Led by Dr. Rebecca R. Berry, this session will provide a comprehensive overview of the nature and course of Pure Obsessional OCD, and explore strategies for tailoring Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Exposure and Response Prevention methods to promote skill acquisition and generalization. Participants will also learn how to incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques, such as defusion, mindfulness, and values-based action, to help individuals with “Pure O” develop a new relationship with intrusive thoughts, improve uncertainty intolerance, and live a life aligned with their values.

Describe the nature and course of Pure Obsessional OCD and its unique challenges to diagnosis and treatment.

Apply tailored Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Exposure and Response Prevention methods to individuals with Pure Obsessional OCD.

Incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques, such as defusion, mindfulness, and values-based action, to help individuals develop healthier relationships with intrusive thoughts and improve uncertainty tolerance.

Pure Obsessional OCD, often referred to as “Pure O”, is characterized by unwanted, intrusive, and distressing cognitions focusing on specific themes, including safety and harm thoughts about self and others, worries about sexual preference or orientation, worries about relationship decisions, fears of doing something illegal or immoral, pedophilia, unwanted blasphemous thoughts and images, and over-concern for honesty or religious purity. Contrary to the name, compulsions are prevalent with “Pure O”, and often take the form of mental rituals (e.g., counting), mental rumination (replaying and reviewing events), thought suppression, self-reassurance, or seeking reassurance from others. The presence of obsessions without overt compulsions has been linked to poorer treatment response and greater functional impairment across various life domains relative to other OCD subtypes.

Rebecca Rialon Berry, PhD is a licensed psychologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of children and adults with anxiety disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OC-spectrum disorders, and tics. She is an adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and was previously a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She has over 15 years experience teaching and training future mental health providers and other care professionals in cognitive behavioral interventions to improve access to these treatment approaches for individuals with anxiety, OCD, and tics. Dr. Berry received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University in New York City, and graduated cum laude and with Highest Honors in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently sees clients in her private practice in Manhattan and Westchester, NY.