BTC News

SUMMER 2011!

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:37:49 -0400

It’s been another exciting Summer at BTC! On July 13th, nationally syndicated Diane Rehm invited our very own Elspeth Bell, Ph.D. to share her expertise on the topic of hoarding. You can listen to the discussion at http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-07-13/hoarding. Recently, Charles Mansueto, Ph.D., Brad Hufford, LCSW-C and our practicum students, Natalie Rusch and Caitlin Condit presented at the International OCD Foundation in sunny San Diego. Mr. Hufford and the practicum students led a fun and educational OCD Game Show for Kids, that was well received parents and children alike.

Ruth Golomb, M.Ed., LCPC has made recent writing contributions to the field of body-focused repetitive behaviors. She was lead author and editor of the "Expert Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of Trichotillomania and Other Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors", published by the Trichotillomania Learning Center. Further, she published a chapter in a text book on the topic of Trichotillomania.

Check back for more news to come!!! Click here to view our current and past BTC Quarterly newsletters.

BTC Summertime 2010 News

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:32:48 -0400

It was an exciting Spring for BTC! On March 4-7, 2010, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) held its 30th annual conference in local Baltimore, Maryland. Among the presenters were our very own Charles Mansueto, Ruth Golomb, Jonathan Dalton, Elspeth Bell, Sherrie Vavrichek, Brad Huﬀord, Lisa Levine, and Noah Weintraub. They presented on such topics as hoarding, social phobia, caretakers of anxiety sufferers, compassionate assertiveness, homosexual obsessions and BTC’s commonly used team approach to cases.

On April 9th, Elspeth Bell presents a continuing education workshop on Compulsive Hoarding, called Looking Beneath the Clutter at Child Center and Adult Services in Rockville, Maryland.

During April 23rd through the 25th, The Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC) held its 17th annual national conference on Trichotillomania and Skin-Picking in Dallas, Texas. Presenters included Charles Mansueto, Sherrie Vavrichek, Ruth Golomb, and Noah We-
intraub. Also in attendance will be BTC externs Ali Mattu and Andrea Umbach, and Kate Rogers. For further information about TLC’s organization and future retreats and conferences, please visit their website (www.trich.org).

Just this past Friday the 11th, Elspeth Bell presented Compulsive Hoarding: Understanding the Person Beneath the Clutter at the Montgomery County Commission for Women Counseling and Career Center in Rockville, Maryland.

And now the Summer’s starting. Bring out your towels and don’t forget your sunscreen (but take reasonable brave risks to remain free). July will be a hot time for BTC in the DC area. During July 16th through the 18, the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF) holds its 17th annual conference in Crystal City, VA. This conference is open to people with OCD, their loved ones, and mental health professionals. Among the
presenters are Charles Mansueto, Noah Weintraub, Elspeth Bell, Ali Mattu, and Kate Rogers. For further information about IOCDF or to register for the conference, please visit their website (www.OCFoundation.org)

The Trichotillomania Learning Center will hold its annual retreat in Darlington, MD during July 18th through the 20th. The retreat is an intimate, wonderful, and educational experience for adults, children, and adolescents with hairpulling or skinpicking and professionals who treat body-focused repetitive behaviors. Parents are also welcome. For further information about TLC and the conference, please visit their website (www.trich.org).

During July 29th through 30th, Charles Mansueto will be traveling closer to the equator, presenting on hoarding, Tourette’s Syndrome, and Trichotillomania at the South American Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Conference in Santiago, Chile.

Check back for more news to come!!! Click here to view our current and past BTC Quarterly newsletters.

BTC Summertime News

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:26:27 -0400

It’s been a fun Summer, but it’s already coming to an end, and all the kiddies are going back to school! Some recent and upcoming BTC happenings:

August 7-9, 2009: Charles Mansueto, Lisa Levine, Elspeth Bell and Andrea Batton attended the 16th annual Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Conference in Minneapolis, MN. Dr. Mansueto presented on “When Indecision is a Clinical Issue,” “Intolerance and Uncertainty in OCD,” “OCD and the Law,” and “Scrupulosity: What is it and how do I pronounce it?”

