** NOTE - IN THIS EPISODE I say that inference-based CBT is not evidence-based. This is wrong. I meant it is not evidence-based in children yet (although that work is underway) but it is evidence-informed in children. It is approved by the IOCDF for adult populations and is a rigorous treatment that I like as an alternative to ERP**

Meet the brilliant Barb Shephard who advocates passionately for PANS in New York.

She is an empathic therapist with a deep understanding of OCD. Here she talks about Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD, working with PANS, and how her own experiences have shaped her as a therapist.

She says: "I often meet parents and they say, we don't see them doing any rituals. Their room is untidy...It's such a dangerous idea that we have of what OCD is. When you work with OCD and you see the mental compulsions and the emotional toll that that can take on people who have no idea that it's OCD."

She is also on the team with me at MIND Global Council - an international coalition of therapists working to improve psychotherapy outcomes in PP.

PS If you live near Niagra, and visit on PP Day - you will see it lit up green - that is Barb's work!

PANS/PANDAS Stories was co-created by Jo Joyner and Lucy McDonald. It is hosted by Lucy, a child and adolescent psychotherapist with a special interest in PANS/PANDAS. She sees children, teens and families in Harley Street, Kew and online.

Take her online PANS PANDAS course for parents. More info https://lucy-mcdonald.com.

This podcast does not replace medical advice.