Just Checking

OCD Collective
  • 5.0 (2)
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OCD therapists talk intrusive thoughts, scary themes, and why your brain can be a dick. If you are looking for reputable information that comes from some good friends then come and join us; Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes. Get involved by emailing ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com and following us on Instagram @justcheckingpod to contribute towards features and to request that we cover what you want to hear. Disclaimer: This podcast provides educational information only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support.

Episodes

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Episode 8: Relationship OCD: the shame, the doubt and the rumination loops

    Do you love your partner? Are you sure? What about now? Still sure? If your brain won't stop cross-examining your own feelings, this one's for you. In this episode, Jess and Laura dig into relationship OCD (rOCD) — the subtype that turns love into a courtroom and your own mind into the world's most annoying prosecutor. We cover what rOCD actually looks like, why it's so easy to mistake for genuine doubt, and how it gets you stuck in a loop of checking, reassurance-seeking, and mental reviewing that makes everything worse (classic OCD, honestly). We also get into retroactive jealousy, false memories (yes, including the "did I actually kiss someone at that party in 2009?" variety), where our weirdly perfectionist ideas about relationships come from, and how different treatment approaches can help you stop taking your brain spam quite so literally. Plus: The rOCD trap, some extra considerations for this subtype, and a surprise cameo in the Exposure Lab. Podcast by  Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapist and Jessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapist Edited by Christian Nickson Time stamps: 00:00 Relationship OCD Google searches 02:47 Intro and hello 04:40 Brain Spam 07:20 Why relationship OCD?  07:42 What is rOCD and what does it look like?  12:45 What might someone with rOCD do? 15:00 Where we get perfectionist views of relationships  19:49 The relationship OCD trap 23:20 Retroactive jealousy  24:00 Did I just kiss that person? And other false memories 27:20 Is this OCD or normal doubt? 36:19 How do we work with rOCD?  40:00 How different approaches can work for OCD 47:30 Extra considerations for this subtype of OCD 1:02:34 Exposure Lab and Peter's cameo 1:05:55 Goodbyes Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing  Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.  Disclaimer  This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

    1hr 6min

  2. 30 MAR

    Episode 7: Supporting the person, not the OCD

    Ever watched someone you love spiral and had no idea what to do — so you just… answered the question? Yeah. This week we're talking directly to the OCD support squad: partners, parents, siblings, and anyone else who's been accidentally colluding with OCD while trying to be a good human. We cover why OCD feels the way it does (brain spam, basically), the sneaky reassurance traps even the most well-meaning loved ones fall into, what to actually say instead, and how to look after yourself in all of this. Warm, honest, occasionally chaotic, and featuring Laura's chunky rims and some words that made Jess blush. Podcast by Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapist and Jessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapist Edited by Christian Nickson Time stamps: 00:40 Introductions and chunky rims 02:30 What we are covering and upcoming episodes 03:50 Brain spam 07:20 Recap of the OCD cycle 10:15 How OCD feels to someone with it 13:46 An example of what OCD is like for the person 18:00 Example of the impact of OCD on their loved one 20:02 Family accommodation and reinforcing the OCD 22:15 Reducing reassurance in a gradual and supportive way 26:42 Expectations and time frames for dropping reassurance 27:45 The reassurance trap and sneaky reassurance 30:30 Phrases to use instead of reassurance 31:15 The reassurance book 33:42 Validating the emotion, not the thoughts 34:30 Reassuring the person, not the OCD phrases 35:45 Managing the shame of a 'failed' exposure 36:40 Balancing care vs colliding with OCD when you need to manage your own emotions 39:07 Attending a therapy session 41:19 How to support exposures or behavioural experiments 47:18 Helping to advocate for a loved one with OCD 49:50 Neurodivergent considerations 52:10 Support for the supporter 54:00 What if the loved one doesn't want help? 57:18 What people with OCD want you to know 1:00:15 Do's and dont's 1:02:48 OCD Wins of the Week 1:04:13 Exposure Lab 1:06:15 Goodbye! Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to. Disclaimer This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

