THE PARENT OCD ACADEMY
Your Child Has OCD. What Are You Supposed to Do at Home?
An 8-week live program for parents who want to understand OCD, reduce family accommodation, and learn how to respond when OCD shows up in everyday family life.
Because your child's treatment doesn't end when they leave the therapist's office.
Reassurance at bedtime.
Meltdowns when you don't participate in a ritual.
The same question asked for the tenth time.
Avoiding activities because OCD says they're unsafe.
Changing family routines to keep the peace.
You may understand that these patterns can become part of the OCD cycle.
But knowing that doesn't necessarily tell you what to do instead.
That's what the Parent OCD Academy is for.
October 5–November 23, 2026
Mondays • 7:00–8:30 PM ET • Live on Zoom
$995 per family through September 15
Your Child's OCD Doesn't Stay in the Therapy Room.
You want to help your child. You want to make things easier. And sometimes the things that feel most helpful in the moment can unintentionally give OCD more power.
Maybe you've been told to “stop accommodating.”
But what does that actually mean when your child is crying? When they're asking you for reassurance? When refusing to help feels like you're making their distress worse?
That's where things get complicated.
The Parent OCD Academy helps you understand how to respond to OCD without getting pulled into the cycle yourself.
You'll learn how to support your child's recovery without supporting the OCD—and how to tolerate the discomfort that comes with making those changes.
Learn What to Do in the Moments That Matter
Over eight weeks, we'll help you move from understanding OCD intellectually to knowing how to respond when you're standing in the middle of it.
When your child asks, “Are you sure?”
Learn how reassurance-seeking works—and how to respond without getting pulled into an endless cycle of answering, explaining, and checking.
When your child melts down because you won't participate in a ritual
Learn how to hold boundaries around OCD while remaining compassionate and connected.
When your child's anxiety becomes your anxiety
Learn how to help your child—and yourself—remember that feelings are uncomfortable, not emergencies. Anxiety rises, peaks, and passes without requiring you to make it go away.
When your child avoids something that feels terrifying
Understand avoidance and learn how parents can support gradual movement toward the things OCD is telling their child to avoid.
When your child is doing Exposure and Response Prevention
Understand what ERP is actually asking your child to do—and how you can support treatment without becoming their therapist.
When the whole family is being affected
Learn to recognize accommodation, change family patterns, and help siblings and other family members stop organizing their lives around OCD.
When you're not sure what to do
Develop a framework for responding to new situations, setbacks, and uncertainty without needing to figure everything out from scratch.
Learn From OCD Treatment Specialists
The Parent OCD Academy brings together behavioral and psychiatric expertise to give parents a fuller understanding of OCD treatment—and, most importantly, how to apply it to family life.
You'll learn from OCD specialists with expertise in ERP, family accommodation, and psychiatric treatment, including where medication may fit alongside behavioral treatment.
Erin and Niles Cook, PsyD, bring the behavioral and ERP perspective. Madeleine Hao, PMHNP, brings psychiatric expertise, including medication treatment for OCD.
Together, we help parents understand not only how OCD works and how to respond to it, but also how the different pieces of treatment can work together.
What the 8 Weeks Look Like
The Parent OCD Academy is a live, interactive program for parents of children and adolescents with OCD.
Each week combines practical OCD education, real-life examples, discussion, and strategies you can begin using at home.
You'll learn. You'll ask questions. You'll practice. And you'll leave each session knowing what to try next.
Week 1
Understanding OCD
What OCD is, how it works, and why well-intentioned attempts to help can sometimes keep the cycle going.
Week 2
The OCD Cycle
Learn to recognize obsessions, compulsions, avoidance, reassurance-seeking, and accommodation in everyday family life.
Week 3
Reassurance & Family Accommodation
Understand why reassurance is so compelling—and learn what to do instead.
Week 4
Supporting ERP at Home
Learn what ERP is asking your child to do and how parents can support the process without becoming the therapist.
Week 5
Big Feelings, Meltdowns & Resistance
Learn how to respond when your child is overwhelmed, angry, scared, or pushing back against changes to the OCD cycle.
Week 6
Avoidance & Moving Toward What Matters
Learn how to support your child's movement toward the things OCD has been telling them to avoid.
Week 7
OCD in Everyday Family Life
School, activities, siblings, routines, travel, sleep, and the situations where OCD can quietly take over.
Week 8
Setbacks, Uncertainty & the Long Game
Learn how to respond when OCD flares up, how to recognize progress, and how to keep moving forward after the program ends.
By the End of the Academy, You'll Be Better Able to:
Recognize when OCD is driving a behavior or interaction
Respond to reassurance-seeking without getting pulled into the cycle
Reduce family accommodation in a thoughtful, gradual way
Set boundaries around OCD while staying connected to your child
Support your child's ERP without becoming their therapist
Respond to anxiety and meltdowns without trying to make the anxiety disappear
Navigate avoidance and encourage your child toward what matters
Recognize when OCD is affecting siblings and the rest of the family
Handle setbacks without feeling like you've failed
Know what to do when you're faced with a situation you haven't encountered before
Your Enrollment Includes
8 live 90-minute sessions
Mondays, 7:00–8:30 PM ET on Zoom
Expert instruction from OCD treatment professionals
Learn from licensed psychologists specializing in OCD and ERP, along with a psychiatric provider who can speak to the role of medication in OCD treatment.
