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Just Checking

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by OCD Collective

19 episodes

Updated Daily

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Podcast Overview

OCD therapists talk intrusive thoughts, scary themes, and why your brain can be a dick. If you are looking for reputable information that comes from some good friends then come and join us; Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes. Get involved by emailing ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com and following us on Instagram @justcheckingpod to contribute towards features and to request that we cover what you want to hear. Disclaimer: This podcast provides educational information only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support.

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Publishing Since

2/17/2026

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Recent Episodes

June 23, 2026

Harm OCD: When Your Brain Screams "Monster" (You're Not One), Loss of Control, and/or Bad Things Happening to Loved Ones

If your intrusive thoughts have ever convinced you that you're secretly dangerous- welcome to Harm OCD. This is the subtype that makes loving, gentle people terrified of their own minds.This week Jess and Laura dig into one of the most misunderstood and shame-soaked corners of OCD- where caring deeply about not hurting anyone gets twisted into "proof" that you might. Harm OCD can include a fear of harming others, yourself, or a fear that harm will/has come to others because of you- this episode explores it all.We talk about what these thoughts actually sound like, why "possible" doesn't mean "probable," and why your brain treats a passing thought like a five-alarm fire. We also get into the messier stuff- anger, allergy and poisoning fears, and the compulsions that quietly creep in when you're trying to "just be sure." Plus: what real exposure work looks like for harm OCD, how to rebuild trust in yourself, and why badly-pitched exposures can do more harm than good.As always, there's Brain Spam, an Exposure Lab, a listener question, and a bit of social media chaos courtesy of Laura. Trigger warning: Please note that this episode contains discussions around harm and suicide, so please listen with caution. Podcast by:Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapistandJessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapistEdited by Christian Nickson Time Stamps:00:34 What we cover today01:26 Hellos and introductions02:42 Brain Spam07:02 What harm OCD thoughts sound like08:06 Compulsions in harm OCD 08:57 Harm OCD misunderstandings10:00 What if you experience anger with harm OCD?11:14 Common harm OCD themes12:29 Possible vs probable13:56 The meaning of harm OCD themes16:10 Why does it feel so real?18:10 How do we know you won't hurt someone?19:45 OCD vs actual risk of harm 24:15 Common compulsions for harm OCD28:44 Allergy and poisoning fears 29:39 What does therapy look like for harm OCD?33:31 Harm exposures or behavioural experiments 35:07 Trusting yourself again37:00 How exposures can be pitched wrong 39:00 Building up exposures and behavioural experiments 41:55 Harm OCD summary43:15 Laura's social media backlash 44:30 Next episode teaser 45:40 Compassionate work and rebuilding your life47:28 Question from the listeners 49:15 Exposure Lab53:20 Goodbyes Get in Touch:Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us:Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram and Tiktok: @justcheckingpodFor our individual OCD pages, you can find Laura on Tiktok and Instagram as @ocdtherapylaura and Jess as @jess_helps_your_ocd Please check out our privacy policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing Content Warnings:We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to. Disclaimer:This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

June 16, 2026

What the Research Actually Says: OCD Science from the Orchard Conference

What does the latest OCD research actually tell us, and what does it mean for the people living with it and treating it? This week Jess and Laura dig into the key findings from the recent Orchard OCD International Conference, translating the science into something genuinely useful.They cover a lot of ground: the economic cost of OCD, which brain areas are involved and what that means for treatment, early signs in children, the genetics of OCD, body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs), and what mental health medications are actually targeting (and what questions you should be asking). Plus: mouse models, psychedelic research, PANDAS, secondary OCD, and what healthy lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, and exercise actually do for OCD symptoms.Jess also shares her pet peeves from the research (you'll want to hear those), and they round things off with listener questions, Weekly Wins, and an Exposure Lab challenge. Podcast by:Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapistandJessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapistEdited by Christian Nickson Time stamps:00:00 Overview of the episode01:00 Introduction and hellos 02:30 Brain Spam05:30 Superstitions and OCD08:10 Disclaimer 08:30 OCD's cost on the economy09:20 Brain areas involved in OCD10:57 Early detection, OCD signs in children15:42 Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours: skin picking and hair pulling 19:57 How much OCD runs in families21:30 What are mental health medications targeting and what types should we ask about?25:33 Mouse research and implications29:30 Psychedelic research and an OCD holiday33:20 Onset ages of OCD and OCD genes32:20 Secondary OCD and PANDAS38:40 Healthy living and OCD; sleep, diet and exercise 39:45 How therapy can use this information48:20 Sleep disorders in OCD49:11 Neuroplasticity to help OCD51:00 Jess' pet peeves from the research53:00 Question from the listeners53:48 Weekly Wins54:42 Exposure Lab55:33 Goodbyes Get in Touch:Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us:Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram and Tiktok: @justcheckingpodFor our individual OCD pages, you can find Laura on Tiktok and Instagram as @ocdtherapylaura and Jess as @jess_helps_your_ocd Please check out our privacy policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing Content Warnings:We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to. Disclaimer:This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

