On average, it can take an individual with OCD up to 17 years from the onset of symptoms to receive a proper diagnosis and begin receiving effective treatment. The IOCDF is committed to changing that statistic.
In 1995 we launched our flagship training opportunity for professionals; our Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). In response to professionals asking for more opportunities to advance their skills, the IOCDF Training Institute has been created to offer a more comprehensive curriculum of professional training opportunities. These training offerings address a variety of specialties and issues pertaining to the OCD and related disorders community, while also providing continuing education credits to qualified professionals.
The Training Institute curriculum is formatted in the style of higher education course catalogs, ranging from the 100-level basic trainings and to the 400-level advanced trainings (BTTI is now 200-level). A brief description of each level and their associated course offerings can be found below.
Unsure which training is right for you?
Take the Clinician Self-Assessment to help figure out which level of the IOCDF Training Institute best fits your current level of knowledge and experience. The Clinician Self-Assessment will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
Apply to be a Training Institute Faculty Member
The IOCDF is now accepting applications for new faculty members to teach in its Training Institute programs, including the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), Online Consultation Groups, and the IOCDF Webinars.
Applicants should have a minimum of 7 years experience of at least half time treating individuals with OCD and/or related disorders in order to qualify. Applicants will be asked to submit information on various trainings they have taken on OCD and/or related disorders, as well as presentations and trainings they have given on these topics.
Applications will be reviewed by the IOCDF Training Institute Committee on a yearly basis.
Accepted faculty will receive honoraria for their participation in these programs.
100-Level (Introductory)
The IOCDF's On-Demand Webinar Series is a catalog of ready-to-watch video lectures for professionals and trainees who work with patients with OCD and related disorders as well as those who would like to learn to do so. This collection of CE-eligible courses aims to increase treatment knowledge in an easy-to-use and accessible format and offer continuing education (CE) credit to select disciplines.
NEW! The IOCDF is proud to launch its new learning management system (LSM) offering an enhanced user experience to our community of professionals. Access the IOCDF's On-Demand Webinar Series platform, powered by Docebo.
The IOCDF's webinar catalogue includes over 30 on-demand video lectures for professionals and student/trainees around the world who work with patients with OCD and related disorders — or who would like to learn to do so. This collection of video lectures aims to increase treatment knowledge in an easy-to-use and accessible format. Examples of 100-level webinars:
- Pharmacotherapy of OCD
- Hoarding 101
- Treating OCD in Culturally & Ethnically Diverse Populations
- Pregnancy and Postpartum OCD
- Treating Patients with Sexual Obsessions in OCD
- Applications of Inhibitory Learning in the Treatment of OCD
Learn more about on-demand webinars.
200-Level (Foundational)
Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) Courses: These courses are for independently licensed clinicians who are familiar with OCD, but may be new to treating it following best practices. These courses seek to train clinicians in Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD, as well as how treatment may vary for OCD-related disorders.
- General Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI)
- Pediatric Behavior Therapy Training Institute (Pediatric BTTI)
- BTTI for Treating OCD in Communities of Color (BIPOC BTTI)
- BTTI Virtual en Español (Spanish-Language BTTI)
Click here for more information on the BTTI and to get added to the BTTI Interest List.
300-Level (Integrative)
The Integrative level of courses are for clinicians who are comfortable with diagnosing OCD and implementing ERP with their clients, but who may benefit from guidance around their severe, resistant, and/or ambivalent cases. This level focuses on helping clinicians to synthesize their previous learning with their current practice via group consultation sessions with the world’s leading experts on OCD and related disorders.
300-Level course offerings include:
- 301 – Online Consultation Groups
Click here for more information on the online consultation groups and the registration process.
400-Level (Advanced)
The Advanced level of courses are for seasoned clinicians who are very competent with working with clients with OCD. Clinicians should have several years of experience in implementing ERP, and should feel comfortable working with complex cases. PLEASE NOTE: These courses are only open to those who have previously attended the 200-level general and/or Pediatric BTTI or similair level of intensive training.
400-Level course offerings include:
- Advanced Training Forums (formerly known as “BTTI-2’s”).
- Examples from previous years' topics include:
- 401 – Treatment engagement, ambivalence, and resistance in OCD (2015)
- 402 – Working with OCD-related disorders and co-occurring conditions (2017)
- 403 – Promoting Treatment Engagement in OCD-Related Disorders (2018)
- 404 –Flexibility Within Fidelity: Adapting Evidence-Based OCD Treatments to Client Factors (2024)
On-Demand Webinars:
The IOCDF's On-Demand Webinar Series is a catalog of ready-to-watch video lectures for professionals and trainees who work with patients with OCD and related disorders as well as those who would like to learn to do so. This collection of CE-eligible courses aims to increase treatment knowledge in an easy-to-use and accessible format and offer continuing education (CE) credit to select disciplines.
Example of 400-level webinars:
- OCD and Substance Use Disorders: Concurrent Treatment
- Integrating ERP and ACT
- Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms in Schizophrenia
- OCD and Co-occurring Anxiety Disorders: Conceptualization and Treatment
- Ten Things That Every OCD Therapist Should Know About Tic Disorders
- ComB Treatment of BFRBs
- Treating Patients Diagnosed with OCD and PTSD
- Treating Patients Diagnosed With OCD And Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder for Cosmetic Surgeons, Dermatologists, and Other Medical Professionals: Overview and Suggested Approach.
- Treating Patients Diagnosed with OCD and Personality Disorder
- Treating Patients Diagnosed with OCD and Eating Disorders
- The Treatment of Co-occurring OCD and Depression
Learn more about the on-demand webinars.
Unsure which training is right for you?
Take the Clinician Self-Assessment to help figure out which level of the IOCDF Training Institute best fits your current level of knowledge and experience. The Clinician Self-Assessment will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
Apply to Become a IOCDF Training Institute Faculty
The IOCDF is now accepting applications for new faculty members to teach in its Training Institute programs, including the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), Online Consultation Groups, and the IOCDF Webinars.
Applicants should have a minimum of 7 years experience of at least half time treating individuals with OCD and/or related disorders in order to qualify. Applicants will be asked to submit information on various trainings they have taken on OCD and/or related disorders, as well as presentations and trainings they have given on these topics.
Applications will be reviewed by the IOCDF Training Institute Committee on a quarterly basis and applicants can expect to receive a response within 3-6 months. Accepted faculty will receive honoraria for their participation in these programs.