Board member Amy Jacobsen, PhD shared a video over OCD Awareness week on supporting a loved one and seeking support from loved ones. As a part of this video, she described two helpful resources that individuals with OCD and families can use to encourage awareness and treatment support. We are grateful to Jonathan Abramowitz, PhD and Jon Hershfield, MFT for their permission to share these resources with you. We hope that these can be helpful to you and your loved ones as a part of your treatment.
Join OCD Kansas in participating in the first ever Virtual 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk! The event will be held on October 10th. Register today to participate! Walkers who raise $25 by September 7th will be mailed an official Walk T-shirt!
This year’s walk, hosted by the IOCDF and its partnering Affiliates, is the first event of its kind. For full details about the walk (from the IOCDF):
The goal is to unify people all over the world by asking them to walk in their community for a common cause: to end stigma and raise awareness of what it truly means to live with obsessive compulsive disorder and related disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, and body-focused repetitive behaviors.
While the 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk normally consists of multiple in-person events across the country, this year the Walk will be transformed into one unified, virtual event. All community members will be encouraged to register for the Virtual OCD Walk either on their own or as an individual, on a team with family, friends, and coworkers, or on one of our NEW! Open Teams.
No matter how walkers choose to participate, they will all receive a personal fundraising page they can customize with photos and their personal stories. We encourage all walkers to edit their pages and send the link to family and friends via email and social media asking them to donate to help them reach their fundraising goal. Together, we will reach our overall goal of $150,000 to help further the mission of the IOCDF and its local Affiliates to ensure early access to effective treatment so anyone affected by OCD can live a full and productive life.
Walkers who raise $25 by September 7th will be mailed an official Walk T-shirt! At the end of the fundraising period, we will host a virtual, interactive event on Saturday, October 10th, before encouraging Walkers to walk their own routes in their communities while wearing their Walk shirts.
As the world continues to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are taking the steps to adjust and find alternative methods for many of our favorite activities. Two of our favorite activities each year are the OCD Conference and the 1 Million Steps 4 OCD walk. Sadly, neither of these events will take place in person, but virtual participation will be available!
For the first time, the OCD Conference will be held online this year. There is still time to register, so head on over to the site to learn more, and get ready to enjoy so many amazing presentations this year!
The OCD walk also will be conducted online this year, and be sure to check back soon as further details will follow!
Live events have been canceled or postponed indefinitely. This sadly includes the annual 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk. The walk is tentatively postponed until October 17th. Further details will be shared as they become available.
There are many helpful resources offering information and support during this unprecedented time.
International OCD Foundation – OCD & COVID-19 – An amazing amount of information on managing OCD during this time, teletherapy, talking to kids, and more. There’s also a resource page in Spanish.
Thank you to everyone who came out for our day of events over OCD Awareness Week. It was a special opportunity to connect as a community!
We were excited to send cards that were made during our events to Not Alone Notes. These cards will be distributed to individuals with OCD in residential treatment programs. We’re grateful to help this amazing organization! Learn more here, https://www.notalonenotes.org.
Join us for a relaxed time of socializing in a reserved section of the coffee shop. We will have cards available for you to write a note of support to others with OCD to remind them that they are not alone.
Register now! This year’s 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk will be held on June 8th at Roe Park in Overland Park, Kansas! Help us raise funds and awareness for OCD and related disorders! When you raise $25 on your personal fundraising page, you will receive an official Walk T-shirt when you check in at the event!
Are you a clinician hoping to improve your training in the treatment of OCD?
OCD Kansas is very excited to announce that we will be offering two scholarships to licensed psychotherapists in the State of Kansas and adjacent areas to attend a future Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). The BTTI is affiliated with the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and provides state-of-the-art education and training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for OCD. We recognize that Kansas is in tremendous need of mental health professionals who are trained and able to treat those affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Please consider applying today and/or share this announcement with potential candidates! Continuing education credits are offered to attendees, and the scholarship will offer you a reserved spot at a future BTTI.
To learn more about the BTTI program, please use the following link:
• A faculty of some of the most experienced and well respected clinicians in North America
• A working knowledge of Exposure and Response Prevention, the evidenced-based treatment for OCD
• Case supervision
• A rewarding experience with an intimate classroom environment of 30 colleagues
What to do to be considered for the scholarship:
• Submit a ʻLetter of Intentʼ to register with the BTTI addressing all bulleted points below
• Describe your current practice including the types of clients seen and primary treatment philosophy and methodology
• The reasons for your interest in the training program, including why you should receive a scholarship for the BTTI
• The current geographic location of your practice with address and telephone number
• Limit your letter to two typed pages and submit it to OCD Kansas no later than May 31, 2019
Candidates who are chosen will receive a scholarship of $1000. Professional membership with the IOCDF is required and at the candidateʼs expense. The first $400 is to be allocated strictly for BTTI tuition. The remaining $600 is for travel expenses only. This is limited to lodging and airfare. At the conclusion of the BTTI, the candidate is required to submit a copy of their Certificate of Completion and all receipts for permissible expenses. Reimbursement will occur at that time. OCD Kansas reserves the right to interview all prospective candidates. Those who are chosen can expect to receive registration instructions by mail.
We are very excited and proud to offer this unique opportunity to mental health professionals in Kansas! The need for qualified OCD therapists is urgent. For questions, contact OCD Kansas at ocdkansas@gmail.com.
