Throughout the year, OCD Connecticut hosts a handful of lecture series on various topics for the OCD and related disorders community in the area.
SPECIAL ZOOM EVENT – THE INTERSECTION OF OCD AND EATING DISORDERS OR FOOD FEARS/EATING CHALLENGES RELATED TO OCD
As part of our Lecture Series, we are honored to host a virtual Zoom event featuring a presentation by Katie Jeffrey, MS, RDN, CSSD, MB-EAT-QI, LDN, and Lissette Cortes, Psy.D. CEDS, on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 7:00pm.
Ms. Jeffrey and Dr. Cortes will be discussing the topic of OCD and eating disorders or food fears/eating challenges related to OCD.
Katie Jeffrey is a registered dietitian nutritionist licensed in CT, FL, NC and RI. She works with adolescents and adults and specializes in eating disorders, co-existing food fears and anxiety related to OCD, and in performance nutrition. She is passionate about working with athletes. She incorporates mindful and intuitive eating practices, and she draws from therapy techniques as they relate to nutrition, including ACT, trauma-informed care, and ERP.
Dr. Lissette Cortes is a licensed psychologist, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and PsyPact® provider able to treat individuals in all PSYPACT® states. She treats adolescents and adults. She specializes in the treatment of co-morbid OCD and Eating Disorders. She also treats anxiety disorders, BDD, BFRBs, tics, and Tourette‘s. Dr. Cortes is trained in CBIT for the treatment for Tourette’s and in SPACE for parenting interventions. She practices from a CBT approach using ERP and implementing ACT principles.
Katie and Lissette are the co-authors of the workbook, “The OCD Workbook for Food and Eating Fears: Overcome Obsessive Thoughts and Compulsions Using an Integrative CBT and Intuitive Eating Approach,” which will be published by New Harbinger in Spring 2026.
Their website is compassionateinst.com.
Katie’s website is katiejeffreyllc.com.
To register for this event, go to https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/otT29kRu
SPECIAL ZOOM EVENT – A PRESENTATION ABOUT INFERENCE-BASED CBT FOR OCD
As part of our Lecture Series, we were honored to host a virtual Zoom event featuring a presentation by Katie Marrotte, MSW, LCSW, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 7:30 pm.
Katie, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in the treatment of OCD, discussed the topic of Inference-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD. Inference-based CBT (I-CBT) is an evidence-based treatment of choice for OCD. I-CBT is an upstream modality that targets the obsessional doubt of the OCD cycle. When the obsessional doubt is resolved, then the anxiety and compulsive aspects of OCD do not take place.
Katie is a local therapist and OCD trainer with lived experience. She believes that those suffering from OCD deserve more evidence-based treatment options than just Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
She has a Master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in Health and Mental Health from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. Social work focuses not just on pathology, but also examines human development through a lens of policy, social justice, and social welfare, providing a more comprehensive view of factors affecting people on a broader scale. This background in social justice contributes to Katie’s passion for pursuing a more robust set of skills for treating OCD, as well as advocating for multifaceted treatment approaches and competency for OCD specialists.
Katie also runs a private practice (katiemarrotte.com) offering Inference-Based CBT and Exposure Response Prevention for OCD. She believes that the most effective approach for treating OCD should be evidence-based, multifaceted, and, most importantly, informed by the client’s needs.
Katie is also a co-founder of the OCD Training School, a group that offers training for treating OCD and related disorders.
This event has been recorded. Links to the recordings are below:
SPECIAL ZOOM EVENT – A PRESENTATION BY REID WILSON, PH.D.
As part of our Lecture Series, we were honored to host a virtual Zoom event featuring a presentation by Reid Wilson, Ph.D., on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 7:30 pm. The topic of discussion was How to Do Self-Help: Metacognitive Strategies and Tactics.
Dr. Wilson has spent his entire 30-year career in the field of self-help for anxiety disorders and OCD. He is Director of the Anxiety Disorders Treatment Center and is an international expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders, with books translated into nine languages.
In the presentation, Dr. Wilson discussed his book Stop Obsessing!: How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions and talked about the treatment principles behind OCD and the 6-Moment Game: Strategies & Tactics, a self-paced online course designed to help you take down OCD.
Dr. Wilson, a highly acclaimed author, has written and co-authored several influential books, including Stopping the Noise in Your Head, Don’t Panic, and Stop Obsessing! Dr. Wilson also co-authored Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents, and Playing with Anxiety focusing on children’s mental health.
Beyond his writing, he developed a self-help program for fearful flyers, “Achieving Comfortable Flight”. He also served as the expert for WebMD’s Anxiety and Panic Community. Dr. Wilson’s expertise has led to appearances on major television shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning America, and he was featured as a psychologist on A&E’s “Hoarders.” His significant contributions to the field have been recognized with top awards from both the Anxiety and Depression Association of America and the International OCD Foundation.
Dr. Wilson’s website is anxieties.com.
This event has been recorded. Links to the recordings are below:
Screening & Discussion of ANXIETY CLUB Documentary
OCD Connecticut was honored to host a special private screening of ANXIETY CLUB, a new documentary that provides a humorous and heartfelt look at anxiety through the eyes of some of the most brilliant (and anxious) comedians working today. The screening was held on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 at 7:00 pm ET.
