OCD Therapy for Kids and Teens
A kid or teen with OCD? THAT’S MY JAM! It’s one of my specialities. So, how does one treat OCD in children and teenagers? Here’s how I do it. :)
Step 1. Get to know their world.
First and most importantly, I need to build my therapeutic relationship with the child/teen. They need to learn to trust me, believe that this is a safe space for them, and feel accepted by me. This means I want to know their world so I can understand their strengths and challenges. And I want to know their personality too! Who are their friends? What are their hobbies? Favorite color? Favorite food? …
Getting to know a child’s world is one of the most important steps in building a genuine connection
Step 2. Learn about OCD.
OCD is clever, but simple. OCD comprises of two main things: obsessions and compulsions. And then there are a lot of tricks that OCD plays that I will help the child/teen learn. I will spend lots of time in this psychoeducation phase so that the child/teen has a deep understanding of OCD. OCD operates in a cycles so really getting to understand The OCD Cycle is key. This knowledge helps to reduce stigma or shame that someone may feel for experiencing these symptoms. Knowledge is power and the more one understands their OCD, the more powerful they are. I will present this information in an age-appropriate way that is both engaging and understandable.
I may even include parents in this stage as it is important to understand how OCD presents in their child/teen and how they can best support their child.
The OCD Cycle. Learn more on my blog post: The Basics of OCD
Step 3. Externalize OCD.
Name your OCD. Get to know it. Get to know how it operates and functions. Get to know how it gets power and grows. Get to know how it gets the child/teen to do a compulsion. Create distance between the child/teen and OCD. The more distance between the person and their OCD, the more they can feel like they have other options. And everyone’s OCD is unique. Remember that OCD tends to work against one’s values. If someone is kind, brave, observant, caring, it can use those against them. I’m here to help kids/teens spot the tricks and externalize their OCD!
Step 4. Learn the tools.
I will provide the child/teen with tools that with help them when they are stuck in The OCD Cycle. They will learn to use tools, personalize/make the tools their own, and they will practice them over and over again.
Step 5. Action.
This is the action stage. They will put those tools into action. They will face some of their fears and practice not engaging in compulsions. They will expose themselves to things that make them anxious or fearful and they will learn that they are stronger than they thought they were. This stage is based on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy.
Step 6. Rinse and repeat.
We will redo or continue anything that needs more work. We will practice over and over again until they are comfortable doing things on their own.
Step 6 Rinse and Repeat. Hand-washing can also be a common OCD compulsion.
Step 7. Enjoy.
Now that you’ve maintained and sustained progress, there’s one thing left to do. ENJOY YOUR LIFE! Remember, you may always have the O in OCD (the obsessions), and you might always be tempted to do a C in OCD (the compulsions), but you will no longer have the D in OCD (the disorder).
Side note: These stages are non-linear, so we can move backwards and forwards as many times as we please.
OCD THERAPY WITH CZARINA DE JESUS, LMFT
-If you’d like to reach out to me, you can follow the directions on this page: SCHEDULE A SESSION
-If you’d like to learn more about the basics of OCD, you can visit my blog post: The Basics of OCD