Perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (pOCD): Diagnosis and treatment

Date: March 3 and 4, 2027

Time: 1 to 4 p.m. ET 

Facilitator:  Kristine Aanderson, R.Psyc, PMH-C, MA.

CE hours: 6

This training is suitable for: 

• Mental Health Professionals:  psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers
• Medical Professionals: nurses, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors
• Other:  Doulas, midwives, birth workers, pelvic floor therapists, any professionals that work with postpartum birthing persons

Client category: Professionals working with adult (18+) clients.

Trigger warning: Participating in our programming may evoke powerful feelings and can trigger participants who have experienced personal trauma.

Level of training: Introductory/Intermediate

Perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (pOCD): Diagnosis and treatment: This professional workshop, delivered over two half-days, offers a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for understanding and treating the often complex and hidden experience of perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (pOCD) with scary/intrusive thoughts.

Attendees will learn how to:

• Assess for pOCD with language that reduces stigma and encourages disclosure
• Differentiate high-risk from low-risk symptoms
• Engage in differential diagnosis when pOCD symptoms are present   
• Help clients understand their symptoms
• Work together with clients to co-create treatment plans

This workshop is designed for health professionals who work with perinatal populations to be able to successfully identify, differentiate, diagnose (if appropriate), and treat perinatal OCD, equipping professionals with the clarity, compassion, and confidence to work with this complex phenomenon.

Day One | Foundations of perinatal OCD: Identifying and diagnosing pOCD

This day will include the prevalence of pOCD, symptom profile, diagnostic criteria, and how to differentiate pOCD from postpartum psychosis, perinatal anxiety, and normal thoughts during this period. Participants will explore common themes, how the symptoms show up (and how the stigma often leads parents to suffer in silence), and the ongoing effects of world events and the pandemic on perinatal mental health. Participants will learn to assess using language that reduces stigma and helps to encourage disclosure, and to differentiate high-risk from lower-risk symptoms. 

Learning objectives:

• Identify symptoms of pOCD
• Differentiate symptoms from other perinatal mental health concerns
• Assess for pOCD using language that reduces stigma and encourages disclosure
• Distinguish high-risk from low-risk presentations to ensure the appropriate level of support is given while avoiding unnecessary or harmful interventions
• Explain pOCD to clients in ways that help them understand themselves in a non-judgmental way

Day Two | In-depth treatment of perinatal OCD

This day delves into the clinical decision-making and skills needed to treat pOCD effectively. Participants will explore the unique ways that treatment approaches such as psychoeducation, CBT, DBT, ACT, Inference-based CBT and other specialized approaches need to be modified for this population. Common pitfalls in the use of these tools will also be discussed. Treatment planning, including how to select, combine, and sequence the tools will also be addressed. Case conceptualizations and decision-making exercises will be used to help develop a more nuanced approach to the treatment of pOCD. 

Learning objectives:

• Understand how treatments for perinatal OCD are different than approaches for similar-seeming symptoms outside the perinatal period 
• Select, combine, and sequence treatment approaches based on the client’s pOCD presentation 
• Develop individualized case conceptualizations for evidence-based treatments for clients with pOCD 
• Demonstrate effective use of clinical strategies that reduce stigma, enhance the working relationship with perinatal clients, and help them address and work through intrusive thoughts and compulsive urges. 

Agenda:

Day One | Foundations of perinatal OCD: Identifying and diagnosing pOCD (3 hours)

•  Understanding perinatal OCD symptoms and differential diagnosis concepts 
• Learn how to identify pOCD symptoms and promote truthful disclosure in the diagnostic process
• Ten-minute break  
• Demonstrate/practice skills to engage in the differential diagnostic process for pOCD symptoms 

Day Two | In-depth treatment of perinatal OCD (3 hours)

• Understanding the complexities of treating perinatal OCD and how that affects choice and implementation of treatment approaches
• Discussion of the various treatment options for pOCD  
• Ten-minute break 
• Demonstrating/practicing skills to develop and implement treatment plans for pOCD 
• Complex case presentations 

Join Kristine Aanderson to strengthen your ability to recognize perinatal OCD, distinguish it from other perinatal mental health concerns, reduce stigma in assessment and develop individualized treatment plans that respond to clients' needs.

Audio/visual recording disclaimer: This live webinar will be recorded by the SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute for future resale as an on-demand learning offering. Registered participants in the live webinar will not receive access to the recording. Course materials include copyrighted material and other intellectual property with ownership rights attached to it. Participants may not copy, screenshot, record, duplicate, or share the materials or access to the materials with anyone who is not registered for the course. Participant video or audio recording of the session is strictly prohibited, except where a pre-approved accessibility accommodation has been arranged.

Please review the audio/visual consent form upon registration.