In this talk Josie and Lucy will be talking about the experience of feeling lonely and socially isolated by OCD and how this can impact on one’s recovery. They will also talk about how the pandemic has further impacted those feeling lonely and socially isolated. They will talk about strategies that may be helpful for dealing with feelings of loneliness and being socially isolated. They will also be talking about a relapse prevention programme they have received funding to develop.

Dr Josie Millar qualified as Clinical Psychologist from the University of Adelaide, Australia in 2006. During her clinical training and post qualification Josie developed a special interest in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), in particular intensive treatments for OCD.

In 2010, Josie moved to the UK to work with Professor Paul Salkovskis, to further develop work on intensive treatments for OCD.  Josie specialises in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for people with severe and complex OCD. Her clinical work has been in providing specialist CBT on an outreach basis to patients nationally.

Josie is also a lecturer at the University of Bath, where she is involved in the training of Clinical psychologists and has developed a programme of research related to OCD. Josie is passionate about developing interventions for relapse prevention for OCD. She is also currently working on understanding how loneliness and social isolation affects people who are experiencing OCD.

Dr Millar is a dedicated and highly motivated Scientist Practitioner, she strongly believes in working with people to find a collaborative approach to overcoming their difficulties and reclaiming their life from OCD.