« Blog

Micah Howe, an IOCDF Advocate, talks about his conference experience. Check out the full schedule and register for this weekend’s Online OCD Conference!

How many conferences have you attended?

I attended IOCDF conferences in Boston, Chicago, Austin, and presented at last year’s online conference. 

How does a virtual conference compare with an in-person one?

So this is interesting. I would say that hands-down the in-person event is better in terms of the ability to find camaraderie with everyone in the OCD community, but the virtual aspect is super convenient in the sense that the stress of travel and the costs of lodging are entirely avoided. 

For a rural audience especially, virtual programming certainly helps in the sense that it brings helpful information to everybody more easily. 

What would you say to someone who isn’t sure if they want to go this year?

I think this all depends on who that person is. If I’m talking to a sufferer or a parent, I think my reasoning for why they should attend would be different than if a clinician who wanted to learn more about how OCD is treated were on the fence about attending. The value of the conference truly is multi-faceted in this respect. 

Is there any programming you’re excited about for this year’s conference?

Personally, I usually don’t do a lot of pre-planning for the conference before I attend. I usually just assume that I’m going to benefit from the event and shortly before the conference or when I arrive I’ll look over the program and methodically plan out which sessions I’m going to, which sessions I’ll skip, when during the weekend I’ll be catching up with people I know from treatment if that will be factoring into my plans for the conference weekend, etc. 

As a sufferer, however, I can say that I am attending the conference in search of community and sessions that offer me very practical insight to help me maintain my recovery. 

Register now for this weekend’s Online OCD Conference!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *