

Hey - I 'm glad the book is helping. Another awesome one is by Aureen Wagner.

Read that one when you are done with Dr. March.

The other question I'd really hit home with, is how many young children do you

work with each year, whose primary presentation is OCD? What method of CBT do

you use? Do you use ERP? What is the range of time that you usually need to

see a child? What is your success rate with OCD? How do you help parents get

out of rituals with the child? How often would we meet with you and our child?

What is the homework like each week for a child? Where did you get your

training to do ERP therapy? How many hours of training did you have? If she is

cutting, then you need to specifically ask about their success with

children/teens that are self harming.

Also, it's not failsafe, but you can go to www.ocdfoundation.org and look under

find a therapist. You still need to find the right fit for your child, but we

did find our therapist there, and they do have the training.

Best wishes - in NC

..

>

> I have called 5 therapists that we were referred to that say they doe CBT, but

are awaiting call backs. I am hoping you can help me again with what I need to

ask them. On my voice mail message I asked how much experience they have in

treating kids or teens with OCD, and if they do CBT with ERP. Is that enough or

is there something else to ask? I am thinking CBT is a general term, but ERP is

the specific thing I need to ask if they do, right? My daughter's psychiatrist

said if they say they do CBT they do use ERP, but I just spoke to one therapist

who said she is not the person we need because she does straight cognitive work,

but didn't even know what ERP was until I said exposure and Response Prevention

then she said she knows what that is, but still wasn't the person for us. Any

insight you can provide, I would greatly appreciate it.

>

> I got the book by March and just reading a tad already has helped me in

talking to my daughter when she is fearful of doing something that I know is the

OCD twice already and she didn't listen to the OCD! It makes me so proud and

happy to know I'm helping her fight back!

>

> Thanks again!

> Colleen

>

September 21, 2009

Hi Colleen,

I'm glad you have seen some success already from what you have learned from the

workbook. This must be encouraging to your daughter too!

Re questions to prospective doctors, have you gone to the ocfoundation.org

website yet? If you click under " what is OCD " , and then " behavior therapy " ,

there is a good article that outlines what to look for.

Also this link will take you to a site that has a good explanation of ERP

treatment for OCDhttp://www.ocdla.com/cognitivebehavioraltherapy.html

ERP based CBT is what you want to ask for, it is changing the behavioral

response to OCD that will make it stop.

Best in your search!

Warmly,

Barb

>

> I really appreciate your input on my question. Your knowledge and experiences

with your own children and thoughts on this has been extremely helpful. I

decided I will wait to show her the program after she starts the ERP therapy.

She has not been doing well at all, which I attribute to being back in school.

The OCD combined with being a teenager and all those emotions and growing pains

have made life greatly stressed for her and our whole family. I want her to

feel like she is doing something tangible and she will be getting help first.

On the one hand, she will benefit from not feeling like the only kid with these

thoughts, but she will be seeing in the program the kids who are getting therapy

for it and I don't know if she will be sad that she isn't getting the right help

needed (she has had OCD for quite some time) or she might be opposed to starting

it since it does seem very difficult to do push yourself to do the very things

you are so

> used to doing. She has been seeing just a regular therapist and she has only

been talking about alternatives to cutting and such that can calm her.