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

Enroll in the Online Self-Study and complete the training on your schedule.
6 CE hours available for behavioral health clinicians

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.

Register for the 6 CE Online Self-Study for 

$180

 

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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.

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Instructor

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.

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.

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

Enroll in the 6 CE Online Self-Study for $180

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

This program was recorded on February 2, 2024.

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