In the season finale of Season 1, we're joined once again by clinical psychologist Andrea Wallace for a powerful discussion on the role of self-compassion in healing shame, especially for people living with OCD.

Andrea breaks down why shame and OCD so often go hand in hand, and how cultivating self-kindness can be a transformative part of the recovery process. We also explore:

Yes, we have the same psychologist, and to us, she is an OCD wizard. In this special two-part episode, Dr Andrea Wallace shares some of her wisdom around what it REALLY feels like to have OCD, busts some common OCD myths and talks a bit about her own imposter syndrome (apparently even the wizards gets it). 

This week Penny and Angie are joined by pediatrican Dr Annie Moulden and clinical psychologist Lauren Wetheimer. They dive into topics including who can diagnose a child with OCD and how this process unfolds, how and why parents play such a big and important role in OCD recovery, the advantages of early diagnosis and the role of medication. 

Finding a psychologist in Australia:

OCD Bounce Directory 

Seeing a provisional psychologist:

UTS

Bond university

Swinburne University 

Online therapy options:

OCD? Not Me!

Books about OCD in kids for adults:

Talking Back to OCD by John S. March 

Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD by Eli R. Lebowitz

Books about OCD for kids:

Nobody’s Perfect by Ellen Burns 

What to do when your brain gets stuck by Dawn Huebner

Hugh Van Cuylenburg has lived and loved someone with OCD for over 10 years. And that person happens to be co-host Penny Moodie. Penny and Angie talk to Hugh about why he thinks he’s still not great at always knowing what to do, why humour helps and why sometimes your instincts to help can fuel the OCD. They end the episode by offering their top tips on how to support someone you love who has this complex disorder.

Our top 6 tips:

1. Learn as much as you can about OCD

2. Practice patience

3. Try to foster a loving and non-judgemental environment

4. Expect relapses 

5. Try to see your loved one's psychologist together

6. Try to plan ahead and agree what you will do together when the OCD flares up

The Man Who Couldn't Stop by David Adam 

Othership app

Penny and Angie speak to Clinical Psychologist and Director of Melbourne Psychology and Counselling, Dr Claire Ahern about the often-bumpy road to getting an OCD diagnosis. They also pick Claire's brain about what to look for in a therapist, the question to ask someone who you suspect might have OCD and the differences between anxiety and OCD. 

OCD Bounce 

Mental Health Online

MindSpot

This Way Up 

OCD? Not Me!

Claire Ahern's Website: OCD Online 

In the very first ACTUAL episode Penny and Angie introduce themselves and talk about their own personal experiences with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the light and the dark sides of this disorder and what's coming up on this first season of It's Not What You Think. 

OCD, it’s really not what you think. This is a podcast about the horrors and hilarities of living with OCD, hosted by author and mental health advocate Penny Moodie and CEO of Stand Up Events, Angie Greene.