Dallas CBT was founded as a specialty clinic focused on OCD and related disorders.  Over the years, we’ve seen the need for and developed group options intended to augment individual therapy or serve as a maintenance treatment for those who have graduated from individual therapy.

 

Exposure Enhancement Group

An ACT-based skills group to enhance your experience in ERP and Exposure Therapy

Who is this for?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has grown in popularity as increasingly more research supports its effectiveness in treating a broad range of psychological disorders. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder has long been a specialized focus for our clinicians at Dallas CBT, and we’ve found that incorporating ACT-based skills can be especially helpful for those struggling with OCD.

Learn how to establish a powerful attitude and motivation for exposure therapy that will increase your commitment and boost outcomes of therapy. This group will help you develop strategies, including intentional behaviors, mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion, to successfully manage therapy and further your recovery.

Our Exposure Enhancement Group is a 6-week group based on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and covers each component of the ACT hex-a-flex (though some will be covered more than others!).

What can you expect?

  • Education: Learn about the six core processes in ACT and how they work together to improve psychological flexibility
  • Skills Practice: Consistent with the ACT and ERP models, we learn by doing
  • Experiential exercises:  We’ll focus heavily on experiencing the skills in session to gain a broad understanding of how each skill works and to tailor the skills to your individual needs
  • Structure: Our group consists of six weekly modules that we’ll repeat over the course of about 6 to 8 weeks.

Who leads the group?

Dr. Katie Sharp brings her wealth of experience in ACT, ERP, and OCD to this group.  Her interest in ACT goes all the way back to her graduate training, where she published a review on the efficacy of ACT in the treatment of anxiety disorders broadly.  More importantly, she’s been doing the hard and meaningful work of helping individual OCD clients towards recovery for the past 8 years.

How does this group help?

The general goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility, which is associated with positive mental health, but especially with less engagement in the rigid patterns of coping typical in OCD.  ACT achieves its goal of improving cognitive flexibility through increasing one’s ability to stay present and engage in difficult, but meaningful, behavioral changes all established through six core processes.

Research highlights the benefits of group therapy for OCD, particularly when ERP techniques are incorporated. Participants often find strength in shared experiences and accountability within the group.

 

OCD Support & Motivation Group

Who is this for?

We created this group to help OCD sufferers as they engage in ERP and help them move towards managing their symptoms on their own.  As such, membership in the group is reserved for people referred by trusted ERP providers within the community.

What can you expect?

  • Education: You’ll continue to learn about OCD, how it works, how others experience it, and how to break free from the cycle of obsessions and compulsions.
  • Skills for long-term management: Help keep your ERP tools sharp to maintain progress and navigate daily life with greater confidence.
  • Group support:  Share experiences and coping strategies with others who truly understand the challenges of OCD.
  • Accountability and Motivation: Group members regularly push each other to face their fears and engage in their values head-on.

Who leads the group?

Dr. Grant Holland has been specializing in treatments for OCD across the lifespan for over 10 years.  Though he is the nominal lead of the group, however, this driving force behind this group is the members who each bring a lifetime of experience to each session.

How does this group help?

Research highlights the benefits of group therapy for OCD, particularly when ERP techniques are incorporated. Participants often find strength in shared experiences and accountability within the group.