(602) 999-8245

OCD PROCESSING & SUPPORT GROUP

OCD can be exhausting on relationships, and it’s important to know that you are not alone!

Whether you are a parent of a child with OCD or your partner has OCD, my group is here to help. This is a closed group that is held online for health reasons during the current pandemic.

To provide a comfortable setting for the participants, the attendees will be consistent for the duration of the 6 sessions. Molly Mahoney, LCSW, will be present during the sessions to provide direction and insight along the way, but this is primarily a peer support group for you all to share freely with each other.

When Your PARTNER has OCD…

There is a curtain behind your partner’s eyes, and their gaze tells you they are not listening. There are large chunks of what could be time spent together, but your partner is lost in a complicated web of mental rituals or behavioral compulsions.

You feel replaced, unseen, and unloved. The intimacy in your relationship is vanishing or has vanished. Your self-esteem is plummeting.

Slowly, the once-present, attentive partner doesn’t seem to have the energy to be in a partnership any longer. They instead have a relationship with their intrusive fears, anxieties, and doubts. They are too tired after their internal mental somersaults to entertain an engaged life with you.

Shame may cause your partner to shut you out…

… to conceal the nature of their obsessions and compulsions. Their efforts to hide the OCD may leave you feeling alone in the world. You’re too confused and worried to disclose to family or friends.

At times, there is a perceived indiscretion that replaces all reason. Your partner may be relentless with questions – constantly seeking reassurance – which leaves you feeling tormented and deflated.

You feel helpless when seeing them suffer…

…and feel frustrated by your inability to help. Sometimes you wonder if YOU cause your partner’s stress or if you have done something wrong for them to be acting this way.

When your partner has OCD, you may feel exhausted from navigating around their compulsions. It is even more tiring if you are the subject of their obsessions.

What is the best way to diminish the fear your partner feels?

Should you continue to answer the persistent questioning even after you learn there will always be another interrogation?

It is hard not knowing what to do. It is scary not knowing if your relationship will survive OCD.

Being vulnerable in a safe space and the presence of others experiencing similar challenges will feel liberating. It is not just a forum to complain or shame your partner, but also learn how best to support yourself and navigate your loved one’s OCD.

Relationships are complex, and loving someone with OCD can make it that much harder. Let’s learn together, feel empowered together, and help your partner slay OCD together!

When Your CHILD has OCD…

Your once goofy, happy child suddenly seems almost panic-stricken. Their new habits or questions are foreign and confusing. Yes, you may have noticed your child had always been a bit of a worrier, but this feels different ̶ and it’s scary!

Your child seems much less present and less confident. They have “rituals” now, and they are robbing them (and you) of time and connection. Their confusion over their new intrusive fears is causing panic and explosive arguments.

Attending school and completing homework was once a non-issue. But anxiety is now affecting their ability to enjoy friends, complete homework, or even attend school. Family routines are interrupted, and you may feel pressure to take part in the rituals yourself.

Your child has OCD, and the entire household is affected. You, as parents, are confused about what may suddenly be causing such fear in their child – why they disappear for large chunks of time, why they can’t seem to get simple things done, why once inconsequential things now cause extreme agitation.

How do you parent them with this new whirlwind of emotions??

You may wonder if you should keep the same household rules and expectations in place. You’ll have to navigate what is a preference for them and what is downright fear-based to determine what consequences for seemingly defiant behavior they should now ignore.

The images your child reports or the fears they present can be so out there that they can cause you to turn inward. You may be afraid to disclose to friends and family. You may avoid social events and family gatherings out of fear your child will panic.

As parents, you and your spouse may disagree on navigating this upheaval, leaving you feeling even more alone and isolated. Siblings are confused, and you try to balance the attention you give to them. You feel exhausted managing all of this disruptive energy!

You’ve recognized that your child has OCD, and they are now working with a therapist, but you still have a lot of confusion, frustration, and questions.

Of course, you want your child to feel loved and supported by you, even when that means ‘tough love’ to help enforce the exposure homework from your child’s therapist. But all of this is stressful and draining.

Molly is here to facilitate a group of supportive parents who do not want to feel alone in this journey. She is open to answer your questions and to allow you the opportunity to feel validated by others in a group setting.

Together, let’s help your child squash OCD and get reintroduced to the goofy and joyful self.

You need reinforcements.

You need validation. You need that nodding look from someone who is sharing a similar journey.

We want you to feel connected, heard, and supported. We also want you to feel educated.

Give us a call at (602) 999-8245, and let’s get the support you need!