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Treating Intrusive Thoughts in Children and Teens: Developmental Adaptations and Collaboration with Parents
This presentation will be an ONLINE VIRTUAL LIVE broadcast on September 18, 2026, from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET. While this activity is LIVE and can only be viewed during the time specified, the evaluation will be available online until October 16, 2026. Go to the Overview tab to learn how to participate for continuing education credit, watch the broadcast and download the slides.
The views and opinions expressed by this presenter in this lecture are their own, and do not represent the views of Sheppard Pratt.
Obsessive thoughts with violent, sexual, suicidal or religious content can be highly distressing and impairing for children and teens. Whereas exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the established treatment for pediatric OCD, there is limited literature on the application of ERP for intrusive thoughts in youth. The inherently counterintuitive nature of exposure can increase treatment reluctance in children and teens. Moreover, clinicians may find it challenging to adapt ERP for taboo thoughts, manage their own discomfort navigating ERP, or persuade youth to engage in treatment.
Drawing on over 25 years of experience, Dr. Wagner provides a structured and practical ERP approach for intrusive thoughts in youth, highlighting developmental flexibility, collaboration with parents, and respect for family and cultural values. She emphasizes the importance of cultivating treatment readiness and offers four systematic steps to optimize readiness. Using case examples, Dr. Wagner illustrates developmentally-suitable language, metaphors, steps in ERP, and how to engage parents in their child’s treatment.
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 challenges in the treatment of intrusive thoughts in children and teens.
- Summarize the steps of a child-friendly ERP approach to intrusive thoughts that emphasizes treatment readiness.
- Discuss strategies to collaborate with parents in their child's treatment and to reduce accommodation of OCD.
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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.
For more information on how to participate in this course, please read to the bottom of the page to review all of the directions.
For directions on how to participate in the program, refer to the FAQ page.
To participate in the interactive synchronous distance learning format course, you will download the handout, watch a webcast of the live broadcast hosted through Notified, 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 available for immediate download. The certificate will also be saved in your account transcript.
Outline of Activity:
1:00- 1:05 pm: Introduction
1:06- 1:50 pm: Presentation
1:51- 2:00 pm: Q&A
2:00 pm: End of event
Registration closes on September 18, 2026, at 12:59 am ET. The course expires and cannot be completed after October 16, 2026.
Please contact [email protected], if you have questions, concerns, grievances, or for ADA accommodations.
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TO EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE
1. Before the Event
- Log in to Your Ethos Account:
Access your Sheppard Pratt Ethos account and locate the activity by series, title, or speaker name. - Register for the Course:
Go to the Register tab, click the green Take Course button, and follow the prompts. - Complete the Pretest.
Note: You cannot proceed beyond this point until your attendance is confirmed by entering the codeword. - Access the Broadcast Link:
Close out of the course and go back to the Overview Tab of the course page to access the broadcast link. The live broadcast link is located on the Overview tab of the course page. You do not need the codeword to watch the broadcast.
2. Register to Watch the Live Broadcast (Separate from Course Registration)
Important: This registration is different from registering for the course in Ethos. You must complete both registrations to watch the broadcast and earn credit.
How to Register:
- Click the Broadcast Registration Link (also located in the Overview tab): https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/QReg/ShowUUID=67086ADF-6B7D-4F6F-9FA3-7C09736EE3F5
- Enter your first name, last name, and email address. Click Submit.
How to Join:
- At the scheduled time, use the same link.
- If you have already registered, scroll down and click Already Registered, then enter your registered email address and click Submit.
- The broadcast link will be active at 12:30 PM.
3. Download the Handout
- The handout will be available for download on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET.
Download Handout:
4. During the Event
- Attendance Verification:
A codeword will be announced during the live broadcast. This codeword confirms your attendance and unlocks the remaining required components for credit. - How to Submit the Codeword:
- Via Website: Go to https://cme.sheppardpratt.org/code and enter the codeword.
- Via SMS: Text the codeword to 410-291-8061.
Tip: Save this number in your contacts for convenience. - Via Course Progress Bar: You can type in the codeword in the box where it asks for it after you complete the Pretest.
Important:
The codeword submission window remains open for nearly four weeks. High traffic may cause delays immediately after the event. If the system is slow, wait and try again later.
5. After the Lecture
- Go to My Account > Pending Courses and select the course by clicking the course title.
- Click Take Course and use the navigation buttons in the lower right corner for best results.
- Complete all components in the Course Progress Bar:
- Posttest
- Evaluation
- Credit designation
- Once completed, the certificate will be available for immediate download. Your transcript will reflect the earned credits.
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page or email [email protected]
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There is no commercial support for this activity.
About the speaker
Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., is a clinical child psychologist, member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and Director of The Anxiety Wellness Center in Cary, North Carolina. Dr. Wagner specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and OCD in adults, teens and children, and developed the child-friendly Worry Hill® approach to CBT. She is an international speaker for clinician, school, youth and parent audiences, and has been training clinicians through the IOCDF’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute continuously since 2000. Dr. Wagner was awarded the Patricia Perkins Service Award by the IOCDF in 2026.
Dr. Wagner has been awarded the Self-Help Book Recommendation by the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) for the highest level of evidence-based best practices for her books Worried No More: Help and Hope for Anxious Children, Up and Down the Worry Hill: A Children's Book about OCD, and What to do when your Child has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Strategies and Solutions. She is also the author of several clinical resources for professionals, including the Treatment of OCD in Children and Adolescents: Professional's Kit. www.anxietywellness.com
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.
Aureen Pinto Wagner, PhD, reports that she is the owner of Aureeen P. Wagner, PhD, PLLC, and is a stockhold in Lighthouse Press, during 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, Faith Dickerson, PhD, MPH, Carrie Etheridge, LCSW-C, Tom Flis, MS, BCBA, LBA, LCPC, Paula Bostwick, MSN, RN, CENP, 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 live 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 I 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 I credits for Social Workers
- 1.00 Psychologists
- 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
- 1.00 Participation
Directions to attend and complete the activity for credit are located on the Overview tab.
Click the Take Course button to proceed into the course to complete the requirements for credit.
Required Hardware/software
Optimal System Configuration
Flash Player: Adobe Flash Player 10.1+
Browser: Firefox 3+, Internet Explorer 8.0+, Safari 4.0+, or Google Chrome 7.0+
Operating System: Windows XP+ or Mac OS X 10.4+
Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher
Minimum Requirements
Windows PC: 500-MHz Pentium II; Windows XP or higher; 128 MB RAM; Video Card at least 64MB of video memory; Sound Card at least 16-bit; Macromedia Flash Player 10 or higher, audio playback with speakers for programs with video content; Firefox 1.1+, Internet Explorer 7.0+, Safari 1.0+, Google Chrome, or Opera
Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.3 or higher with latest updates installed; 1.83MHz Intel Core Duo or faster; RAM: 128MB or more; Video Card: at least 64MB of video memory; Sound Card: at least 16-bit
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.