Bespoke Members
Introduction
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and often misunderstood mental health condition that affects children, young people, and adults. It is characterised by intrusive, distressing thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental acts (compulsions) that people feel driven to perform. Around 1–2% of the population experience OCD at any one time, and many more are affected indirectly through supporting a loved one. OCD can present in many forms — fears about harm, contamination worries, intrusive images or thoughts, or a sense that things are "not just right." Although OCD can be very distressing, effective treatments and support are available, and recovery is possible.
Content
This session offers a clear, accessible overview of OCD: what it is, how it shows up in everyday life, and what helps. Professor Roz Shafran will explain the core features of OCD in simple, understandable terms, share examples of how OCD can impact individuals and families, and outline effective, evidence-based approaches such as cognitive–behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention (ERP).
A representative from OCD-UK will speak about real-life experiences of living with OCD, common challenges in seeking help, and what good support looks like. The workshop will also cover practical ways people can help themselves or a family member — including reliable resources, how to talk about OCD, and when to seek professional care. The session is designed to be informative, compassionate, and highly relevant for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding and support those affected.
Learning Objectives
• Understand what OCD is, including clear explanations of obsessions, compulsions, and how common the condition is.
• Recognise the wide range of ways OCD can appear in everyday life through simple, relatable examples.
• Learn about evidence-based treatments and reliable support options available for individuals and families.
• Gain practical strategies to help yourself, a family member, or someone you support who may be struggling with OCD.
• Identify when and how to seek professional help, and what to expect from good-quality care.
Training Modalities
Didactic teaching, case examples, Q&A, self-reflection exercises, polls
Key References
OCD-UK | A national OCD charity, run by, and for people with lived experience of OCD
https://www.ocduk.org/
Callaghan, T., Greene, D., Shafran, R., Lunn, J., & Egan, S. J. (2024). The relationships between perfectionism and symptoms of depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 53(2), 121-132.
Millar, J. F., Coughtrey, A. E., Healy, A., Whittal, M., & Shafran, R. (2023). The current status of mental contamination in obsessive compulsive disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 80, 101745.
Shafran, R., Radomsky, A. S., Coughtrey, A. E., & Rachman, S. (2013). Advances in the cognitive behavioural treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 42(4), 265-274.
About the presenter
Professor Roz Shafran is a leading expert in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) whose work has won awards and significantly shaped how OCD is understood and treated in the UK and internationally. Her research has contributed to key cognitive–behavioural models of OCD, helping clinicians better understand intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and the maintaining mechanisms that keep OCD going. Roz has authored influential research papers, treatment manuals, and clinical resources, and has played a major role in developing national and international guidelines for evidence-based OCD treatment.
She has trained thousands of clinicians in delivering high-quality CBT for OCD and is known for her ability to make complex ideas accessible and practical. Roz’s work spans early intervention, child and adolescent OCD, digital and low-intensity innovations, and improving access to effective treatment across diverse settings. She is recognised for her warm, clear teaching style and for her commitment to improving the lives of people affected by OCD and their families.
OCD-UK Guest Speakers
Ashley Fulwood started struggling with OCD in childhood. He co-created the service user led charity OCD-UK in 2004 to provide a source of information, support and encouragement/hope for people with OCD and their loved ones. In 2022 he co-authored the book FAQs on OCD, written specifically for people with OCD. He defines recovery from OCD as being able to engage in daily life, without limitations caused by OCD.
Megan Fletcher has recently completed a Masters in Global Health, and her passion about ensuring everyone can access good quality treatment is one of the reasons she joined OCD-UK in January 2025 as our Lead Support and Volunteer Coordinator. She’s also experienced OCD first hand, which saw her struggling with OCD in her late teens, she’s also recently been diagnosed as autistic. Megan brings uses her own experiences to help advise and guide others when working with service-users to OCD-UK, her role at the charity is to listen, advise and signpost OCD sufferers and their family members to accessing OCD support and treatment.
Who should attend
Low Intensity clinical contact hours survey - BABCP Low Intensity Special Interest Group
Please click below if you are interested in contributing to the survey.
The BACP Low Intensity SIG are interested in the impact of clinical contact hours on Low Intensity/Wellbeing Practitioner wellbeing. This questionnaire contains six multi-choice questions and a free text box for you to share your experiences. The answers to these questions will help the BABCP SIG plan how to meet CPD topics and other developments within the SIG. The SIG hope to produce a write up of the answers to this questionnaire to be shared with SIG members and to be used in training.
This FREE conference is for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners working in Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression services and is brought to you by Bespoke Mental Health in collaboration with the NHS England Talking Therapies National PWP Leads Network