Welcome to the OCD-UK Parents Project

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What is the Parent Project? 
We know that OCD doesn’t just affect the person suffering directly from the disorder, it also becomes extremely challenging, upsetting, and debilitating for those who care for them too. That’s why we are enthusiastic about helping parents and carers of children and teens who are stuck in the vicious cycle of OCD. We are aware that there are many parents and caregivers who feel alone and unsure of how to cope with OCD in the wait for treatment/diagnosis, and we hope that we can use this project to bridge that gap and offer the right help to people who are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Workshops

The National Lottery Community Fund has funded us to shape and deliver free, full day, face-to-face workshops for parents and caregivers of children between the ages of 5-18 (CAMHS ages) who are suffering because of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. We are funded to deliver these workshops at various locations across the East Midlands. Although at this stage we are unable to deliver the workshops outside of the East Midlands, we welcome anyone across the U.K to attend providing they can travel. The delivering of these workshops will send parents/caregivers away better educated, informed, and empowered to understand their child's experiences with OCD. The following subjects will be explored on the day;

  • What is OCD?
  • How does OCD work?
  • Ways to overcome OCD
  • How to access treatment
  • What you can do to support your child at home

During the workshops we discuss different coping strategies, work together interactively and collaboratively with other parents by sharing learnings from one another, and explore alternative ways to respond to OCD’s demands. We talk about qualities and qualifications to look out for when searching for a therapist, and we address the most frequently asked questions relating to treatment for OCD. All of this is delivered in a safe space for parents and caregivers to open up and talk through what they struggle with the most, as we, the hosts, listen with empathy and understanding.

Please note that the project hosts are not professionals and will not be offering therapeutic advice. The project is hosted by service users who have an in depth understanding of OCD, and the aim of this workshop is to offer relevant and helpful information to restore hope for a recovery focused future.

Webinars

Our very first workshop was due to be delivered in March 2020, just as the government announced a national lockdown. As the pandemic went on, we soon realised that our plans to host this project were to be severely interrupted. We wanted to offer parents and caregivers some education as we waited for the go ahead to be able to start delivering our workshops, therefore we designed a 90-minute webinar to deliver remotely as a temporary alternative. Now that we are able to deliver our workshops again, the webinars will take more of a back seat. That being said, we know that travelling isn’t easy for everyone, therefore we will still deliver a webinar every so often. The webinars are primarily education based, and although we welcome questions throughout, they do not include any of the interactivity that the workshops offer. We will always update our social media platforms when any new webinars have been scheduled, so if you are interested in attending one, do keep an eye out on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Who can attend these free Workshops & Webinars?

The parent’s project is for parents and caregivers of children and young people in the CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) age bracket (5-18 years). These events are tailored specifically for this age bracket and are not relevant for parents of adults with OCD.

Please note, the workshops and webinars are not suitable for your child or young person to attend with you. During the online webinars parents and caregivers can often ask questions which would be unsuitable to ask in the presence of a young person. During the face-to-face workshops we open discussions about what parents and caregivers struggle with the most, and they use this time as a safe space to open up about things they have found difficult to talk about in the presence of their children, therefore we do not invite any person who is not a parent or caregiver. We hope you can understand why and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us parents@ocduk.org

Although the workshops are only delivered in locations within the East Midlands, we welcome anyone in the U.K to attend providing they can travel. If you are interested in attending one of our events, please scroll down where you will find a list of the upcoming events and locations.

Workshop Dates

Before booking, please read important information below

Please note: The locations that we will host our workshops at are Nottingham, Northampton, Derby, Buxton, Leicester, and Grantham. You can see below the workshops that are open for bookings, and those that have a provisional date. When the provisional workshops become open for bookings, we will update our social media platforms, and update this page.

If there is a specific workshop that you would like to attend, but it is not yet open for bookings, please wait until your chosen location/workshop is ready to book instead of booking a different one temporarily.

When we receive bookings for our workshops, we confirm numbers with the hotels and venues and pay them for the event, the delegate spaces, and lunch/refreshments. If we advertise that one of our provisional dates is now open for bookings and get lots of cancellations and re-bookings on different workshops, it makes it difficult for us to fill the spaces last minute for an already paid for event. Although tickets are free to attendees, they aren't free to the charity. Thank you for understanding.

Due to limited place availability and funding purposes, the workshops are only for parents or the primary caregiver of children and young people with OCD. Therefore, we are sadly unable to offer places at this time to the following:

  • Grandparents (unless primary caregiver)
  • Teachers
  • Support Workers 
  • CAMHS workers or health professionals
  • Children / siblings
  • Northampton:    Friday 15th July 2022 - Open for bookings, click here to book
  • Derby:    Friday 5th August 2022 - Now open for bookings, click here to book
  • Buxton:   Provisional date; Friday 26th August 2022 - Contact parents@ocduk.org to be emailed when bookings open
      You can see the different workshops that are taking place throughout 2022 on the calendar and map below! We will be adding more dates throughout the year across the East Midlands. Please note, although the workshops are free to attendees, they are not free to the charity. Please make sure you are able to attend an event before booking.

      Workshop Locations

      If you are interested in attending a workshop, please revisit this page regularly as we will be announcing new dates and locations throughout the year.


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      How do I book a place on a workshop?

      Our educational workshops are free of charge however we do require you to register in advance as spaces are limited to small groups per workshop. Please click the links on the map or calendar above to select your preferred workshop location/date and follow the 'register' button to reserve your place.

      About the Project Presenter - Zoe Wilson

      Zoe is our project lead for the parents’ educational project and has a lived experience of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Zoe is passionate about this project due to her own experiences with the disorder and is ready to deliver workshops designed to help families through a time which her and her family have been through themselves.
      For further information please contact Zoe.
      parents@ocduk.org

      Educational Workshop FAQ's

      This presentation, specifically for parents of children with OCD, took place at the 2019 OCD-UK conference. To watch this and other presentations please click here.

      This project was made possible through funding by a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund.

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