Organized Chaos - Volume 4
Back To School With E&RP In Your Backpack
by Lori Kasmen, Psy.D.
So, you have your new teachers, new classes, new books and supplies-a new school year has started … but, you have the same old OCD. This is a good time to talk about what to do when OCD hits at school. There are two things we should talk about, What to do ideally? How you can put this into action in real life.
Ok, ideally, the way to go when OCD hits at school is to follow through with exposure. If a germy kid touches you, don't wash your hands. If you're having obsessive thoughts; if you mess up on your schoolwork and you have perfectionism obsessions, hand in the messy copy. Easy to say, harder to do.
How can you put this plan into action? Step one is to plan ahead.
If you are working with a therapist on E&RP (Exposure & Response/Ritual Prevention Therapy), set goals in advance. Plan how you will address your OCD at school. You and your therapist should map out short-term and longer-term goals for E&RP. That way you can do E&RP at school, and that feels manageable to you. You and your therapist may agree on certain rituals that you can continue to do at school for the short term. As you go through E&RP, have a plan to gradually decrease them.
Your long term goal should provide a timeline for you to eliminate certain rituals.
Involving teachers and counselors and other school personnel is likely be an important part of managing your OCD at school. If your OCD goes to school with you and you do rituals there, your teachers and school administrators will need to know. They can then support you and know how to help you.
Lori Kasmen, Psy.D., is a psychologist treating OCD with CBT at the Anxiety and Agoraphobia Treatment Center in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