Parent workbook and practical resources
Materials to help you follow along during the program and apply what you're learning between sessions.
Live Q&A
Bring your questions and get guidance on applying the concepts to your own family.
Your Academy Team
Niles Cook, PsyD
Founder of Red Elm Psychotherapy and Clinical psychologist specializing in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), adolescent OCD, and motivational interviewing, with over 10 years of focused experience treating OCD and anxiety disorders.
Lead Behavioral Educator (Red Elm Psychotherapy)
Madeleine Hao, DNP
Board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in OCD, anxiety disorders, and reproductive psychiatry. Dr. Hao provides evidence-based psychiatric care and family-centered OCD education for children, adolescents, and adults.
Lead Psychiatric Educator (Nova Family Health)
Program Director (Red Elm Psychotherapy)Erin Cook, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist and Founder of Red Elm Psychotherapy. Dr. Cook designed the Academy's curriculum and operational framework, and joins the cohort in Week 7 as the guest expert on school accommodations and NoVA 504 planning.
Is the Parent OCD Academy Right for Your Family?
The Academy may be a good fit if your child:
Has been diagnosed with OCD or is experiencing significant OCD symptoms
Is engaging in reassurance-seeking, rituals, avoidance, or other compulsive behaviors
Is currently in ERP or another form of OCD treatment
Is struggling to make progress despite treatment
Has OCD that is affecting siblings, routines, school, activities, or family relationships
It's also a good fit if you've been told to stop accommodating but aren't sure what that actually looks like in your family.
You don't need to be an OCD expert. You don't need to have all the answers.
You just need to be ready to learn a different way of responding.
A Note About the Parent OCD Academy
The Parent OCD Academy is an educational program for parents and caregivers. It is not individual therapy for your child and does not replace OCD treatment.
If your child is already working with an OCD therapist, the Academy can help you better understand their treatment and support that work at home.
Tuition & Registration
The October 2026 cohort is limited to 25 families so we can keep the program interactive and leave room for questions.
Early-Bird Tuition: $995 per family
Available through September 15, 2026, or until the cohort is full.
Standard Tuition: $1,200 per family
Applies to registrations after September 15.
Registration Includes:
8 live 90-minute virtual sessions
Instruction from OCD and ERP specialists, including behavioral and psychiatric expertise
Parent workbook and practical resources
Live Q&A throughout the program
Materials shipped directly to your home
Secure Your Early Bird Spot Today
Important Educational Disclaimer: This program is a high-level psychoeducational workshop only. It is not a therapy or treatment group. Participation does not establish a therapeutic, psychiatric, psychological, or medical treatment relationship with the facilitators or their respective practices. This program does not provide individualized mental health diagnosis, crisis services, or direct medical care. Families requiring individualized treatment should seek direct clinical services with a licensed provider.
The Parent OCD Academy (8-Week Educational Intensive)
A structured, 8-week virtual educational masterclass designed to give parents a clear, evidence-based roadmap for understanding pediatric and adolescent OCD and implementing effective response strategies at home.
Created by Dr. Erin Cook and led weekly by Dr. Niles Cook, PsyD (Red Elm Psychotherapy) and Madeleine Hao, DNP (Nova Family Health).
Your Enrollment Includes:
Live Instruction: All 8 live, 90-minute virtual seminars via Zoom (Launching October 2026).
Physical Academy Deliverables: Premium 3-ring physical Academy Manual and a Laminated Interactive Whiteboard Dashboard shipped directly to your home.
Dual-Expert Curriculum: Dynamic weekly modules covering both psychiatric/neurobiological perspectives and behavioral/ERP core principles.
NoVA School Strategy: Special Week 7 guest lecture by Dr. Erin Cook on navigating Northern Virginia school systems, avoiding classroom accommodation leaks, and building Therapeutic 504 plans.
Please Note: This program is strictly educational and psychoeducational. Participation is limited to 25 families and does not establish a therapeutic, psychiatric, psychological, or medical treatment relationship with the facilitators or their respective practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. The Parent OCD Academy is designed for parents and caregivers. Your child does not attend the sessions.
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No. The Academy can be helpful whether your child is just beginning treatment, currently participating in ERP, or you're trying to determine the next step.
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Yes. Madeleine Hao, PMHNP, will provide psychiatric perspective on OCD treatment, including the role medication can play and how medication may work alongside ERP.
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No. The Parent OCD Academy is a parent education program and does not replace individual or family therapy for your child.
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Yes. Registration is per family, so both parents/caregivers are welcome to participate.
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The educational portion of each session will be recorded and available to enrolled families through January 31, 2027. We encourage attending live whenever possible so you can participate in the live Q&A. Q&A will not be recorded to protect participant privacy.
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone.
You've been told what not to do.
Now learn what you can do.
Join the Fall Parent OCD Academy to better understand your child's OCD, respond differently when OCD shows up, and support your child's recovery without letting OCD run the family.
October 5–November 23, 2026
Mondays • 7:00–8:30 PM ET • Live on Google Meet
$995 per family through September 15