Ep178: OCD In Kids, Explained Clearly with Sierra Dator

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OCD in kids can hide in plain sight and it rarely looks like the stereotypes. If you’ve ever watched your child get stuck on a “not right” feeling, repeat a question for reassurance, or redo a routine until it clicks, you already know how confusing and exhausting it can be for the whole family. We sit down with licensed clinical social worker Sierra Dator to translate what’s really happening in the OCD cycle, using clear language parents can actually use at home.

We break down obsessive compulsive disorder into its two moving parts: obsessions (sticky, intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (the actions or mental rituals that bring short-term relief). A big focus is the stuff you can’t see, like internal checking, mental counting, and quiet rituals that keep parents guessing. We also draw a practical line between generalized anxiety and OCD, including why OCD thoughts can feel stranger, more random, and harder to dismiss, and why giving the pattern a name can reduce shame instead of creating it.

From assessment tools like the Yale-Brown checklist to the treatment that works best, we get specific about exposure and response prevention (ERP therapy), why it’s considered the gold standard for pediatric OCD, and what it looks like when you’re pacing ERP for a child’s development. We also talk about parents as part of the process, how progress can “snowball” once one symptom shifts, and why early intervention can keep OCD from getting entrenched over the years.

If you know a parent who’s quietly worried, share this with them, then subscribe and leave a review so more families can find evidence-based OCD help.

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