The Behavior Therapy Training Institute for OCD: A preliminary report

Despite decades of research demonstrating the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), many clinicians have not adopted it into their practice. In an effort to increase the number of trained clinicians, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) developed a nationwide intensive training program, the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). We report the first data on the BTTI. We emailed a 30-item online survey to all clinicians (N=350) who attended one of twelve BTTI workshops between 2008 and 2011. One hundred and sixty one individuals (53%) responded. Participants reported more than moderate use of all BTTI skills. Expert phone consultation and peer consultation after the training were associated with greater skills use. The most commonly reported barrier to skill use was difficulty integrating the techniques into their practice because of time or an inability to leave the office. The majority of participants also reported an increase in OCD-related referrals after the BTTI. Limitations of this work, suggestions for improvement, and the implications of our findings for broader dissemination efforts are discussed.