Top Medical and Research Experts at Obsessive Compulsive Foundation’s Annual Conference
On August 7-9, the 16th annual Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, MN. The annual conference provides a wide range of topics for everyone in the OCD community – adults and children with OCD, their families, treatment providers, and researchers.
Key research projects will be presented including the results of the first-ever genome study to determine the genetic cause of OCD, a foundation-led effort backed by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health.
“The OCD world is a community of doctors, researchers and patients all connected by the common goal of successfully living with and finding the cause for this incurable disorder,” said Jeff Szymanski, OCF executive director. “Along with support and treatment for patients and families, the conference will feature the most up to date research and professional development to improve OCD care across the nation.”
People with OCD and their loved ones have always been the primary focus of the Conference and this year’s program will feature over 100 presentations on nearly every aspect of OCD and its treatment, including perfectionism, scrupulosity, contamination, and intrusive thoughts. Also, because parents and families play such an important role in the treatment of OCD, this year’s schedule features a mini-program of presentations specifically designed for family members.
Evening programs also include more than ten support groups, as well as Jonathan Grayson’s annual OCF Virtual Camping Trip. This experiential workshop gives participants the chance to experience the exhilaration of conquering OCD fears in a group. This is an extremely popular workshop that has helped hundreds of people over the years – don’t miss it!
For the children and teens who attend, art and activity rooms will offer a variety of activities such as jewelry making, social games, and the creation of the Annual OCF Conference Mural. Adolescents (13 and older) and children (6-12) will have many chances to socialize and make friends who they can keep in touch with after the Conference.
There will also be several sessions for treatment providers, who can also benefit from the optional pre-conference Advanced Behavior Therapy Training Institute, featuring Dr. Michael Twohig. Dr. Twohig will cover Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which teaches individuals with OCD to step back from and make room for inner experiences such as obsessions and anxiety. Although Dr. Twohig’s Advanced Behavior Therapy Training Institute is for professionals only, user-friendly presentations on ACT will also be made available throughout the conference that will be designed for individuals with OCD and their families.
This year’s Keynote Address will feature Dr. Michael Jenike, Terry Murphy, and Edward Zine. This Keynote Address will detail Dr. Jenike’s work helping Ed Zine free himself from a trapped world of endless repetitions and rewinding, counting and checking rituals. Terry Murphy chronicles the years during which Dr. Jenike would meet with Zine in his basement and how they came together with Terry to write “Life in Rewind,” published April 2009, by HarperCollins.
At the Keynote Address, the OCF will honor Dr. Michael Jenike with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Jenike, Chairman of the OCF’s Scientific Advisory Board and member of the OCF Board of Directors, has been a longtime supporter of the OCF’s mission. Dr. Jenike’s leadership and commitment to the entire OCD community has directly improved the lives of thousands of people affected by OCD and their families.
To view the entire conference schedule and to register online, please visit www.ocfoundation.org.
