Breaking the Rules: A Clinician's Guide to Treating OCD

About Breaking the Rules: A Clinician's Guide to Treating OCD

Breaking the Rules is a show for mental health professionals designed to help you build confidence in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Effective treatment of OCD requires commitment, creativity and the recognition that things can sometimes get a little … messy. And on the show, you’ll hear from a range of leading professionals and learn everything there is to know about OCD and other related mental health concerns. This podcast is brought to you by Melbourne Wellbeing Group, a psychology practice based in Melbourne with a special focus on treating OCD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Victoria Miller

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Mar 2022

Latest episode

21 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

85 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Sept 2026

   I Think My Child Might Have OCD: What Do I Do?

   This one's for the parents. In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Tori Miller tackle one of the most common questions they hear from families - I think my child might have OCD. Where do I even start? The episode begins with Celin sharing a moment from a school tour with her three-year-old daughter — catching herself wondering whether her daughter's leaf-counting was a compulsion, before laughing and pulling herself back. It's a perfect illustration of what happens when you know too much. And also of the core question this episode explores: how do you tell the difference between normal childhood behaviour and something worth paying attention to? They walk through the watch, wait, wonder principle — why not rushing in to diagnose, label, or rescue is often the most helpful thing a parent can do. They explore what normal development looks like at different ages, why the 7–12 age group is when OCD most commonly first emerges, and what the telltale signs are that something has shifted from typical childhood anxiety to something more persistent. They also get practical — what to do if you're worried, who to talk to, and which resources are worth your time. Warm, funny, honest, and genuinely useful. Whether you're a parent with questions, a clinician who works with families, or someone who grew up with OCD and is finally making sense of it — this one's for you. In this episode, you'll learn: Why context and developmental age are everything when it comes to reading your child's behaviour The watch, wait, wonder principle — and why not rushing in is actually the most helpful thing you can do What typical development looks like at different ages — and why so much of what looks like OCD is actually completely normal Why the 7–12 age group is when OCD most commonly begins — and what developmental factors contribute to that The difference between typical childhood anxiety and reassurance-seeking vs OCD-specific patterns The telltale signs that something has shifted — frequency, intensity, impact on functioning, and family life The one sign that's most specific to OCD: when one reassurance is never enough, and it needs to be said in just the right way Practical next steps — GP, maternal child health, psychologist, and the community resources worth knowing about Why your job as a parent is not to stop what's happening — it's to help them with what's happening Resources mentioned: Anxiety Recovery Centre of Victoria International OCD Foundation — iocdf.org Natasha Daniels — YouTube and parenting community Eli Lebowitz — resources for families New episodes of Breaking the Rules drop fortnightly. Follow or subscribe so you don't miss one. www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au (https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   7 Sept 2026

   OCD or Anxiety? It's Not a Black and White Question

   OCD or Anxiety? It's Not a Black and White Question | Dr Celin Gelgec & Dr Tori Miller The question has been coming up in supervision a lot lately. Is this OCD — or is it GAD? Specific phobia? Health anxiety? Social phobia? It sounds like a simple diagnostic question. It isn't. In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Tori Miller dig into one of the most common and most confusing clinical challenges in the OCD space — differentiating OCD from anxiety disorders that present in similar ways. They explore why OCD and anxiety so frequently co-occur, how anxiety disorders can morph into OCD over time, and why we're increasingly seeing subclinical OCD presentations in the clinic — and why that's actually a good thing. They also talk about what to do when you genuinely can't tell. Why the DSM is a guide, not a definitive answer. And why the most important thing you can do is take your client along with you through the process — because a diagnosis that happens to someone, rather than with them, rarely lands the way it needs to. Celin also shares a story about a client who'd worked through most of her trigger list — and then asked if she had to do the rest. What Celin said, and why, is one of the most honest things we've put in an episode about what it actually means to be done. In this episode, you'll learn: Why OCD was only separated from the anxiety disorders in DSM-5 (2013) — and what that tells us about how much they overlap The anxiety disorders most commonly confused with OCD: GAD, health anxiety, specific phobia, and social phobia Why untreated or poorly treated anxiety disorders can morph into OCD over time — and what to watch for Why subclinical OCD is showing up more often — and why that's worth treating early The key diagnostic features that separate OCD from GAD in practice How scrupulosity OCD gets missed as social phobia — and why it matters Why you don't need to know the answer straight away — and how to take your client through the process What discharge from OCD treatment actually looks like — and who gets to decide New episodes of Breaking the Rules drop fortnightly. Follow or subscribe so you don't miss one. www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au (https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   24 Aug 2026

   Getting Creative with OCD Therapy: When to Go Beyond ERP

   ERP is the gold standard for OCD. But what happens when it's not enough on its own? In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Tori Miller explore one of the most important — and least talked about — questions in OCD treatment: when and how to bring in other therapeutic modalities, and how to do it without abandoning the principles that make ERP work. Tori shares what traditional manualized ERP actually looked like in the early days of her career — rate your SUDS, watch the clock, wait for the anxiety to come down — and how the field has shifted since the inhibitory learning model changed the way we think about exposure. Celin reflects on her experience of always working in an integrated way, and why the principles of ACT have always felt like ERP to her — because they are. They also get honest about the moments when ERP becomes a battle. When the exposure menu turns into a war. When a client has every reason in the world not to engage — and what to do instead. Whether you're a clinician looking to expand your toolkit or someone living with OCD who's wondered why their therapist keeps talking about values and mindfulness - this episode will change how you think about what treatment can look like. In this episode, you'll learn: What traditional manualized ERP actually looked like — and how it's evolved Why the inhibitory learning model changed everything about how we approach exposure How ACT principles map directly onto ERP — and why urge surfing is response prevention The question to ask before bringing in any new modality: is this ERP-friendly? What to do when a client refuses to engage with the exposure hierarchy How schema therapy, DBT, and imagery rescripting can be woven into OCD work without softening exposure Why ERP has a 20% dropout rate — and what that tells us about why integration matters When to hold the line and when to shift gears — and how to know the difference Why getting your client's life back is always the goal, even when it doesn't look like ERP New episodes of Breaking the Rules drop fortnightly. Follow or subscribe so you don't miss one. www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au (https://www.melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

14 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

39 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

67

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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