Children and adolescents with OCD often experience “bad” thoughts that are violent or sexual in nature. These thoughts can be particularly embarrassing and difficult for them to disclose to others, including parents and therapists. Further, parents may feel uncomfortable discussing their children's obsessions. In this workshop, we will provide information about intrusive thoughts to help normalize these obsessions, discuss faulty beliefs that reinforce the suppression of “bad” thoughts and further the OCD cycle, and lead group activities and games focused on increasing participants' comfort in discussing these thoughts. Overall, this workshop will help participants to 1) gain a better understanding of intrusive thoughts, 2) challenge faulty beliefs, and 3) practice openly discussing intrusive thoughts in an effort to normalize them.
