The Peace of Mind Foundation is proud to sponsor this years OCD Awareness week and have OCD Texas joining us as host for this exciting event which is partially taking place here in Houston. We appreciate your willingness to learn more about OCD and advocate along side with us! We look forward to meeting you soon!

Out of the Shadows: Personal Stories to End Stigma, located at: The Council on Recovery – Tuesday, October 11th from 5:00-8:00 p.m.
303 Jackson Hill St     
Houston, TX 77007
RSVP Here          Directions
Join us for a panel discussion with IOCDF spokespeople on the topic of breaking the stigma surrounding OCD. The discussion will present an intimate look into the lives of the IOCDF Spokespeople and their battle with a chronic mental illness, effective treatment, how to manage your illness and preventing future set-backs. The panel will be followed by two breakout sessions:

• Medication and Brain Stimulation Treatment for OCD: a presentation by Wayne Goodman, MD (Auditorium)
• Family members of a loved one with OCD: The do’s and do not’s: a presentation by Thröstur Björgvinsson, PhD, ABPP. (Room A115) Initially when a family member is diagnosed with OCD, it is followed by a variety of emotions. Family members may experience a sense of relief or feel even more confused. They may find themselves asking, “Now what?” For many a diagnosis of OCD is new and questions about how best to help a struggling family member are common. This presentation will focus on what research and clinical practice have taught us about the most effective ways to support a loved one with OCD. We will also discuss some common pitfalls for family members to avoid. Time will be allotted for family members to share their own personal concerns, success stories, and to ask questions. **Light hors d’oeuvres served.

Meet our professional guest speakers:

Elizabeth McIngvale, Ph.D, LMSW
Elizabeth McIngvale, Ph.D. is the founder of the Peace of Mind foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder also known as OCD. Elizabeth was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 12 and she underwent treatment which included both inpatient and outpatient therapy and continues to engage in outpatient therapy to this day to manage her OCD on a daily basis. Elizabeth has made it her life mission to make a difference in the lives of those living with a mental illness. Elizabeth and her family were once told her OCD was too severe to be treated but today she stands before you as someone who successfully manages her illness. She is a national spokesperson for the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation and is a licensed therapist in Texas. Elizabeth received her bachelors and masters in social work from Loyola University Chicago and her Ph.D. in social work at the University of Houston. Elizabeth proudly serves as an assistant professor at Baylor Universities Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. Elizabeth and her family founded the Peace of Mind Foundation; a non-profit dedicated to OCD. Elizabeth’s foundation runs the ocdchallenge.org which is a free interactive self-help website for obsessive compulsive disorder based on the principles of exposure with response prevention. Elizabeth is dedicated to giving a voice to the voiceless; being a social worker allows her to continue her work in the field and to stamp out the stigma of mental illness everyday.

Ethan S. Smith
Ethan currently lives in the Los Angeles area working as a successful writer/director/producer/author and OCD Advocate. Ethan was born with OCD and struggled the majority of his life until receiving life-changing treatment in 2010. Ethan was the keynote speaker at the 2014 annual OCD conference in Los Angeles and is a National Spokesperson for the International OCD Foundation.

Dr. Wayne Goodman
Dr. Goodman, specializes in the treatment of OCD, is the principal developer of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, the gold standard for assessing the disorder. He is the co-founder of the International OCD Foundation and also is recognized for his work on deep brain stimulation for intractable psychiatric disorders. (Pathak, 2016)

Thröstur Björgvinsson, PhD, ABPP
Houston OCD Program:
Dr. in the state of Texas with extensive experience in treating depression and anxiety disorders, particularly Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He developed and directed the nationally recognized Menninger Clinic OCD Treatment Program in its entire time of operation, from September of 2000 to December of 2008. He was initially assistant professor and then associate professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine while the Menninger OCD Treatment Program was in Houston.
McLean Hospital
Director, Behavioral Health Partial Hospital Program; Co-Director,Psychology Training  Harvard Medical School Title:  [Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry]