This month’s lecture will be “Food & Eating Fears Related to OCD” with Katie Jeffrey, RDN and Lissette Cortes, PsyD.

There are various OCD themes that can impact an individual's relationship with food and eating, including contamination, harm, somatic/sensory, health, just right, morality, and disgust. Food fears manifest in obsessions and compulsions and avoidance reinforces the cycle of OCD. This presentation will review how identifying core fears around food and eating is an integral piece in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. The goals of ERP include increasing confidence in eating feared foods without compulsions, cultivating a peaceful relationship with food and body, and living according to personal values rather than OCD rules. A multidisciplinary approach, including collaboration with dietitians, medical providers, and psychiatrists is reviewed. This presentation also highlights the importance for providers to be sensitive to diet culture, anti-fat biases, and trauma-informed care when working with individuals struggling with food and eating fears. The value of self-compassion and acceptance and commitment therapy as complementary interventions will also be discussed.

To register and receive a Zoom link, please click here.