OCD & ERP: Beyond the Manual - Advanced Training for Clinicians
Event date: -
Event location: Online
Event Link: https://www.lotuscounsellingservices.ca/ocd-erp-training-for-clinicians
Event type: Recurring event
OCD & ERP: Beyond the Manual goes past the protocol to focus on case formulation and the subtle mechanisms that maintain OCD in both overt and covert presentations. This supervision-style training integrates contemporary inhibitory learning models of ERP, rumination-focused ERP, and psychodynamic formulation, giving clinicians a more comprehensive and flexible approach to complex OCD.
It is led by Elisha Schafer, Registered Psychotherapist (RP), Clinical Director of Lotus Counselling Services and Adjunct Professor with McMaster University's Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences.
Program overview
A live, fully virtual training delivered in a small-group supervision format to support applied learning, deliberate practice, and individualized feedback. Each week builds on the last, moving clinicians from conceptual understanding into confident clinical application.
| Length | 6 weeks, one session per week |
| Session length | 1.5 hours |
| Format | Live, virtual (online) |
| CE credits | 9 continuing education credits on completion |
| Group size | Limited to 10 clinicians per cohort |
| Cost | $299 CAD for the full program |
What each session includes
- Didactic instruction
- Live clinical demonstrations
- Experiential practice exercises
- Supervision-style coaching
- Structured case discussion
- Scripts, clinical tools, worksheets, and resources for immediate use
The six-week curriculum
- 01Understanding OCD Beyond the Diagnostic Criteria
- 02Optimizing Inhibitory Learning to Inform Exposures
- 03Understanding the Role of Core Fear
- 04Rumination-Focused ERP
- 05Incorporating Psychodynamics into ERP
- 06Complex & Nuanced OCD Presentations
Learning outcomes
By the end of the program, participants will be able to:
- Develop a deeper understanding of OCD beyond diagnostic criteria
- Accurately conceptualize both overt and covert compulsions
- Apply inhibitory learning principles to design more precise, effective exposures
- Identify and target rumination as a behavioural compulsion
- Strengthen clinical dialogue and psychoeducation
- Integrate psychodynamic formulation with ERP treatment planning
- Confidently treat complex, treatment-resistant OCD presentations
- Increase therapeutic alliance and treatment engagement
Who this training is for
Registered Psychotherapists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Counsellors, and Graduate Trainees working in private practice, community mental health, hospital-based services, or university and school-based mental health care. A foundational understanding of OCD and CBT is recommended but not required.
Cohort dates & times
Now Open · Cohort 4
Wednesdays, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (ET)
September 16 | September 23 | September 30 | October 7 | October 14 | October 21, 2026
All dates and times are in the Eastern (ET) timezone.
Certification & documentation
Participants receive a Certificate of Completion, 9 CE credits, and full access to all training materials and clinical tools.
Instructor
Elisha Schafer, MSc, RP
Clinical Director, Lotus Counselling Services · Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University
Register
Cohort 4 is open and capped at 10 clinicians. Reserve your spot through Lotus Counselling Services.
Questions? Email info@lotuscounsellingservices.ca or call (289) 895-8906.