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Therapist Seeks to Build Compassionate OCD Community in Santa Barbara and Surrounding Cities
April 7 @ 8:30 am - 5:00 pm PDT
Melissa Mose, President of OCD Southern California, is organizing “Building a Compassionate OCD Community,” a full day of talks for people with OCD and those who support them on Sunday, April 7 from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Santa Barbara City College BC Forum.
The event is open to individuals with OCD, their family members and loved ones, mental health providers, students, and the general public. Participants are welcome to attend all talks throughout the day.
The morning lineup focuses on ways to enhance evidence-based treatment for OCD, offering up to three continuing education (CE) units for therapists (specialists and non-specialists alike). The afternoon emphasizes approaches to living with OCD.
The event is being held at Santa Barbara City College in hopes that this encourages more college-aged students who have OCD to attend and connect with the resources available to them in this and neighboring cities.
For Mose, a Calabasas resident with family in Santa Barbara, the work to build a more robust and supportive OCD community in Santa Barbara and surrounding areas is highly personal. Her focus on treating those with OCD began in 2010. Mose had already been licensed and practicing as a family therapist for fifteen years when her daughter first evidenced signs of OCD at the age of 8. She began to seek resources in her area, and found there were a lot more questions than answers when it came to treating OCD, and not enough resources in place to meet her daughter’s needs (or to support her as a mother in helping).
“When you or someone you love is grappling with OCD it has a huge impact on your life. The most important thing is to surround yourself with a supportive and informed community,” stated Mose. “My intent with this event is to build up practical skills and also compassionate attitudes for people living with OCD and the family and clinicians who want to support them.”
Mose began delving deep into OCD and became certified in various techniques to support those with OCD, accepting more and more OCD patients into her practice. Today, as President of OCD Southern California, she actively seeks to build knowledge and skills for therapists, whether specialists in the OCD field or generalists. She is in the process of publishing a book and workbook focused on OCD treatment, and also offers courses and consultation groups for clinicians looking to expand their tool set when it comes to treating those with OCD.
At the “Building a Compassionate OCD Community” event, attendees will hear from seven different therapists who specialize in supporting those with OCD, with opportunities for Q&A and panel discussion. A catered lunch and culminating networking session offer excellent opportunities to meet and connect with others in the local OCD community.
Program
8:30 a.m. Registration opens (continues throughout the day)
Speaker Series
Moderated by Melissa Mose, MA, LMFT, President OCD Southern California
9 a.m. Max Maisel – The Use and Misuse of ACT for OCD
10 a.m. Kimberly Quinlan & Jessica Serber- Self Compassion for OCD
11 a.m. Melissa Mose- IFS Approaches to Enhance OCD Treatment
Lunch (served on the BC Forum Patio)
1 p.m. Menije Boduryan – Perfectionism in OCD: The False Pursuit of Certainty
2 p.m. Andrea Kulberg – Anxiety and OCD in Athletes
3 p.m. Evelyn Gould – OCD in the Family
4 p.m. Networking & Connecting
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $45 for admission with CEs. Scholarships are available to any students looking to attend. Lunch and snacks are included. The sign-up cost will aid the OCD SoCal non-profit in covering venue, food, and parking costs.
The April 7th Santa Barbara event is sponsored by Melissa Mose, LMFT and by Anxiety Experts, a Santa Barbara- and Ventura-based clinic serving those with various forms and degrees of anxiety. Additional sponsor opportunities are available; contact Melissa@melissamosemft.com.
More information and registration for the Santa Barbara event are available at: eventbrite.com/e/ocd-socal-speakers-series-santa-barbara-tickets-843028118797
The Santa Barbara event is one of six happening across Southern California in April as part of the annual OCD SoCal Speaker Series. Other talks will take place in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County. Learn more and register for these events here: https://ocdsocal.org/programs/speakerseries/
About Melissa Mose
Melissa Mose is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who runs a private practice in Calabasas, CA. Melissa has advocated for those affected by OCD both as a clinician and as the parent of a child who experienced the debilitating symptoms of OCD. Melissa specializes in working with anxiety disorders, OCD and OC related disorders. Working with adolescents and their families has been Melissa’s primary focus since she began her work as an intern in 1992. Learn more at MelissaMoseMFT.com
About OCD Southern California
OCD SoCal is an affiliate of the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF). The mission of the IOCDF is to ensure that no one affected by OCD and related disorders suffers alone. Our community provides help, healing, and hope. Learn more at iocdf.org.
