The OCD Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness and CBT Skills to Help You Overcome Unwanted Thoughts and Compulsions

by Jon Hershfield MFT, Sean Shinnock (Illustrator)

Overview

Don’t let OCD symptoms stand in the way of living your life!

If you’re a teen with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may have intense, unwanted thoughts and behaviors that interfere with school, your social life, and just having fun. The good news is there are ways you can minimize these thoughts and behaviors, so you can get back to being a teen. This workbook will show you how!

In The OCD Workbook for Teens, therapist and OCD expert Jon Hershfield offers proven-effective mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills to help you deal with your worst OCD symptoms. You’ll learn how to stay present in the moment, manage obsessive thoughts, make peace with uncertainty, and live your life joyfully—without being slowed down by compulsions.

This isn’t just a workbook to help you survive OCD. It’s a workbook to help you thrive—in all aspects of life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684036363
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	03/01/2021
Pages:	136
Sales rank:	658,797
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jon Hershfield, MFT, is director of The Center for OCD and Anxiety at Sheppard Pratt in Towson, MD. He specializes in the use of mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders. Jon is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and is on the faculty of their Behavioral Therapy Training Institute. He is author of Overcoming Harm OCD, When a Family Member Has OCD, and The OCD Workbook for Teens; and coauthor of The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD and Everyday Mindfulness for OCD.


Sean Shinnock is a freelance artist/illustrator, advocate, and project developer currently living in Boston, MA.

Table of Contents

A Letter to Teens 1

Activity 1 Who's Super Jazzed About Having a Mental Health Issue? 3

Activity 2 Soooo … OCD? 9

Activity 3 Why Me? 15

Activity 4 The Deal with Intrusive Thoughts 20

Activity 5 The Deal with Compulsions 25

Activity 6 Mental Rituals: Having Thoughts vs. Messing Around with Thoughts 30

Activity 7 Mindfulness: Boss Level Boredom 36

Activity 8 Making Your Own Meditation Games 42

Activity 9 Challenging the Way You Think 46

Activity 10 Cool Story, Bruh: Responding to Unwanted Thoughts 52

Activity 11 Electronic Rap Punk (ERP) 57

Activity 12 You're a Better Writer Than OCD 63

Activity 13 Let's Get Physical (Eww, Sorry Not Sorry) 68

Activity 14 Using Brutal, Savage, Ruthless Self-Compassion 73

Activity 15 Being Awesome at Not Knowing 78

Activity 16 Sure, Right, Whatevs: Why Reassurance Makes You Less Confident 83

Activity 17 Dear Parents, If I Have To Do ERP, then We All Do! 90

Activity 18 Why Care about Self-Care 97

Activity 19 Fighting the Stigma Inside And Out 103

Activity 20 One Activity To Rule them All: Your Basic Plan for Tackling Any Obsession 107

One More Thing … 119

Interviews

Hershfield resides in Hunt Valley, MD (Baltimore County).

Editorial Reviews

Jon Hershfield’s The OCD Workbook for Teens is a must-read for teens experiencing OCD. He masterfully intertwines clinical expertise and personal voice in a way that speaks directly to the reader. This cleverly illustrated book provides the tools for teens to embark on their own personal quest to fight OCD. Importantly, it is also a useful resource for parents and clinicians seeking a better understanding of OCD and the teenage experience.”
—Maria G Fraire, PhD, program director of the Child and Adolescent OCD Institute at McLean Hospital, and instructor in the department of psychology at Harvard Medical School

Maria G Fraire

To quote the opening of this book: ‘Dude. Seriously.’ This workbook not only covers the basics of OCD and its first-line treatment, exposure and response prevention (ERP), but also contains material to foster self-compassion, mindfulness, and the tolerance of uncertainty. It is written in friendly language to engage teens, and includes experiential exercises to foster engagement. I am confident that this will be a staple on the shelves of both teens with OCD and the clinicians who work with them.”
—Amy Mariaskin, PhD, clinical psychologist, director of the Nashville OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center, and adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University

Amy Mariaskin

There are so few books that really speak to teens where they are, in an empowering way, with solid strategies that they can apply immediately. Jon Hershfield’s The OCD Workbook for Teens hits all the right notes—it is clever, and funny, with killer illustrations by graphic artist Sean Shinnock—and best of all, it contains practical, evidence-based tools presented in a collaborative, empathic way for teens. If you are a practitioner who works with teens, it’s gonna be hard to keep this book from flying off the shelves!”
—Lisa Coyne, PhD, founder and director of the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and coauthor of Stuff That’s Loud

Lisa W. Coyne

Jon Hershfield successfully channels his ‘inner teen’ to communicate sometimes complicated aspects of treatment in relatable, effective, and cool ways. His innovative approach, along with Sean Shinnock’s incredible illustrations, create a one-of-a-kind resource that will become a must-have for parents and kids alike. OCD can be complicated; defeating it shouldn’t be. Hershfield has created a significant weapon against OCD, one I wish I’d had in my armory growing up.”
—Ethan S. Smith, filmmaker, and national advocate for the International OCD Foundation

Ethan S. Smith

Practical and positive, The OCD Workbook for Teens brings CBT and mindfulness skills to teens in an easy-to-read and relatable way. The concepts of exposure and mindfulness can be hard to convey, yet Hershfield presents them succinctly and effectively. Sharing his own experience with OCD with humility, Hershfield brings a much-needed message of hope and optimism to teens with OCD.”
—Aureen Wagner,PhD, director of The Anxiety Wellness Center in Cary, NC; and author of What to Do When Your Child has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Aureen Wagner

Having interviewed Jon many times, I have come to appreciate his unique style of working with OCD. Throughout this book he gives the reader activities to help them embed the information he has accrued over many years. This coupled with Sean’s illustrations bring the chapters to life by animating the experience that many young people go through. Two passionate people in the OCD community have produced this book.”
—Stuart Ralph, founder of The OCD Stories podcast

Stuart Ralph

Every teen with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) should read this book! It’s going to be a must-read from now on in my OCD therapy practice. Jon Hershfield has mastered the tone, humor, and relatable nature that a book for teens must have in order to not be chucked back at their parent’s head! Every parent should thank him!”
—Natasha Daniels, LCSW, child therapist specializing in anxiety and OCD, creator of www.atparentingsurvival.com, and author of Anxiety Sucks

Natasha Daniels

Quieting OCD thoughts and rituals is hard work. Kids need help. As a parent, I’m ecstatic Jon’s written this path to understanding and success. I’m thrilled Sean’s illustrations show kids as defiant and victorious. This book is a relatable way for teens to understand their brains, get thoughts out into the open, and tackle ERP. It’s a workbook that actually lets kids work out their anxiety. Take that, OCD.”
—Chris Baier, parent of a teen with OCD; producer of UNSTUCK; and creator of OCDeconstruct, the first virtual OCD Conference

Chris Baier