State-of-the-art Continuing Education

Expert Instructors

Convenient Online Learning

Course curriculum

    1. Seminar Video

    1. Post-Test

    1. Course Evaluation Survey

About this course

  • $59.00
  • CE Credits: 2.0 hours
  • Self-Paced, On-Demand Course
  • Level: Beginning - Intermediate

About This Course

When the topic of Jewish clients and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) receives attention, the focus is often on ultra-religious Jews and scrupulosity (Huppert, Siev, Kushner, 2007). However, Judaism is much more complex than religious beliefs and practice. Jews are an ethnoreligion whose members have a shared cultural identity, religious practices, rituals, beliefs that span more than three thousand years. Culture can impact the content of both obsessions and compulsions (Hassan, et al, 2024) and the way in which providers ethically and sensitively approach assessing and treating OCD (Williams, Rouleau, La Torre, Sharif, 2020). This presentation looks at historical, cultural, present day, and (yes) religious issues that can impact OCD presentations in Jewish patients, and ways to adapt treatment, as well as separate out realistic fears and superstitious customs from OCD.


Course Created: June 2025

Learning Objectives

At the completion of the course, participants will be able to:

  • List three specific obsessions or compulsions that could be impacted by Jewish identity.


  • Describe three specific ways assessment and treatment of OCD in Jewish clients might be adapted/adjusted to address cultural differences in these clients.


  • Describe how a therapist might distinguish between a cultural practice or realistic fear versus a symptom of OCD.


Instructor(s)

Michelle Witkin, PhD

Psychologist, Private Practice; Faculty, International OCD Foundation Behavior Therapy Training Institute

Michelle Witkin, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with over 30 years experience. She is in private practice in Valencia, CA, where she specializes in treating children, teens, and adults with OCD and anxiety disorders. She is a regular presenter at conferences and on podcasts, and volunteers extensively leading support groups for anxiety and OCD sufferers and their loved ones. Dr. Witkin has specialized interests in how OCD and Jewish identity interact and how the menopausal transition impacts women’s mental health. She is a Clinical Fellow of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Continuing Education

Course Approvals

  • The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC is not responsible to verify that American Psychological Association continuing education credits are approved by an attendee's respective state licensing Board.


  • The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0189. Provider Name:  The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC Address: 1910 Route 70, E, Suite 7, Cherry Hill, NJ  08003-2123 Email address: [email protected] 


  • The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No.7263. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.


  • The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC, #1820, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 6/15/2023 - 6/15/2026. 

State-of-the-art Continuing Education

Expert Instructors

Convenient Online Learning

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