This is the final part of our two-part chat with Dr Bianca Mastromanno. In the last episode, Bianca discussed how she works with parents to process their childhood experiences and help them navigate parenthood themselves.

In this episode, Bianca opens up about her personal experiences with parenting anxiety, digs into the challenges faced by parents with OCD, the impact of OCD on early parenthood, and how clinicians can support parents during the vulnerable early days of new parenthood.

 

Resources and links:

• ‘Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts’ by Karen Kleiman
• ‘Matrescence’ by Lucy Jones
• ‘The Magic Years” by Selma H. Fraiberg
• Dr Bianca Mastromanno’s website
• Dr Bianca Mastromanno on Instagram
• Dr Bianca Mastromanno on LinkedIn
• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group
• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec
• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/
• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Dr Bianca Mastromanno is a Clinical Psychologist who works extensively in the perinatal space. Bianca uses a trauma-informed, evidence-based approach to support parents and children living with mental health concerns.

In this episode, Bianca explains how she works with parents with OCD or other mental health challenges to explore and process their own childhood experiences to help them navigate the emotional challenges of parenthood. She also reflects on what she’s learnt from the parents she works with and from her own experiences as a parent.

This episode is part one of our two-part chat with Bianca. Keep an eye out for part two, where Bianca digs into how to better support parents with OCD through their pre and post-natal periods.

 

Resources and links:

• Dr Bianca Mastromanno’s website
• Dr Bianca Mastromanno on Instagram
• Dr Bianca Mastromanno on LinkedIn
• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group
• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec
• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/
• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

This is the final part of our two-part chat with Lindsay and Emily Stetzer. In the last episode, Lindsay and Emily opened up about their early experiences with OCD and how their lived experiences led them to create Presently Bracelets.

In this episode, Lindsay and Emily discuss the household dynamics of living in a family with OCD, the significance of non-accommodating support, and the role of exposure therapy, self-awareness, and trust in the recovery process.

 

Resources and links:

• Presently Bracelets website
• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group
• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec
• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/
• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Lindsay and Emily Stetzer are sisters living with OCD and the Founders of Presently Bracelets. Presently Bracelets offer a range of bracelets to help you navigate intrusive thoughts and embrace the present moment. 

In this episode, Lindsay and Emily share their individual experiences with OCD and treatment, what helps them between sessions, and what they think therapists need to know from the perspective of someone with OCD. They also share how the phrase “my thoughts are passing clouds” led to the creation of Presently.

 

Resources and links:

• Presently Bracelets website
• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group
• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec
• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/
• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

This is the final part of our two-part chat with Chrissie Hodges. In the last episode, Chrissie shared her early experiences with OCD before embracing the challenges of OCD peer support and advocacy work.

In this episode, Chrissie reflects on her experiences with OCD treatments and what clinicians can and should be doing better. She also emphasises the importance of acknowledging the impacts of different OCD themes on the individual and how some themes might result in more trauma and stigma than others.

 

Resources and links:

• Chrissie Hodges’ website
• Chrissie Hodges on YouTube
• Chrissie Hodges on Instagram
• OCD Gamechangers website
• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group
• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec
• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/
• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Chrissie Hodges is an OCD Advocate, Peer Support Specialist, and Author of ‘Pure OCD: The Invisible Side of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder’. For over a decade, Chrissie has worked closely with individuals living with OCD, as well as providing training to government agencies to enable them to better support people with OCD.

In this episode, Chrissie shares her powerful personal journey with OCD starting from age eight, describes how religious scrupulosity and emetophobia shaped her early experiences and opens up about her path from struggling in silence to becoming a prominent voice in the OCD community through peer support and advocacy work.

 

Resources and links:

• Chrissie Hodges’ website
• Chrissie Hodges on YouTube
• Chrissie Hodges on Instagram
• OCD Gamechangers website
• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group
• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec
• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/
• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Is tough love the right approach for people struggling with hoarding disorders, or is there another way?

In this episode, we explain how to recognise hoarding disorder and how it differs from having a collection or even hoarding-themed OCD. We explore how to navigate the intense shame experienced by people with a hoarding disorder or hoarding-themed OCD and how to sensitively and responsibly provide intervention.

 

Resources and links:

• Celin discussing hoarding on The Conversation Hour on ABC Radio

• Melbourne Wellbeing Group enquiry page

• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group

• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec

• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/

• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

 

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

This is the final part of our two-part chat with Emily Crawford. In the last episode, Emily highlighted the importance of building supportive networks for mothers and the challenges mothers experience before and after birth.

In this episode, Emily discusses how to support mothers with mental health difficulties throughout pregnancy and after birth and how to provide interventions to mothers who are struggling.

 

Resources and links:

• Nest Psychology website

• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group

• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec

• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/

• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Returning guest Emily Crawford is the Principal Psychologist at Nest Psychology and has more than 20 years of experience as an Educational and Developmental Psychologist supporting adults, children, adolescents, and their families with various mental health issues (including OCD). She is also a 'Tuning in to Kids' facilitator and a mother of four.

In this episode, Emily discusses the postnatal period for mothers and opens up about her experiences after childbirth. She explores the challenges mothers encounter before and after birth and the importance of supporting mothers and building communities so mothers can care for their babies.

This episode is part one of our two-part chat with Emily. Keep an eye out for part two, where Emily shares how to help mothers experiencing mental health difficulties in the prenatal and postnatal periods.

 

Resources and links:

• Nest Psychology website

• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group

• OCD training workshops by Dr Celin Gelgec

• OCD focused supervision for healthcare professionals with Dr Celin Gelgec

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/

• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

 

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

We’re continuing our discussion about ambivalence. Ambivalence is when a client feels conflicted about treatment, either consciously or subconsciously, and can throw up stopping blocks in treatment. In the last episode, we looked at how to spot ambivalence and tackle it when you see it.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of motivational interviewing in exploring patient emotions and understanding how OCD plays into a patient’s identity. We also examine the role of patience and adaptability in treatment and how critical it is to address ambivalence through commitment, creativity, and curiosity.

 

Resources and links:

• Million Steps for OCD Awareness Walk information

• Webinars, books, and training by Melbourne Wellbeing Group

 

Connect:

• https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au/

• http://www.drcelingelgec.com.au/

 

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.