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ADAA Blog Post by Ashley Smith, PhD - Research shows that the more present we are, the happier we tend to be, even when the present moment isn’t pleasant or enjoyable. Rumination is a sneaky mental habit that zaps us of joy. This is where gratitude can be particularly helpful.

Experts Mona Potter, MD and Kathryn Boger, PhD, ABPP recently partnered with ADAA to host an insightful Q&A webinar addressing strategies for parenting children with anxiety and OCD. This blog to addresses the most common themes that emerged from the questions asked during the webinar.

Disastrous news gets delivered in a highly emotional way – often on purpose – and while having strong feelings for the victims of war, floods, earthquakes, mass shootings or horrific accidents is justified, we also have to be logical and in tune with our own emotional processes when interpreting the news.

As the holiday season approaches, many individuals find themselves grappling with challenging memories or experiences that may evoke intense emotions.

The processes driving worry will vary for every individual.  Chances are good that it will not be one or another, but a proprietary blend of several processes which shape each person’s presentation of worry.  Our job as clinicians is to explore these processes and work with our clients to curate a blend of interventions uniquely suited to their experience.

As an ADAA member you enjoy many great benefits. But did you know that joining ADAA also enhances your professional growth?

Thinking, and even overthinking, is normal but when it becomes a mental health disorder, known as hyperawareness OCD, the person feels completely distracted and out of control.

Limit the depth of exposure to details. People can consume news in limited ways. In other words, learn what’s happening, then stop there. Avoid the urge for disaster voyeurism. If you have heard the story, you might not need to search for the images or the videos; if you have seen them, there is no need to revisit them over and over.

It’s one thing to get an employee in the door. It’s another to retain them for the long-term.

Choosing a therapist can be an overwhelming decision: there are so many therapists out there, how can you be sure you are choosing someone who is the right fit for you?

Whether we hear the term from a client, another provider, or our own classification of someone’s symptoms, “compulsions” tend carry with them some level of assumption – that this might just be OCD.

It can be difficult to talk about suicide. It’s a taboo topic, fraught with discomfort. Couple that with some harmful misunderstandings and our tendency, as a society, to shy away from hard conversations, and it’s no wonder that you may struggle to find the right words.