4 Hours / 4 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Improving OCD Treatment: Basics and Beyond is presented by Kyle P. Jones, PhD, and Magdalene Holtam, PhD.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is the 4th most common mental illness. Patients who struggle with OCD can experience high functional impairment and poor quality of life. A specific form of CBT, called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, has been found to be an effective treatment for OCD. ERP methods coupled with powerful motivational tools can help OCD sufferers live a happier and more fulfilling life. You learn: how to assess OCD, how to explain OCD to your patients, tools to enhance motivation in your patients, and effective exposure methods for OCD. During this course, you have opportunities for practice via live role-plays. 

This program is intended for mental health professionals at any stage of their career who work in a clinical setting and provide psychotherapy. Clinicians could be in solo or group private practice, working with an agency, or delivering psychotherapy as a part of a larger health system.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the main features of OCD
  • 2 Describe two common obsessional themes in OCD
  • 3 Describe assessment and testing procedures for OCD
  • 4 Describe the use of a cost-benefit analysis to enhance motivation to work on OCD
  • 5 Describe an exposure hierarchy for a patient with OCD
  • 6 Describe the use of imaginal and in vivo exposure for the treatment of OCD

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health professionals who provide psychotherapy and specialize in anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It is relevant for clinicians who are dedicated to evidence-based treatment approaches for these conditions.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Clinical Social Worker
    • Licensed Professional Counselor
    • Marriage and Family Therapist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who provide psychotherapy in clinical settings.

    • Beginner: Clinicians new to OCD treatment or ERP, seeking foundational knowledge on OCD assessment, psychoeducation, and basic exposure techniques.

    • Intermediate: Clinicians with some experience treating OCD, looking to deepen their skills in motivational enhancement, exposure hierarchy development, and integrating ERP methods into practice.

    • Advanced: Clinicians with extensive experience in OCD treatment and ERP, aiming to refine advanced intervention strategies, supervise others, or address complex clinical presentations.

  • Practice Setting

    They practice in structured clinical environments delivering outpatient psychotherapy, where they assess OCD, provide psychoeducation, enhance motivation, and conduct ERP-based exposures. Work involves individual therapy (and occasional groups), documentation, and collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, offered in person or via telehealth.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Solo or group private practice
    • Community mental health agency
    • Outpatient anxiety/OCD specialty clinic
    • Hospital or health system behavioral health department
    • University or college counseling center
    • Integrated primary care/behavioral health clinic
    • Telehealth-only practice

Training Instructors:

Kyle P. Jones, PhD

Kyle P. Jones, PhD

Kyle P. Jones, PhD is a California native and first-generation college student who transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara after attending Orange Coast Community College. He earned his BA in Psychology with a minor in French Language from UCSB in 2011. He went on to attend Palo Alto University where he completed a PhD in clinical psychology in 2021. His research focused on the LGBTQ cultural competence of psychologists in private practice.

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Magdalene Holtam, PhD

Magdalene Holtam, PhD

Magdalene Holtam, PhD is a Licensed Psychologist in California that specializes in providing evidence based treatments, such as ERP and CBT, to individuals with OCD, anxiety, trauma, and other mood disorders. She has a special interest in working with women, ethnic minorities and LGBTQ clients. Additionally, she trains and supervises other clinicians in implementing ERP and other evidence based treatments for OCD.

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Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • What is OCD?

  • OCD Assessment

  • Providing Psychoeducation to Your Patients

  • Explanation of ERP for OCD

  • Involving Family in Treatment

  • Methods (Exposure and Response Prevention)

  • Building an Exposure hierarchy

  • Relapse Prevention

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.