Designing Effective Exposures for OCD
A two-day live clinical training in the craft of exposure design — generating effective, ethical, and creative exposures tailored to each client's OCD, across themes and presentations.
Limited to 25 participants · Payment plans available · Recordings included
The hardest part of ERP isn't the theory. It's the exposures.
You know exposure and response prevention works. But knowing the model doesn't hand you the exposure for the client in front of you — the one whose harm OCD looks nothing like your last client's harm OCD, or whose theme doesn't match anything in a workbook.
This two-day training is about the craft of exposure design: generating exposures that are effective (grounded in inhibitory learning and aimed at the core fear), ethical (collaborative, values-consistent, and never gratuitous), and creative (individualized to how this client's OCD actually shows up — across themes, and across the very different ways a single theme can present from one client to the next).
This training combines practical teaching with guided application. Throughout the two days, you'll work through clinical examples, reflect on case material, and have opportunities to apply the framework to exposure design. The training concludes with live case consultation, where we'll apply the full process to participant cases together.
You'll leave with a repeatable process for designing individualized exposures across a wide range of OCD presentations.
For clinicians doing exposure work.
This training is designed for mental health professionals who use — or want to use — ERP with OCD and anxiety disorders.
Build it right from the start
Day 1 covers the foundations — inhibitory learning, hierarchy design, and exposure selection — so you can deliver ERP with confidence from your very next session.
Expand your exposure repertoire
Day 2 goes deep on exposure design across themes — including the taboo, subtle, and hard-to-target presentations that are most challenging to design for.
By the end, you'll be able to…
Identify a client's core fear and the subtle compulsions maintaining their OCD.
Select from a full toolbox of exposure formats — in vivo, imaginal, interoceptive, written, media-based, technology-assisted, community, and more.
Apply a repeatable exposure design framework to build individualized exposures across a wide range of OCD presentations.
Construct hierarchies that target core fears with appropriate intensity and variation.
Adapt exposure design across OCD themes — including taboo, sexual, scrupulosity, relationship, existential, and somatic presentations.
Troubleshoot stalled ERP — hidden rituals, rumination, reassurance disguised as ERP, and ineffective hierarchies.
Day 1: the toolbox. Day 2: theme by theme.
Day 1 builds your exposure design toolbox and a repeatable formula. Day 2 applies it across major OCD themes and presentations — and closes with live case consultation. Each module includes guided application and discussion of real clinical cases. Click any block to see what's covered.
Four questions, almost any client.
The entire training is organized around the four questions every ERP therapist faces with every client:
1. What is driving this client's OCD?
Finding the core fear and identifying the subtle compulsions maintaining it.
2. What kinds of exposures could I use?
A full toolbox of exposure formats — far beyond in vivo and imaginal.
3. How do I build the right exposure for this person?
A repeatable design formula, applied across contamination, harm, checking, POCD, sexual OCD, scrupulosity, relationship, existential, somatic OCD, and more.
4. What do I do when I'm stuck?
Troubleshooting stalled ERP — hidden rituals, reassurance, rumination, and hierarchies that stopped working.
The training closes with live case consultation, applying the full framework to participant cases. And if you want deeper, ongoing support after the training, individual and group consultation with Erin is available separately — email her for details.
"The goal: you'll never again sit across from a client thinking, 'I have no idea what exposure to do next.'"
Everything you need to put it into practice.
2 half-day live sessions
Two interactive 3-hour training sessions held live via Zoom on consecutive days.
Session recordings
Both sessions are recorded and available for one year.
6 NBCC CE hours
Earn 6 continuing education hours from an NBCC-approved provider.
The Exposure Design Formula
A repeatable framework you'll take home and use with every client on your caseload.
Downloadable resources
Hierarchy-building worksheets, troubleshooting checklists, and handouts to use with clients.
Case-based learning
Clinical examples, guided application, and live case consultation designed to help you translate the concepts into practice.
OCD & Anxiety Center of Minnesota
A specialist in OCD and anxiety.
With a decade of clinical experience, Erin specializes in the assessment and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders using evidence-based approaches — including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT).
She has worked extensively with children, adolescents, and adults with OCD and anxiety-related disorders, and provides therapy, supervision, consultation, and professional training for clinicians.
"As someone who has personally experienced OCD, I'm passionate about improving access to accurate diagnosis and effective treatment — and helping clinicians feel more confident treating this often misunderstood condition."
6 NBCC continuing education hours.
OCD and Anxiety Center of Minnesota has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 8071. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. OCD and Anxiety Center of Minnesota is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
To receive continuing education credit, participants must complete all required course components — including attendance verification, post-tests, evaluations, and any additional requirements established by the provider.
Save your seat.
Your enrollment includes
- Two half-day live training sessions
- Session recordings for one year
- 6 NBCC continuing education hours
- Theme-by-theme exposure design teaching
- Live case consultation — the framework applied to real cases
- Downloadable worksheets & treatment resources
Can't make September 10–11? Join our email list to be the first to hear when the next cohort opens.
By registering for this training, you agree to the OCDMN Learning Center Terms & Conditions. Please review our Terms for information on refunds, cancellations, course access, and continuing education requirements.