June 9, 2026

The First International Guidelines for OCD Treatment: What You Need to Know (Orchard OCD Conference, Part 1)

For the first time ever, there are international guidelines for how OCD should be treated — and in this episode, we break them down.Fresh from the Orchard OCD International Conference, Jess and Laura unpack what these landmark guidelines actually say: which treatments are recommended, in what order, and what this means for people with OCD and the clinicians supporting them. From ERP and medication through to TMS and DBS, the guidelines bring global consensus to questions that have long been answered differently depending on where you live or who you see.Before they get there, they cover what the conference revealed about OCD neuroscience — brain imaging showing OCD as a network problem, gene mapping progress, biomarkers, and what the research says about how psychological treatments work on a neurological level. There's also a section on OCD in childhood, apps and neuroimaging, and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours.This is Part 1 of a series covering the conference — and it's a good one to start with.As always: Brain Spam, Weekly Wins, and a look at what's coming next.Podcast byLaura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapistandJessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapistEdited by Christian NicksonCaveatBefore we get started, a quick disclaimer. This episode is intended for educational and informational purposes only. We discuss a range of medical and therapeutic interventions used in OCD treatment, including medication and neuromodulation approaches such as TMS, DBS and tDCS. However, we are not medical doctors or prescribing professionals, and nothing in this episode should be taken as medical advice or a recommendation to pursue any particular treatment.We also mention some commercially available products and technologies. These references are provided for information only and should not be interpreted as an endorsement or recommendation to purchase or use them.If you are considering any medical treatment, medication, or intervention discussed in this episode, please consult a suitably qualified healthcare professional who can advise you based on your individual circumstances.Timestamps:00:34 Extra disclaimer02:26 Catch up02:48 Introduction to the episode04:00 Brain Spam08:33 Who are Orchard OCD?13:25 Takeaways about OCD treatment choice16:00 OCD treatment and costs18:34 OCD in childhood and brain changes20:00 Apps and neuroimaging20:49 OCD as a brain network problem22:26 Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) and cognitive therapy work24:00 Metacognitive Training24:40 Biomarkers and precision psychiatry25:30 Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours27:39 The International Guidelines for OCD Treatment46:30 How the guidelines can help people with OCD49:25 How we plan to use the guidelines52:40 What next?54:06 Possible next episode themes56:01 Weekly Wins58:00 GoodbyesLinks:Orchard OCD: https://www.orchardocd.org/Orchard OCD Registry: https://orchardocdregistry.org/CANMAT/ICOCS International Guidelines for OCD: https://icocs.org/2025-canmat-icocs-international-guidelines-for-the-management-of-patients-with-ocd/Get in Touch:Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us:Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram and Tiktok: @justcheckingpodFor our individual OCD pages, you can find Laura on Tiktok and Instagram as @ocdtherapylaura and Jess as @jess_helps_your_ocdPlease check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing Content Warnings:We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to. Disclaimer: This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

19 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is Just Checking?: OCD therapists talk intrusive thoughts, scary themes, and why your brain can be a dick.

If you are looking for reputable information that comes from some good friends then come and join us; Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes.

Get involved by emailing ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com and following us on Instagram @justcheckingpod to contribute towards features and to request that we cover what you want to hear.

Disclaimer: This podcast provides educational information only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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