This course does not offer CE Credits. The same course is available for purchase and offers 1 CE hour for behavioral health clinicians. See "related products" below.
OCD can devastate a client’s life—and leave even seasoned clinicians feeling powerless. Intrusive thoughts, overwhelming compulsions, and the desperate need for certainty can trap individuals in cycles of suffering, while therapists struggle to intervene without reinforcing the very behaviors they aim to treat. This course confronts that challenge head-on, empowering clinicians to break through avoidance, disrupt maladaptive cycles, and guide clients toward lasting change through exposure therapy.
If you’ve ever hesitated to implement exposure therapy due to uncertainty or fear of doing it wrong, you’re not alone—and you’re not without support. This training empowers you with the tools and insights needed to implement exposure therapy with integrity and precision.
Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-S, is a nationally respected trainer and clinician who specializes in evidence-based treatments for emotional disorders. As Director of Training at The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders and a co-author of the Renfrew Unified Treatment for Eating Disorders and Comorbidity, Dr. Smith brings both deep clinical expertise and a dynamic teaching style to this training. She is also a Certified Therapist and Trainer in the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), giving her a unique lens on how exposure therapy can be adapted to meet the nuanced needs of diverse clients.
Dr. Smith’s approach combines warmth, clinical rigor, and a sharp focus on evidence-based practice. This course integrates foundational theory with practical application, equipping clinicians to confidently design and deliver tailored exposure hierarchies for clients struggling with OCD.
Topics include an overview of DSM-5 criteria and differential diagnoses for OCD, the psychological mechanisms that sustain compulsions, and the vital role of emotion-driven behaviors and avoidance. You'll learn why traditional approaches often fail, how to implement exposure-based techniques that actually work, and how to structure individualized hierarchies that promote long-term symptom reduction and emotional tolerance.
Key Takeaways:
Understand evidence-based principles: Gain clarity on the most effective, research-backed strategies for implementing exposure therapy.
Design custom exposure hierarchies: Learn how to create personalized, stepwise interventions that build client resilience and reduce compulsions.
Support emotional tolerance: Help clients move through fear instead of around it, reinforcing psychological flexibility and long-term change.
Why this course?
Clinically relevant and immediately applicable: Unlike overly theoretical trainings, this course gives you clear tools you can use with your next OCD client.
Expert instruction from a trusted source: Dr. Smith’s depth of experience and instructional clarity set this training apart from more generic CE offerings.
Backed by a mission-driven provider: Telehealth Certification Institute is committed to equipping behavioral health clinicians with high-quality, ethically grounded continuing education.
Learning Objectives:
Whether you’re new to exposure therapy or seeking to refine your approach, this course offers the support and structure you need to make meaningful progress with your clients. Join a growing community of professionals who are learning how to face fear—and help others do the same.
Add this course to your cart to begin learning instantly.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 1.5 hours of video instruction and an evaluation.
Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services. This continuing education course is designed for licensed behavioral health professionals and provides training in suicide prevention using expressive arts as an integrative approach. However, this is not a creative arts therapy course and does not provide training in creative arts therapy.
Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
How to Attend: Instructions for attending and completing a course can be found here.
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Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-C
Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-C (she/her) is a therapist in private practice at CBT of Central & South Florida (https://cbtcentralflorida.com) and a Consulting Clinical Training Specialist for the Renfrew Center. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Supervisor in the State of Florida. Additionally, she is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Approved Consultant (CEDS-C) and is a Certified Therapist & Trainer of the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP). Special treatment interests include Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction such as Rumination Syndrome, OCD, phobias including emetophobia, health-related anxiety, and coping with chronic pain & chronic illness.
Dr. Smith is passionate about the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments, clinical supervision, and clinical training and has presented numerous lectures, workshops, and Keynote presentations at academic and professional conferences nationally and internationally. She has co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals and is co-author of the peer-reviewed treatment manual and patient workbook, The Renfrew Unified Treatment Model for Eating Disorders and Comorbidity, published by Oxford University Press.
Disclosure Statement: The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.
This course does not offer CE credits, just great content.
The same course is available for purchase and offers 1.5 CE hours for behavioral health clinicians. See "related products" below.
This course is a non-interactive, online self-study.
Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of completion to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.
Closed captioning is offered for all live webinar participants.
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