
Accepting What Can't Be Changed and Changing What Can
This presentation was originally reviewed on December 11, 2025, and live streamed online on December 12, 2025, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET.
The views and opinions expressed by this presenter in this lecture are their own, and do not represent the views of Sheppard Pratt.
Few providers treat both OCD and Substance Use Disorder (SUD), yet the need is clear. A 2025 review estimates lifetime co-occurrence rates between 4.3–62.4% (Akosile et al., 2025). Even the lowest end of that range means most clinicians will encounter patients struggling with both.
When OCD and SUD interact, the consequences can be devastating. Drinking to escape intrusive thoughts or being triggered after substance use can create a feedback loop that risks overdose and death. Treating one disorder in isolation often leads to relapse in the other.
Because these conditions share underlying processes, effective care requires addressing both together. This presentation introduces a unified framework for conceptualizing OCD and SUD, highlighting how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can support their concurrent treatment and help close the current provider gap.
Target Audience
This activity is intended for physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other mental health professionals.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, attendees will be able to:
- Identify functional similarities between OCD and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) case conceptualization and treatment.
- Describe several presentations of co-occurring OCD and Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
- Apply ACT interventions to co-occurring OCD/Substance Use Disorder (SUD) presentations.
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This is a recorded asynchronous distance learning format course where you will download the handout, watch a video recording, and complete the required pretest, posttest, evaluation, and attestation for credit. Once you have completed all the components of the Course Progress bar, the certificate will be immediately downloadable. The certificate will also be saved in your account transcript.
Outline of Activity:
Introduction- 5 minutes
Presentation- 45 minutes
Q&A- 10 minutes
Price: Free. All courses offered through Sheppard Pratt are free of charge. There is no need to cancel if you cannot attend or complete a course, as no refund is necessary. Not completing an activity acts as a cancellation.
There is no registration required for this course. The course expires and cannot be completed after January 20, 2028.
To request accessibility accommodations please contact [email protected].
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Originally reviewed on December 11, 2025.
Originally broadcast live December 12, 2025, from 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET.
Enduring Activity Credit Expiration Date: January 20, 2028.
Activity Time: One hour recorded webinar lecture with a 15-minute evaluation process. Total Time: 1:15.
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After the video follow the prompts to complete the posttest, evaluation, and attestation of credit.
Once you have completed all the components of the Course Progress bar, the certificate will be immediately downloadable.
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About the speaker
Lauren Rosen, LMFT, has dedicated her career to providing compassionate, evidence-based psychotherapy to those with OCD and Anxiety Disorders. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with her BA in Psychology, earned her master’s in clinical psychology from Antioch University, and trained at the OCD Center of Los Angeles. In 2022, Lauren founded the Center for the Obsessive Mind, an outpatient clinic serving individuals in California, Florida, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and select other states and countries. She and her team use ERP, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to help people take their lives back from anxiety, distress and intrusive thoughts. Lauren is the author of The Mental Compulsions Workbook for OCD. You can find Lauren on Instagram and via the Purely OCD Podcast.
Disclosure Statements
Sheppard Pratt holds the standard that its continuing medical education programs should be free of commercial bias and conflict of interest. In accord with Sheppard Pratt's Disclosure Policy, as well as standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Medical Association (AMA), all planners, reviewers, speakers and persons in control of content have been asked to disclose any relationship he /she has with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months. All planners, reviewers and speakers have also been asked to disclose any payments accepted for this lecture from any entity besides Sheppard Pratt, and if there will be discussion of any products, services, or off-label uses of product(s) during this presentation.
Lauren Rosen, LMFT, reports being the owner of The Center for the Obsessive Mind, A Marriage & Family Therapy Corporation, and is an author with New Harbinger Publications within the past 24 months. She will not discuss any products, services, or off-label uses in this presentation. All relationships have been mitigated through review.
Event Planners/Reviewers Disclosures: The following event planners and/or reviewers are reported as having no financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months: Jon Hershfield, LCMFT, Todd Peters, MD, Michael C. Hann, MD, MBA, Ronald Means, MD, Rajeev Krishna, MD, PhD, MBA, Louis Marino, MD, Devi Bhuyan, PsyD, Manan Shah, MD, Vittoria DeLucia, MD, Chad J. Lennon, MD, Crystal DeVito, PhD, Faith Dickerson, PhD, MPH, Carrie Etheridge, LCSW-C, Tom Flis, MS, BCBA, LBA, LCPC, Paula Bostwick, MSN, RN, CENP, Alfredo Sagisi, DNP, MS, RN, FACHE, Maggie O'Neill MSN, RN, PMH-BC, Lisa Illum, MLIS, MEd, and Jennifer Tornabene.
Physician Statement: Sheppard Pratt is accredited by The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. Sheppard Pratt designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurse Statement: Sheppard Pratt is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Maryland Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. This activity provides 1.0 contact hour for nurses.
Psychologist Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a sponsor of continuing education. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CE activity. Sheppard Pratt designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 contact hour for Psychologists.
Social Worker Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners of Maryland to offer continuing education for Social Workers. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CE activity. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour in Category II credits for Social Workers.
Counselor Statement: Sheppard Pratt has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5098. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Sheppard Pratt is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This activity is available for 1.0 NBCC clock hours.
Available Credit
- 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
- 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- 1.00 Category II credits for Social Workers
- 1.00 Psychologists
- 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
- 1.00 Participation
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Hardware/Software Specifications
This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using Internet Explorer 8+, Mozilla Firefox 3+, Safari 4+. This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

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