Telehealth Certification Institute

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by obsessions (repetitive, intrusive, and distressing thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed in response to the obsessions) that has a severe impact on the functioning and quality of life of those who suffer from it.

While much of the internal process of OCD is unseen or hidden, understanding its underlying causes and distinguishing it from other disorders is crucial for effective treatment, especially since OCD frequently coexists with other mental health conditions.

This comprehensive course is designed to equip mental health clinicians with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively assess, diagnose, and treat OCD.

Participants will gain a deep understanding of OCD diagnosis, learning how to differentiate it from related disorders like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and Hoarding Disorder, and how to use comprehensive OCD assessment tools such as the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) to accurately evaluate symptom severity and guide treatment planning. They will explore the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the development of OCD, with a particular focus on the role of trauma and stress, and address common comorbidities like anxiety and depression.

Led by seasoned expert Dr. Melanie Smith, participants will learn about evidence-based approaches for addressing OCD, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) tailored to various OCD subtypes and severity levels. The course also explores the potential of teletherapy in OCD assessment, providing strategies to adapt traditional methods for virtual evaluation.

Through engaging case examples, they can practice applying OCD differential diagnosis skills in complex scenarios, ensuring they're prepared to provide their patients with the most effective and personalized care. By the end of this course, clinicians will have a well-rounded understanding of OCD as a multifaceted disorder, enabling them to confidently and effectively assess and diagnose individuals struggling with this complex condition.

Whether you're aiming to sharpen your OCD diagnostic skills, enhance OCD assessment strategies, or integrate teletherapy into your practice, this course offers the critical training needed to excel in OCD management and make a meaningful impact in your client's lives.

Register today and empower yourself to provide optimal care for patients struggling with this complex and often misunderstood disorder.

This course provides 6+ hours of video training, a post-test and an evaluation.

This course was recorded January 19, 2024.

Upon completion of this training, professionals will be able to do the following:

• Discuss the heritability of OCD.
• List at least two environmental factors that impact the development of OCD.
• Identify the diagnostic criteria for OCD, including rule-outs for the condition.
• Assess clients for overlapping symptom presentations and differentiate OCD from other diagnoses.

Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-S

Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-S, is the Director of Training for The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders. In this role, she provides ongoing training, supervision and consultation to clinicians across disciplines for the purpose of continually assessing and improving competence in the treatment of eating disorders.

Dr. Smith is co-author of The Renfrew Unified Treatment for Eating Disorders and Comorbidity Therapist Guide and Workbook (Oxford University Press), is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Approved Supervisor, and is a Certified Therapist and Trainer for the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP).

In addition to her work with the Renfrew Center, Dr. Smith maintains a telehealth private practice specializing in the supervision and consultation of registered mental health counselor interns (Florida) and individuals seeking eating disorder specialist certification through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp).

Credit Hours: CEs provided with this course include 6 continuing education hours of credit.

Counselors: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6693. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations. You can check with your board to determine if this course would be accepted by your licensing board.

Social Workers: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals: This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, effective 2/20/2024. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

Psychologists: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals: This activity qualifies for 360 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

To receive your certificate of completion you must complete the course in its entirety.

Online courses are completed by registering, logging in, navigating to your course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), completing all of the modules, completing and passing the post-test, and completing the course evaluation. Participants have 6 months from registration to access and complete online self-study courses.

Live Webinar courses are completed by registering, logging in to this website, navigating to your course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), attending the full course via webinar, submitting your attendance, and completing the post-test and course evaluation online.

Psychologists and other professionals seeking CE credit through our approval with the American Psychological Association are asked, but not required, to complete the course evaluation before obtaining their certificate of completion, however passing a post-test for online self-study courses and live webinars, and submitting one's attendance for live on-site and live webinars is required.

You can receive your certificate of completion by logging onto this website, navigating to the course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), scroll to the bottom of your course, and click on your certificate to either download it or print it.

Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.

Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities

Click here to view our Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds are offered within the first 30 days for courses which have not been completed.  There is a 10% service fee for refunds.

Grievance Policy

Click here to view our Grievance Policy.

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

This program was recorded January 19, 2024

You have six months to access online courses from the time of purchase.