International OCD Foundation | Diversity Advisory Council

The mission of the IOCDF's Diversity Initiatives is to ensure that diverse, marginalized, and/or underrepresented populations are included in the OCD community at large. As a community, we seek to educate the public about diversity issues, increase community engagement, and facilitate access to care for diverse populations. We embrace all forms of diversity and provide a welcoming forum to exchange ideas and promote change.

Jenny C. Yip, PsyD, ABPP, Co-Chair
Executive Director, Renewed Freedom Center for Rapid Anxiety Relief, Los Angeles, CA
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
Stephanie Cogen, MPH, MSW, Co-Chair
International OCD Foundation
Elizabeth McIngvale, PhD, LCSW, Board Liaison
Board of Directors, International OCD Foundation
Founder, Peace of Mind Foundation

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Tania Pérez Duarte, MS
TocMéxico, Mexico City, Mexico
Chad T. Wetterneck, PhD
Rogers Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc, WI
Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair for Mental Health Disparities, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Founder and Clinical Director, Behavior Wellness Clinic, CT

MEMBERS

Valerie Andrews
Elk Grove, CA
Sage Bates, MS

PhD Candidate in Psychology

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Gregory S. Chasson, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Weilynn C. Chang, BS

PhD Student in Clinical Psychology

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Terence Ching, MSocSci
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Alberto Collazzoni, PhD
Registered Psychological Assistant, Renewed Freedom Center for Rapid Anxiety Relief, Los Angeles, CA
Jelani C. Daniel, MA, LPC

PsyD Candidate in Health Service Psychology

University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, TX
Jamilah R. George, MDiv
Yale University, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT
Martha J. Falkenstein, PhD
McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Nick Flower, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice, Pittsburgh, PA
Cindi Gayle, PhD, NCSP
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Magdalene P. Holtam, PhD

Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice, Mountain View, CA
Vinay Krishnan, JD
Brooklyn, NY
Katia Moritz, PhD, ABPP
Clinical Director, NeuroBehavioral Institute, Weston, FL
Sheeva Mostoufi, PhD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Washington, DC
Erin Nghe, LCSW
Atlanta, GA-area OCD therapist
OCD Set Free, LLC
Jessica Parlor, MA
PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology
California School of Professional Psychology - Los Angeles
Bethsy Plaisir, MPH
International OCD Foundation
Charlene Salvador
New York, NY
Laurah Pastel Shames, MSW
Rogers Behavioral Health, Miami, FL
Parisa Waisi, AMFT

Doctoral Student in Applied Clinical Psychology

Los Angeles, CA
Tawana Watson
Founder and President, My Sister's Keeper of Northeast Ohio, Cleveland, OH

Historical Timeline

The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) was founded in 1986.

Click on a year below to expand.

2007

Funded research study - "Cross-cultural Issues in Assessment and Identification of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the Public School Setting" (PI: Rene Staskal, PhD). This study found that non-White youth were less likely to access OCD treatment, and that when they did receive treatment, it was typically in a school setting. However, the study also found that school psychologists may be under-recognizing OCD, especially in non-White students.

2009

Funded research study - "African-Americans with OCD: Reducing Barriers to Diagnosis and Treatment" (PI: Monnica Williams, PhD). Through this study, Dr. Williams found that African Americans have been chronically under-represented in key OCD research used to develop and test new treatments and diagnostic tools. She finds that some of the commonly-used tools for diagnosing OCD (the SCID and the OCI-R) are not reliable in diagnosing OCD in African Americans. This result underscores the importance of recruiting a representative sample of ethnic and racial groups when conducting clinical research.

2010

Creation of Resource Directory, including option for clinicians to identify languages spoken in their practice.
Began translation initiative for “What you Need to Know about OCD” booklet – as of 2019, we offer a translated version of this booklet in 15 languages.
Partnership with Nefesh, the International Network of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals, to offer a Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) on an alternate schedule so Jewish Orthodox clinicians could attend without conflict with religious observances. This BTTI was run on a Sunday-Tuesday schedule as opposed to a Friday-Sunday schedule.

