Special Considerations: Trauma-Informed, Individualized, and Culturally Sensitive Treatment for OCD

Description

Special Considerations: Trauma-Informed, Individualized, and Culturally Sensitive Treatment for OCD is Module Three of the 3-course Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Counseling Certificate Program (OCDCC). For more information on the OCDCC and discounted enrollment in the full program, please visit this page.

When obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) shows up in the lives of your clients, it rarely follows the textbook—and neither should your treatment. Traditional exposure-based interventions can unintentionally retraumatize or alienate clients when they ignore cultural identity, lived experience, or the lingering effects of adversity. Clinicians must now go beyond fidelity to the model and become fluent in fidelity to the person.

Whether you're treating a child with severe compulsions or a new parent haunted by intrusive thoughts, you'll come away with essential tools to honor each client’s unique experience while still holding fidelity to best practices in OCD care.

Dr. Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-C, is a nationally recognized clinical trainer, therapist, and author specializing in OCD, ARFID, and comorbid conditions. A Certified Therapist & Trainer of the Unified Protocol, she brings real-world expertise in integrating trauma-informed, culturally sensitive care into evidence-based models. Her engaging, clinician-centered teaching style supports learners in applying advanced clinical strategies across a range of diverse client presentations.

Through dynamic instruction, practical examples, and detailed case studies, Dr. Smith guides participants in tailoring exposure and response prevention (ERP) to the real lives of clients across age, culture, gender, and neurodiversity. The course highlights both the ethical imperative and clinical necessity of cultural humility, flexible fidelity, and trauma-awareness in OCD treatment.

Topics covered include adapting CBT for children with OCD; recognizing and treating perinatal OCD; understanding OCD’s intersection with race, culture, gender identity, and minority stress; navigating the overlap between OCD and trauma; maintaining fidelity while adapting ERP; and integrating Relational-Cultural Theory and Liberation Psychology frameworks into exposure-based care. Clinicians also learn strategies to reflect on and mitigate cultural countertransference to prevent unintentional harm.

Key Takeaways:

• Effective adaptation strategies: Learn how to adjust OCD treatment for children and perinatal clients without compromising outcomes.

• Intersectional treatment planning: Understand how cultural identity, oppression, and lived experience influence symptom expression and therapeutic rapport.

• Trauma-informed ERP application: Confidently apply ERP principles with compassion, safety, and empowerment for trauma-exposed clients.

Why This Course?

• A paradigm-shifting approach: This training blends gold-standard OCD treatment with the essential lens of trauma-informed and culturally responsive care.

• Trusted instruction from a recognized leader: Dr. Melanie Smith brings unmatched depth in treating OCD in complex, real-world contexts.

• Commitment to excellence and equity: Telehealth Certification Institute ensures that continuing education empowers clinicians to serve every client with compassion, integrity, and clinical skill.

Learning Objectives:

• List at least two adaptations required for treating children with OCD.

• Describe at least one unique consideration of treating perinatal OCD.

• Identify at least two intersectional factors that should be considered when individualizing OCD treatment.

• Apply the principles of trauma-informed care to exposure-based treatment for OCD.

Gain the insight, clarity, and confidence to treat OCD with both clinical precision and relational depth. This course is your invitation to meet the moment with the skills your clients need most.

Add this course to your cart to start learning instantly.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course that offers over 6 hours of recorded video instruction, a post-test and a course evaluation.

Course Details

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.

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: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-C

Melanie Smith (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.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 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 your licensing board would accept this course.

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 marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

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 6 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. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

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.

This course 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.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement