Parenting or caring for a child with OCD can be an overwhelming and emotionally challenging experience. It often feels isolating, as you grapple with feelings of guilt, fear, frustration, and helplessness, all while desperately wanting to ease their suffering. The emotional toll can make it difficult to find joy in everyday life, and although supporting a child with mental health difficulties is increasingly common, it can feel like you're facing this journey alone. When someone we love is struggling—especially with mental health challenges—it impacts our own well-being too. Many parents face problems that feel unsolvable, adding to the emotional burden. In response to this, Roz Shafran, alongside her colleagues Ursula Saunders and Alice Welham, wrote a book aimed at providing comfort, guidance, and hope for parents in these situations. The book helps parents understand their role and limitations, encouraging acceptance of difficult emotions such as anxiety, sadness, and a loss of control. It offers insights into how to navigate these feelings, showing that it’s possible to tolerate distress and still find ways to move forward.

This presentation for OCD-UK will share personal stories from parents who have navigated similar challenges, alongside evidence-based psychological insights. Key techniques, including problem-solving—proven helpful across a variety of mental health challenges—will be explored. The talk will also focus on managing the challenges parents face when implementing effective OCD treatment strategies, such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). The session will conclude with a Q&A, providing participants with an opportunity to ask questions and gain further insights.

Professor Roz Shafran
I am Chair in Translational Psychology at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and an honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist. I founded the Charlie Waller Institute of Evidenced Based Psychological Treatment in 2007 at the University of Reading and was its director until 2012. I am a Director of Bespoke Mental Health Ltd which trains clinicians in the evidence-based treatments, Patron of 'No Panic' and recipient of prizes such as the Positive Practice 'Making a Difference' Award, British Psychological Society Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in Practice and Marsh Award for Mental Health for research that has made a difference to clinical practice. I have published over 375 research papers and 6 books, the most recent of which is ‘How to Cope When Your Child Can’t: Comfort, Help and Hope for Parents’.