The OCD Texas Symposium will highlight OCD awareness in San Antonio during OCD Awareness Week, offering education for both the public and clinicians.
SAN ANTONIO — A major mental health event is coming to San Antonio during OCD Awareness Week, shining a spotlight on one of the nation’s most misunderstood – and undertreated – conditions.
The third annual OCD Texas Symposium will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Norris Conference Center. Registration closes Oct. 1 and includes free breakfast. Clinicians can earn continuing-education credits, and the public can connect with providers at an on-site mental-health resource fair featuring a dozen sponsors.
The cost is $25 for clinicians and $10 for the public. Details are at OCDTexas.org.
A widespread, often-missed disorder
The International OCD Foundation estimates 8.2 million U.S. adults – about the population of New York City – live with OCD, along with one in every 100 children. Yet many Texans wait more than a decade for proper treatment.
“A lot of people are suffering in silence,” said Andrea Alvarez, a licensed professional counselor, clinic owner and treasurer of the Texas OCD board. “They’re too afraid to share their thoughts out loud because of fear of judgment or being brushed off with, ‘Oh, I’m so OCD too!’”
Local roots, expanding resources
Alvarez opened AMA Behavioral Therapy in 2009 and began OCD specialty work in 2017 after realizing San Antonio had only three trained providers.
“I was born and raised in San Antonio, so as a mental health provider, that really got to me,” Alvarez said. “Since then, I’ve trained about 10 clinicians in San Antonio.”
Her clinic also launched the city’s first Intensive Outpatient Program solely for OCD, eliminating the need to travel to Houston or out of state for specialized care.
Education for all
The symposium offers two simultaneous tracks: one for the community – families and individuals living with OCD – and another for clinicians seeking advanced training.
“We actually have two tracks going on simultaneously,” Alvarez explained. “To help providers understand what OCD is, because it’s such a specialized education and certification for treatment that unfortunately people go under the radar even in front of a mental health professional if they don’t truly understand the ins and outs of OCD.”
Experts from across Texas will present on effective treatments, including exposure and response prevention, and help debunk misconceptions that OCD is simply about neatness.
“These obsessions are way different than the stigma of, ‘Oh, I’m so OCD. I have to have things neat,’” Alvarez said. “Adults may fear harming themselves or others, or struggle with intrusive thoughts attacking their religion or morality. Children often present with separation anxiety and constant reassurance-seeking.”
A panel of people living with OCD will share personal recovery stories to offer hope and show that “treatment works. We can get you there,” Alvarez said.
For registration and full event details, visit OCDTexas.org.