2012

Creation of “Spanish Program” at the Annual OCD Conference, consisting of 2 Spanish-language workshops and 1 support group.
Ran a second BTTI in partnership with Nefesh, the International Network of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals, so Jewish Orthodox clinicians could attend. This BTTI was again run on a Sunday-Tuesday schedule as opposed to a Friday-Sunday schedule.
Communications staff began a more mindful approach to the images selected for marketing materials (e.g. websites, brochures, advertisements, etc.), making a concerted effort to include people of color.

2013

2014

2015

2016

Initiation of “Working with Diversity” Scholarship for Annual OCD Conference – 2 of our scholarship slots became earmarked specifically for professionals and/or students/trainees with demonstrated commitment to working with diverse populations.
Transformation of former “Spanish Program” into “Bilingual Program,” further integrating content and resources for Spanish-speakers into the core of the Conference.
Incorporation of demographic questions re: race/ethnicity into Conference registration system, allowing us to begin collecting data on the racial/ethnic makeup of our OCD community.
Addition of “Diversity Statement” to Resource Directory, in which clinicians and clinics/programs can self-identify their race/ethnicity and/or any special training or experience they may have in working with diverse clients.

2017

Incorporation of demographic questions re: race/ethnicity into BTTI registration system, allowing us to begin collecting data on the racial/ethnic makeup of therapists in our OCD community.
Release of formal “Inclusivity Statement,” drafted by IOCDF board members and staff.
Creation of formal Diversity Advisory Council, consisting of Co-Chairs, Steering Committee, Members-at-Large, and a Board Liaison.
Creation of a Diversity Committee at the level of the Board of Directors. The Chair of this committee will become a member of the Diversity Advisory Council and act as a liaison between the two groups.
Launched “Effective Treatment for Everyone” video, with 21 languages represented.

2018

Creation and adoption of Strategic Plan for Diversity Initiatives.
More full integration of race/ethnicity data into Resource Directory, allowing prospective clients to filter by race/ethnicity in searching for a therapist.
Funded research study - "Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in African American Young Adults: The Roles of Racial Discrimination and Racial Identity" (PI: Henry Willis, MA). This study, currently underway at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, is investigating the role of racial discrimination in the intrusive thoughts experienced by African Americans with OCD. It will also examine whether African Americans who hold a sense of belonging and commitment to a larger group defined by their race – a racial identity – may be less likely to develop certain OCD symptoms.

2019

Creation of BTTI scholarship program to increase attendance by therapists of color, therapists who speak another language, and/or therapists who work with a significant portion of underserved patients. Offered 4-8 scholarship slots per BTTI.
Addition of Inclusion Plan for Women/Minorities for IOCDF Research Grant proposal system.
Attendance at first minority clinician-serving conference (National Association of Black Social Workers).
Addition of demographic questions to all membership forms, so we can start gathering data on member demographics.
First Spanish-language BTTI run in Mexico City, Mexico, training 22 Spanish-speaking therapists from Mexico and the US in OCD treatment best practices.

2020

Continuance of BTTI scholarship program to increase attendance by therapists of color, therapists who speak another language, and/or therapists who work with a significant portion of underserved patients. Offered 8 scholarship slots per BTTI.
Creation of research-based tip sheets for clinicians on working with specific minority populations who have OCD.
Translation of all COVID-19 resource pages into Spanish.
Development of a strategic partnership with the Universidad de San Francisco - Quito in Ecuador for the translation of all IOCDF web content into Spanish.
Creation of OCD in Diverse Populations Resource Center, with information and resources for people of color.
Town Hall series on a variety of diversity-related topics for Minority Mental Health Month throughout July.

Historical Timeline

More Resources

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