Daring to Challenge OCD: Overcome Your Fear of Treatment & Take Control of Your Life Using Exposure and Response Prevention. By Joan Davidson. Foreword by Jeff Bell. 2014. New Harbinger Publications.
Clients with OCD know how debilitating their condition can be but may feel reluctant to start treatment due to fears and misconceptions regarding therapy— particularly exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. ERP is a proven-effective treatment that can help people with OCD break free from the constraints of their disorder; however, starting treatment can feel frightening. Many people wonder what treatment will be like and how they will ever face some of their worst fears. They want to hear from others who have successfully completed therapy. In Daring to Challenge OCD, anxiety specialist Joan Davidson, PhD, gives a thorough overview of ERP, what to expect during treatment, and offers gentle guidance to help clients finally overcome the common fears and obstacles that can stand in the way of getting the help they need. Three clients with different OCD symptoms share their personal stories and insights about OCD and treatment. This book will demystify treatment for OCD so clients can face their fears and start changing their life.
If you are a therapist helping clients build motivation to engage in ERP, this book offers real treatment stories and exercises for clients, making it an invaluable resource for therapists and wonderful suggested reading for clients building motivation to commit to treatment.
If you are a therapist interested in learning about ERP for OCD, this book provides an excellent starting point. You will gain an understanding of the mechanisms underlying OCD, learn strategies to help clients determine if treatment is worth it for them, understand what to consider when setting up successful ERP practices, and develop ideas for helping clients overcome obstacles they may face during treatment. Through treatment stories of real patients, therapists are given the unique opportunity to learn about what transpires in therapy offices of clinicians who successfully guide their patients toward recovery.
“Practical and matter-of-fact, yet simultaneously deep and compassionate, Daring to Challenge OCD is made-to-order for anyone plagued by obsessions and compulsions, including family members and loved ones. Loaded with wisdom, science, and clear case examples, it authoritatively documents what OCD is and how to treat it. To my mind, this is the go-to book on the topic across the entire field. Run, don’t walk, to get this book and read it!”
—Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD., professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and vice-chair of psychology in the department of psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco,