I’ve recently gotten into podcasts (did you know they’ve been a thing for, like, years now?), so I was happy to come across the aptly titled The OCD Stories, a well-done, inspirational podcast and website run by the fellow I’m hosting today: Stuart Ralph. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Stu in person, but…
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Losing a Child With BDD: Denis Asselin
Welcome back to Tuesday Q&A! I admit the hiatus wasn’t exactly planned; life and the holidays conspired to throw me off schedule. I couldn’t be happier to kick off the New Year with this post from Denis Asselin, an amazing advocate who’s been working tirelessly and with compassion to spread awareness about body dysmorphic disorder…
Read MoreObsessive Christmas Disorder
By now you’ve probably heard of the controversy over a holiday sweater Target is carrying this season. It reads “OCD Obsessive Christmas Disorder.” On the surface, it’s “just a sweater.” At least that’s what people keep telling me. They’ve also told me it isn’t making fun of OCD, and that “compulsive” is a pretty key…
Read MoreTrauma and OCD: Clint Malarchuk
Welcome to Tuesday Q&A! This week we’re hearing from Clint Malarchuk, a man who is supposed to be tough, who isn’t supposed to admit to feeling weak—but he’s shattered misconceptions and is speaking out, particularly about his struggle with OCD, to help others. Clint is tough, by the way. And he’s really, really nice. Really. I…
Read MoreStorytelling and OCD: Shala Nicely
It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means—we have a Q&A! This week we’re hearing from Shala Nicely, whom I first heard of when I pitched a blog post to the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). My superduper so original idea was to draw parallels between overcoming OCD and the lyrics from “Let It Go,” the…
Read MoreBeing a Peer Specialist: Chrissie Hodges
This week we’re chatting with Chrissie Hodges, who I presented with at the OCD Conference in July 2014. I “discovered” Chrissie on an OCD Awareness Facebook page during the OCD Conference in Atlanta in 2013. She was recapping her experiences, and boy was I jealous! I couldn’t believe how many wonderful connections she was making…
Read MoreReducing Stigma and Standing up for the Truth–Even When It’s Hard
I recently wrote a piece for B Stigma-Free, a great new initiative that aims to–you guessed it–reduce stigma. Oftentimes I feel like I’m preaching to the choir when I write about how important mental health awareness is, and it’s in my day-to-day interactions with acquaintances and co-workers when I feel less confident in spreading the…
Read MoreHow Can School Counselors Help Students with OCD?
May is Mental Health Month! Today on the Free Spirit Publishing blog I break down some common misconceptions about OCD and talk about why it’s so important for school counselors to understand what’s behind intrusive thoughts, which can often be very disturbing. If a student is struggling with sexual or violent obsessions, he may be too…
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Alison Dotson 