BLOGS: FOR THERAPISTS BY THERAPISTS

Explore clinical perspectives written by therapists for therapists. KDH Collective brings together articles on OCD and exposure and response prevention, trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming practice, counseling ethics, and working with LGBTQIA+ clients. Our contributors connect clinical experience with questions that arise in the therapy room, from differential diagnosis and treatment planning to the therapeutic relationship.

Choose an article below or browse by topic and author to find resources relevant to your practice. For structured continuing education, explore our OCD and ERP training, trauma training, and neurodivergence CEU series. Each course page provides its learning objectives, format, schedule, and continuing education details.

ERP

ERP ADAPTATION IMAGE

6 min read

When ERP Gets Stuck: Are We Adapting Treatment or Accommodating OCD?

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 16, 2026, 7:46:00 AM

There is a moment in complex OCD treatment that every ERP therapist eventually meets. The client understands the model. They can explain the OCD cycle beautifully. They know reassurance does not help long-term. They can name their compulsions, identify their triggers, and even agree that avoidance is shrinking their life.

Image of OCD and PTSD in one brain

4 min read

Navigating OCD and PTSD: Best Practices in Treatment

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 20, 2025, 10:41:31 AM

When Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) intersect, clinicians often find themselves navigating a clinical landscape that demands both precision and compassion. Both disorders are fear-based, yet they express themselves through different mechanisms: OCD through obsessional doubt and compulsive rituals,...

OCD brain image with dual diagnosis that affect ERP treatment

5 min read

Understanding Complex OCD Cases: Dual Diagnoses and Barriers

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 19, 2025, 4:28:38 PM

OCD is rarely straightforward. It doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and in many cases, it shows up tangled in a web of other diagnoses-each influencing, masking, or amplifying the core symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you've ever worked with clients who seem resistant to ERP treatment, who present with emotional dysregulation , cognitive...

Image of a storm and waves to metaphor with ERP

7 min read

Riding the Waves of ERP: When Therapy is the Storm

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: May 30, 2025, 9:01:05 AM

There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over the room when a client understands Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy and agrees to an exposure for the first time. It’s not the kind of quiet that soothes-it’s the kind that signals emotional risk. And in ERP, this kind of tension marks the start of change. Change, after all, is not...

Image of OCD and subtypes

6 min read

Understanding OCD Subtypes: A Guide for Therapists

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jan 26, 2025, 2:37:06 PM

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) presents in nuanced, multifaceted ways. Understanding OCD subtypes for therapists allows clinicians to conceptualize cases based on the specific nature of a client’s obsessions and compulsions (repetitive behaviors). While each individual’s experience is shaped by personal context, emotions, values, and...

venn diagram of OCD and anxiety disorders

7 min read

Is OCD an Anxiety Disorder? How to Tell the Difference

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Oct 8, 2024, 9:47:16 AM

For therapists, understanding what is OCD for therapists-including the nuanced distinctions between OCD and other anxiety disorders-is essential for accurate diagnosis, effective treatment planning, and reducing the prolonged delays many clients experience before receiving proper care. Diagnostic precision can significantly shorten the years...

OCD struggle image of a guy with lots of thoughts

6 min read

ERP Therapy: Addressing OCD Misdiagnosis and Treatment

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Feb 21, 2023, 8:51:52 AM

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent, unwanted obsessions and repetitive compulsions. For an obsessive compulsive therapist, understanding this cycle is central to accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), obsessions are intrusive and...