ANXIETY CLUB, which had its world premiere in November 2024 at DOC NYC film festival and recently won a Mental Health America Media Award, follows Tiffany Jenkins (a comedian and author with millions of followers) as she undergoes exposure therapy. Meditation teacher Tara Brach, Ph.D leads comedian Joe List through a guided meditation to help him transcend his fears and anxieties. Tiffany, Joe, and comedians Marc Maron, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Baron Vaughn, and Eva Victor offer candid reflections on their relationship with anxiety through exclusive interviews, standup performances, sketch videos and more. Watch the trailer for ANXIETY CLUB.
After the screening, there was a discussion and Q&A with the film’s director and producer, Wendy Lobel, and comedian Baron Vaughn. You can watch a recording of the discussion and Q&A here: https://vimeo.com/1112319103/6108cbe6dc.
You can watch the film at https://www.jolt.film/watch/anxietyclub.
SPECIAL ZOOM EVENT – A PRESENTATION BY NATIONAL OCD ADVOCATE ETHAN SMITH
As part of our Lecture Series, we were honored to host a virtual Zoom event featuring a presentation by Ethan S. Smith, a National OCD Advocate, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 7:30 pm.
Ethan shared his personal journey with OCD and discussed the challenges of media portrayal and public perception of the disorder. He emphasized the importance of proper treatment, including exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), and addressed the global disparities in OCD awareness and treatment. The presentation also covered topics such as addressing stigma, supporting family members with OCD, and the progress made in OCD awareness and representation in media over the years.
Ethan currently lives in the Los Angeles and Atlanta areas, working as a writer/director/producer, known for Dexter (2006), I Love You, Man (2009), and Recount (2008), and as an OCD advocate and consultant.
He was born with OCD and struggled the majority of his life until receiving life-changing treatment in 2010.
Ethan was the keynote speaker at the 2014 Annual OCD Conference in Los Angeles. He served as an IOCDF National Spokesperson from 2015–2017, as the IOCDF National Ambassador from 2018–2020, received the inaugural IOCDF Legacy Award in 2025, and currently serves as an IOCDF National Advocate. He’s devoted his life to reducing stigma around OCD and mental health, to education, and to supporting the OCD community.
Click here to view Ethan Smith’s 2014 Keynote at the IOCDF Annual OCD Conference.
This event has been recorded. Links to the recordings are below:
SPECIAL EVENT – LECTURE BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE YALE OCD RESEARCH CLINIC
As part of our Lecture Series, we were honored to host a presentation by Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD, director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic on June 3, 2025. Dr. Pittenger discussed his groundbreaking research on novel treatments for OCD, highlighting recent advancements in the field. His presentation also offered a comprehensive review of the foundational aspects of OCD, including treatment modalities and pharmacological interventions, with specific attention to emerging treatments like ketamine and psychedelics.
Dr. Pittenger, a renowned psychiatry researcher, is a leading figure in the field. He earned his MD and Ph.D. from Columbia University, where his graduate work was done with Nobel Prize recipient Eric Kandel. He then completed his residency and research training in psychiatry at Yale University, his undergraduate alma mater. By 2007, he became a faculty member at Yale and has since risen to the position of Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry, with additional professorships in Psychology and the Child Study Center, also serving as Deputy Chair for Translational Research.
His research is dedicated to understanding the biological roots of mental illness, aiming to translate this knowledge into novel treatments. His work has extensively examined OCD and Tourette syndrome, focusing on the relevant brain circuitry. More recently, he co-founded the Yale Program for Psychedelic Science and the Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health. He has won a number of awards, including from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Society for Neuroscience, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American College of Psychiatrists. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation and Chair of both their Grant Review Committee and their Annual Research Symposium Planning Committee. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Neurological Association.
The event took place on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 6:30 pm in the Cohen Auditorium located in the Yale Child Study Center, 230 S. Frontage Road NIHB E-02, New Haven, CT.
Dr. Pittenger’s website is https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/christopher-pittenger/.
The Yale OCD Research Clinic website is https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/ocd/.
SPECIAL ZOOM EVENT – OCD UNFILTERED
This event has been recorded. Links to the recordings are below:
SPECIAL ZOOM EVENT – A PRESENTATION BY NATIONAL OCD ADVOCATE TOM SMALLEY
As part of our Lecture Series, we were honored to host a virtual Zoom event featuring a presentation by Tom Smalley, a National OCD Advocate, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Tom discussed the topic of OCD in sports.
Tom is the founder of Struggle into Strength Performance, LLC. He is a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC) through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. Tom received his Master of Science in exercise and sports science from Merrimack College and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Siena College.
Tom was diagnosed with OCD in 2014 at the age of 16 and, shortly after, became passionate about spreading awareness about what real OCD is. Tom was the recipient of the 2019 IOCDF Hero Award. He speaks at the annual International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) OCD conferences and schools around the Northeast. He has also appeared on a variety of blogs and podcasts.
In January 2021, Smalley became a Lead Advocate for the IOCDF and co-founded the Anxiety in Athletes initiative—a task force and online resource center with the help of the IOCDF in an effort to break the stigma around mental health in athletics.
Smalley has a strong passion for weightlifting and began competing in 2021, eight years after his mental health forced him to halt his athletic career. He is a USAW adaptive division 2x gold medalist.
This event has been recorded. Links to the recordings are below:
For more information about Tom, you can visit his website at struggleintostrength.com.