Quarterly Presentation

Ask The Experts:
A Panel of OCD Treatment Specialists

Drs. Rob Zambrano, Rachel Strohl, and Jordan Levy constitute our panel

Attendance to this event is free and open to the public, and is designed for both mental health professionals, as well as persons with OCD, their families, and anyone whose life is affected by OCD. It is an open panel where attendees are encouraged to come with questions which they can present to the panel.  Location and directions are below. 

 

Rob Zambrano, Psy. D, is Treasurer on the Board of Directors at OCD New Jersey, and also serves as our videographer. He is a New Jersey licensed psychologist and has been an associate at Stress and Anxiety Services of NJ in East Brunswick for over a decade. He has been certified in the treatment of OCD by the BTTI and BFRBs such as skin picking and compulsive hair pulling by the TLC Foudnation. Dr. Zambrano has developed a specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of Tourettes, anxiety disorders, and OCD Spectrum Disorders, and has also been trained in PTSD. He works with adults, adolescents, and children.

Rachel Strohl, Psy.D, is Secretary on the Board of Directors at OCD New Jersey, and is a New Jersey licensed psychologist. She has been an associate at Stress and Anxiety Services of NJ in East Brunswick for over a decade. She has been certified in the treatment of OCD by the BTTI and BFRBs such as skin picking and compulsive hair pulling by TLC. Dr. Strohl has developed a specialization in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders and OCD Spectrum Disorders, and works with adults, adolescents, and children.
Dr. Jordan Levy, Ph.D., is a board member of OCD New Jersey, and is a licensed psychologist practicing in Livingston, New Jersey and Manhattan.  He works primarily with adults, adolescents and children living with anxiety and OCD, including the Purely-Obsessional subtype.  Dr. Levy has previously established an innovative online OCD support group as well as a comprehensive intensive treatment program for individuals suffering with OCD.

On December 10, 2018, Drs. Zambrano, Strohl, and Levy presented as a panel of experts at the quarterly meeting of OCD New Jersey. The audience consisted of professionals in the field, as well as individuals or family members of those suffering from OCD symptoms.  Audience members asked a number of relevant and thought-provoking questions to the panel, which led to an informative and stimulating discussion.

The intimate setting allowed the audience members to ask pertinent questions related to OCD symptoms and treatment. For example, questions related to how parents can assist an adult child with OCD find effective therapy. It was recommended that they advise their son to find a therapist who provides CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), specifically ERP (exposure and response treatment) which is the gold standard for OCD. Questions were presented related to psychotropic medications in conjunction with therapy, as well as “third wave therapies” including mindfulness.

A discussion on support groups for OCD took place, including whether or not this type of treatment modality is effective. The panel explained that groups can be very useful to normalize symptoms, and offer support, but it is important to also be completing specific ERP-focused treatment in conjunction with support groups.  Attendees were interested in ways to find OCD groups, and the panelists directed them to the International OCD Foundation website (http://iocdf.org) as well as OCD New Jersey’s website (http://ocdnj.org).

Previous Quarterly Meetings

Gotlib: September 2018

Weg: June 2018

Flancbaum: March 2018

Ask the Experts: Dec 2017

Cohn: March 2016