OCD in Children and Adolescents

Katherine McKenney, PhD, is a staff psychologist with the Provincial OCD Program at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, as well as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and a director at Cornerstone Child and Family Psychology Clinic. At BCCH, Dr. McKenney provides assessment and group treatment to youth with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and their families. She also consults and trains clinicians around the province, is actively involved in research and program development, and has coauthored numerous peer-reviewed publications. Dr. McKenney has developed several group therapy manuals for the treatment of OCD and maintains a busy private practice.Annie Simpson, PhD, is a director at Cornerstone Child and Family Psychology Clinic in Vancouver and a clinical associate in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. She previously worked as a staff psychologist with the Provincial OCD Program at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH). Dr. Simpson was actively involved in research and program development in her role at BCCH and coauthored numerous publications. She has worked as a consultant for Anxiety Canada, providing lectures and workshops and developing self-help materials for children and adolescents.S. Evelyn Stewart, MD, is Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, and Founding Director of the Provincial OCD Program at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH), the first integrated clinic and research program for pediatric OCD in Canada. Dr. Stewart spent her early career as a psychiatrist within the pediatric and adult obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) clinic teams at Massachusetts General Hospital, as Research Director of the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital, and as Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. She has authored over 100 original papers, reviews, and book chapters on family, genetic, neuroimaging, and treatment aspects of OCD and related illnesses throughout the lifespan.

• I. Preparing to Initiate ERP Exposure and Response Prevention1. An Overview of Pediatric Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder and Its Treatment2. ERP Preparation and Delivery3. Fine-Tuning ERP Delivery4. Complementary Approaches to ERPII. Providing Treatment: 10 Nuts-and-Bolts Modules- Module 1. Treatment Preparation with the Child or Youth and Their Parents- Module 2. Explaining ERPs, Building an OCD Ladder, and Implementing Rewards- Module 3. Foundational Treatment Tools: Breaking Free of OCD’s Traps, Bossing Back OCD, and Identifying Family Accommodation- Module 4. Breaking OCD’s Rules: The Four S’s, Exposure Games, and Limiting Family Accommodation and Reassurance Seeking- Module 5. Tools to Help with OCD “Bad Thoughts”: Imaginal Exposures and Dealing with OCD-Related Rage- Module 6. Tools to Help with ERPs: Coping Cards, Floating On By, Coping with Doubt Scripts, and Reducing Stigma- Module 7. Troubleshooting ERPs: Suboptimal Response, Therapist Pitfalls, and Barriers to Treatment Success- Module 8. Self- and Family Care: Boosting Self-Esteem, Attending to Personal Needs, and Managing OCD in Schools- Module 9. Preparing for the Future: Relapse Prevention and Consolidating Gains- Module 10. Graduation: Celebration and Maintenance of GainsReferencesIndex

"McKenney, Simpson, and Stewart fill a critical gap in the field with this robust, well-crafted practitioner guide. This book distinguishes itself by its reliance on core principles of pediatric OCD treatment and its focus on how to most effectively include family members in treatment. The authors convey complex concepts with clarity and include extremely helpful downloadable materials. This book should be on the desk of every clinician who works with children with OCD."--Eric A. Storch, PhD, McIngvale Presidential Endowed Chair and Professor of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine"The availability of effective treatments for OCD continues to lag behind the number of people who need them. That is why this book is so important. McKenney, Simpson, and Stewart provide the information a therapist needs to competently diagnose, assess, and treat young OCD sufferers. The authors appropriately emphasize the core element of treatment--exposure and response prevention--but also offer guidance for how to promote treatment engagement, include parents effectively, overcome treatment obstacles, and much more. I highly recommend this practical and comprehensive book to any mental health professional interested in the rewarding work of treating children and adolescents with OCD."--C. Alec Pollard, PhD, Founding Director, Center for OCD and Anxiety-Related Disorders, Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute; Professor Emeritus of Family and Community Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine"This practical and easy-to-follow manual will give more therapists--and hence more children with OCD--access to the powerful techniques of CBT. The book leads therapists through a sequence of modules with an abundance of examples and scripts, along with insightful guidance on navigating common clinical challenges. The importance of partnering with both children and parents is emphasized. The reproducible handouts and worksheets help therapists implement this systematic approach and enable clients to participate actively in treatment. A valuable resource in the effort to make treatment more widely accessible!"--Aureen Pinto Wagner, PhD, Director, The Anxiety Wellness Center, Cary, North Carolina"A clinician who is invited into a family to help a child with OCD has a great responsibility not only to address the child's symptoms, but to repair the strain on the family as a whole. This book offers a comprehensive roadmap for meeting this responsibility. While providing a clear, structured protocol for doing effective treatment, the authors never lose sight of the key ingredient in maximizing results--creativity. The manual both affirms what I have been doing right in treatment of pediatric OCD and inspires me to offer families more. I will make this book required reading for anyone I train in this area."--Jon Hershfield, MFT, Director, The OCD and Anxiety Center of Greater Baltimore-