October 5, 2009: Elspeth Bell will present on “Education Regarding the Nature of Compulsive Hoarding” as part of a free seminar for mental health professionals in understanding Medicare and mental health services.

Now Published: Dalton, J.J., & Glenwick, D.S. (2009) The eﬀects of expressive writing on graduate entrance exam performance and physical health functioning. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 143, 279-292.

Now Available! Sherrie Vavrichek is the co-author of Life Cycle – How We Grow and Change: A Human Development and Sexuality Education Curriculum, a curriculum for the special needs population. Visit www.lifecycleeducation.com for more information.

Software applications recently developed by Noah Weintraub! Visit www.OnTaskWare.com and www.TrichWare.com for more information.

Recently released! Ruth Golomb and Suzanne Mouton-Odum authored a new book for parents of children with trichotillomania entitled "Stay Out of My Hair." Go to www.stayoutofmyhair.com for more information.

Check back for more news to come!!! Click here to view our current and past BTC Quarterly newsletters.

BTC Springtime Announcements

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:32:57 -0400

BTC is busy this Spring! These are some of the events that our staff will be taking part in:

February 22, 2009: Charles Mansueto presents on Tourettic OCD at the yearly conference of the Tourettes Syndrome Association of Greater Washington in Bethesda, MD.

March 3, 2009: Charles Mansueto presents on the relationship between OCD and Tourettes to mental health professionals at the monthly meeting of the Professionals’ Breakfast Group in Rockville, MD.

March 13, 2009: Charles Mansueto presents on the treatment of pathological indecision at the annual conference of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM.

March 18, 2009: Charles Mansueto presents on the treatment of Trichotillomania and skin picking at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

March 24, 2009: Elspeth Bell presents on understanding hoarding to the staff and volunteers of Rebuilding Together in Kensington, MD.

April 24, 2009: Elspeth Bell presents “Compulsive Hoarding: Identification and Treatment” to the City of Gaithersburg.

May 1-3, 2009: Charles Mansueto, Ruth Golomb, Sherrie Vavrichek, and Noah Weintraub present at the annual Trichotillomania Conference in Boston.

Now Available! Ruth Golomb and Suzanne Mouton-Odum authored a new book for parents of children with trichotillomania entitled "Stay Out of My Hair." Look at www.stayoutofmyhair.com for more information.

Check back for more news to come!!! Click here to view our current and past BTC Quarterly newsletters.

Winter BTC Announcements

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:28:37 -0500

Happy Holidays from BTC!!! We are having an exciting Winter here at BTC.

We are proud to announce that our new externs, Regina Chopp and Kristin Bianchi, are completing their first semester (time flies fast) and will be with us, providing top-notch affordable services for the rest of their academic year. We also are happy to have aboard a new staff therapist, Andrea Batton, LGPC, who has been working with Elspeth Bell, Ph.D. in BTC’s Hoarding Program. Ms. Batton received a Master of Science in Counseling and completed her graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to a professional focus on compulsive hoarding, she has particular interest in OCD and OC spectrum disorders.

Sadly, our intern from Bowie State, Arthelia Smith is graduating and moving on from BTC. We are proud of Ms. Smith and will miss her warmth and smiling face around our office.

In other BTC news, Ruth Golomb, LCPC, a senior staff member and co-director of our externship program, recently presented workshops on Cognitive Behavior Therapy Applied to families and Training and Supervision for the Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA). As her workshop was enthusiastically received, Ms. Golomb has been asked to continue providing workshops for JSSA for the following year.

On January 29, 2009 Elspeth Bell, Ph.D. will present “Compulsive Hoarding: Identification and Treatment” to the Montgomery County Department of Social Services.

Check back for more news to come!!! Click here to view our current and past BTC Quarterly newsletters.