Psychotherapy Academy Podcast: ACT for OCD with Kate Morrison, Ph.D.

Faculty: Kate Morrison, Ph.D.
Hosts: Jessica Díaz, M.D., Flavio Guzman, M.D.
Script Editor: Jazmin Soto, L.Psy.

Learn more about The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists” and earn 8.25 CE credits

 

<> EPISODE 1 → Treatment Targets and Goals in ACT for OCD

 To introduce the series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists”, we examine the main objectives of ACT in OCD treatment. ACT aims to improve the relationship that clients have with their internal experiences so that they can build a meaningful life, despite their current situation.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: Treatment Targets and Goals in ACT for OCD

 

<> EPISODE 2 → The Fundamentals of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

 In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we discuss obsessive-compulsive disorder in depth and examine its main components, common themes, and thought patterns.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: ACT for OCD: Key Initial Concepts

 

<> EPISODE 3 → ACT Well: Differential Diagnosis in OCD

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we review how to make a differential diagnosis and rule out other conditions which can be confused with OCD.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: ACT for OCD: Diagnostic Criteria and Differential Diagnosis

 

<> EPISODE 4 → ACT or ERP? Deciding on a Course of Treatment for OCD

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we talk about how to decide the best course of treatment for a client with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Dr. Morrison explains the situations in which we can consider ACT instead of ERP, the usual gold standard treatment for OCD.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: ACT for OCD: Deciding on a Course of Treatment

 

<> EPISODE 5 → Why ACT for OCD?

In this episode of our series, “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we talk about the fundamentals of ACT and how we can use it to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an empirically-supported treatment that doesn’t focus on changing the content of the obsessions or compulsions, but on changing the way clients interact with them.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: Why ACT for OCD?

 

<> EPISODE 6 → How to Assess Treatment Progress in ACT for OCD

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we review how to assess treatment progress in ACT for obsessive-compulsive disorder. There are different ways to measure the effectiveness of the therapy, such as behavioral tracking, assessing psychological flexibility, and living through values.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: ACT for OCD: Assessing Treatment Progress

 

<> EPISODE 7 → How to Introduce Clients to ACT for OCD

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we talk about how to describe the ACT framework to clients with OCD. Dr. Kate Morrison explains OCD and its main components in an ACT-consistent manner, describing such concepts as the automaticity of thoughts and internal experiences.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: Introducing the Client to ACT for OCD

 

<> EPISODE 8 → ACT for OCD: What Is Experiential Avoidance?

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we talk about experiential avoidance and its role in OCD. Experiential avoidance refers to an unwillingness to feel our internal experiences, and the ways we might therefore take steps away from them.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: ACT for OCD: What Is Experiential Avoidance?

 

<> EPISODE 9 → ACT for OCD: Why Problem-Solving Obsessions Doesn’t Work

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we talk about why obsessions aren’t the source of the problem in OCD. The problem is the way people interact with them and try to solve them. Dr. Morrison uses ‘The Leaky Pipe’ metaphor to explain this concept experientially.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: ACT for OCD: Why Problem-Solving Obsessions Doesn’t Work

 

<> EPISODE 10 → ACT for OCD: Does Behavioral Tracking Help?

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we talk about how to do behavioral tracking. Dr. Kate Morrison walks us through the self-monitoring form, which helps clients to gain insight into their obsessions, compulsions, and rituals, and respond to them more adaptively and flexibly.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: ACT for OCD: Behavior Tracking and the Self-Monitoring Form

 

<> EPISODE 11 → Understanding Acceptance in ACT for OCD

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we discuss introducing the concept of acceptance, also known as willingness, as a transition from control to the problem. Dr. Kate Morrison uses such metaphors as clean vs dirty pain, and one dial-one switch, to explain how willingness works in the treatment of OCD.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: Willingness and Acceptance in ACT for OCD

 

<> EPISODE 12 → How to Set Values-Based Behavioral Commitments in ACT for OCD

In this episode of our series “The ACT for OCD Toolbox: A Guide for Therapists,” we discuss how to set behavioral commitments as opportunities to practice acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) processes between sessions. It’s important to align the action plan with the client’s values, to support their motivation over the course of treatment.

* Prefer to read? Here’s a text version: Behavioral Commitments in ACT for OCD