Welcome, friend!

October 9th 1:00-3:00pm EST, conducted online via Zoom

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic, debilitating mental health disorder that can cause notable distress and impairments in important areas of functioning (Yan et. al., 2022; Rudrabhatla et. al., 2024). OCD is linked to significant disability worldwide, and related disorders (e.g., trichotillomania/hair-pulling, excoriation/skin-picking) often go underdiagnosed and undertreated (Singh, Anjankar, & Sapkale, 2023). The positive effects of cognitive-behavioral interventions, particularly exposure and response prevention (ERP), for OCD are among the most consistent research findings in the mental health literature (Abramowitz et al., 2018). Treatments such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a third-generation cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), have also been found to reduce OCD symptoms and improve functioning among those managing OCD symptoms (Soondrum et al., 2022). Nonetheless, many individuals experience residual symptoms, and others never receive adequate treatment due to identifiable barriers to access to care (Abramowitz et al., 2018). This course offers an in-depth look into the conceptualization, assessment, and diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Participants will gain a deeper understanding in how to: 1) conceptualize OCD based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria; 2) assess OCD using formal assessment and clinical interviewing; and 3) identify evidence-based treatments use to reduce OCD symptoms and improve functioning. Psychopharmacological interventions will also be explored, and case examples will be provided to further support participant’s understanding of how to diagnose and conceptualize the treatment of OCD.

This is an advanced level training, we recommend taking our beginner level training, Understanding OCD if you have never received training on OCD prior. Use code: BUNDLE10 for a 10% discount.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the diagnostic criteria needed to anchor an OCD diagnosis from a culturally informed lens

• Identify formal assessments and clinical interviewing skills used in the assessment and diagnosis of OCD

• Identify evidence-based treatments for OCD

Cultivating Healers seeks to provide educational and engaging CEUs with liberatory information, pop-quizzes, and case studies to ensure your learning.

This training is eligible for 2 Continuing Education Credits for NBCC Counselors & NY LMHCs, LCSWs, LMSWs, LMFTs, LCATs, and Art Therapists. Cultivating Healers is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

Sept 11th 1:00-3:00pm EST, conducted online via Zoom

This training centers a reality that continues to be overlooked: Black autistic adults, particularly those diagnosed later in life, are not simply missed; they are consistently misinterpreted, dismissed, and harmed within both educational and mental health systems. Research indicates that up to 79% of autistic adults meet criteria for at least one co-occurring psychiatric condition (Lever & Geurts, 2016). This statistic points to something deeper than individual pathology and highlights the cumulative impact of chronic stress, systemic neglect, racial bias, and limited access to effective, culturally responsive mental health care. These factors shape not only diagnosis, but long-term well-being. We will examine how educational trauma, racial bias, and systemic neglect intersect to shape the lived experiences of Black autistic individuals whose needs were minimized, mislabeled, or completely ignored in childhood.

From being disciplined instead of supported, to having parental concerns dismissed, participants will explore how these patterns contribute to misdiagnosis, chronic invalidation, and delayed access to care. This training will also provide guidance on how to identify and support Autistic adults who have masked and continue to mask in spaces not built for them. A qualitative study of autistic adults found that prolonged masking was “damaging for mental health” and linked to feelings of not belonging and increased suicidality (Bradley et al., 2021). Additionally, we will explore the impacts of social camouflaging (e.g., behaviors Autistic persons adopt in order to fit in like forced eye contact). Social camouflaging has been found to have many positive and negative consequences for autistic adults (Summerill & Summers, 2025).

This workshop centers the psychological cost of survival and how we can help Black Autistic Adults move forward and heal, specifically: The burden of masking (camouflaging) and its long-term impact The grief that comes with late diagnosis and lost identity development The harm caused by non-adapted therapeutic approaches like traditional CBT and what it actually looks like to provide neuroaffirming, culturally competent support for Autistic Adults.

Participants will walk away with:

• A deeper understanding of racialized educational, healthcare, and wellness trauma

• A framework for recognizing masking and supporting safe unmasking

• Tools to adapt therapy beyond traditional CBT Strategies for processing grief in late-diagnosed clients

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze and define educational and systemic trauma, with attention to mental health care disparities, and their long-term effects on academic performance, occupational opportunities, and quality of life.

• Examine systemic biases and racial disparities, including how implicit bias and racial stereotypes contribute to the misdiagnosis and underidentification of Black autistic individuals when they seek mental health support.

• Recognize and assess masking and camouflaging behaviors in Black autistic individuals, including how these strategies develop as responses to systemic pressure, bias, and the need for safety.

• Critically examine how traditional treatment approaches, including standard CBT, can unintentionally reinforce masking, invalidate lived experiences, and contribute to harm when not adapted to be neuroaffirming and culturally responsive.

Cultivating Healers seeks to provide educational and engaging CEUs with liberatory information, pop-quizzes, and case studies to ensure your learning.

This training is eligible for 2 Continuing Education Credits for NBCC Counselors & NY LMHCs, LCSWs, LMSWs, LMFTs, LCATs, and Art Therapists. Cultivating Healers is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.