    1hr 7min

  3. 24 MAR

    Episode 6: Erp, do's and dont's, and practical therapy tips

    Convinced you'll be the one person who does Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) wrong? This one's for you. Jess Hayes and Laura Mole walk through how ERP actually works — who picks the exposures, how scary they need to be, and why you genuinely cannot fail — plus what happens when therapy ends. Exposure and Response Prevention is all about exposing yourself to your OCD fears (exposure) and then making active choices in not engaging in compulsions and avoidance (response prevention) to challenge the OCD, and it is often referred to as the 'gold standard' of OCD treatment. This episode explores why it can be a helpful approach, and future episodes will discuss some alternatives.  Podcast by  Laura Mole, Adv. Dip, MBACP OCD specialist therapist and Jessica Hayes, Msc PGDip, BABCP Accred OCD and perinatal specialist therapist and Christian Nickson, editor Time stamps: 02:00 Brain spam 05:20 OCD brains need to obsess 07:20 Compassionate other voices  09:20 Erp as the gold standard, what is it? 10:45 Amygdala, the brain, and the threat response  15:44 How erp fits into cognitive behavioural therapy 18:40 Which cbt treatments are unhelpful for OCD 21:45 Brody and their contamination OCD 24:20 How might erp look like for Brody? 26:30 What we don't do with erp 27:10 Do you have to immediately do exposures? 27:30 Who picks the exposures?  28:30 You are in control and what to do if you aren't ready? 29:28 You can't fail your erp 31:15 How scary should exposures be? How Brody tackles erp 34:29 What to do to make erp work? 36:00 How family and other support can help  41:10 What comes after therapy? 43:00 When does erp not work?  46:34 Erp is imperfect  49:05 Questions from the listeners: Erp and medication 51:20 Key takeaways for erp for OCD 51:55 OCD Weekly Wins 52:56 Exposure Lab feedback 55:20 Exposure Lab for contamination OCD 56:20 Thank you and goodbyes Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing  Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.  Disclaimer  This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

    58 min

  4. 17 MAR

    Episode 5: Checking, Vampires, and the OCD Cycle

    Come with us, Laura Mole and Jess Hayes, as we explore the 'checking' in 'Just Checking'. You get to hear about a day in the life of Shenrique, as we talk all about how they check to make sure that they aren't a bad person, then take a lesson from vampire superstitions to break the OCD loop. As always, you also get a look into our brain spam, and get to shout out your weekly OCD wins too.  Time Stamps: 01:30: Dramas through our week 07:00: What OCD Doris has been up to 10:30: Interoceptive differences in neurodivergence and health anxiety 13:15: Brain spam 18:48: Our story telling about checking clients 23:00: Epstein files, me too and OCD 23:20: Shenrique's checking compulsions in case they are a bad person 27:50: What checking actually does 28:40: Shout out to Elyse Myers  30:00: The OCD cycle and what keeps it going 31:25: Vampires and OCD to show what to aim for 37:49: Hierarchies and values-based erp lists 40:40: Do we have to do an exposure to everything on the list?  43:55: How do we help Shenrique? 45:40: More tolerance, not more certainty  46:40: OCD wins of the week 51:00: Questions from the listeners: OCD diagnosis 53:00: Exposure lab feedback from imaginal exposure 54:50: Exposure lab for checking  56:40: OCD being a big anxiety diverter 58:00: Goodbyes  Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing  Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.  Disclaimer  This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

    59 min

  5. 10 MAR

    Episode 4: Mental compulsions, real-event OCD, and Laura has to keep buffering.

    Join us, Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes, to really pick apart an OCD subtype that isn't talked about much. False memories and real-event OCD gets explored in this episode, you'll get to understand mental and invisible compulsions, and you even get a look into Jess' dog frustrations and Laura's big brain fails to get to know us more. We hope you have as much fun with it as we did.  Time stamps: 00:30 Jess talks Dobby the house elf 02:30 Introduction to real-event OCD 02:58 Exposure feedback from our self-care 09:10 Using our support systems  10:00 Spoon theory  12:30 How we felt releasing the podcast 13:50 Brain spam  19:00 Real event OCD and false memories, how it works 19:50 Why memory is unreliable, despite what your OCD says 24:00 Sexual shame memories  25:30 Mental compulsions and what they do 26:40 Laura starts buffering  30:45 Cancel culture and real-event OCD 32:40 Why is guilt there? 35:00 Perfect morals and values 37:00 Over-apologising and OCD 39:00 Mental compulsions vs just thinking  44:20 What is pure O? 44:58 Can erp work for mental compulsions?  46:20 The mental load of OCD 48:10 What we aim for in therapy for OCD 49:15 Dropping anchor to help with rumination 53:47 OCD wins of the week 55:00 Exposure lab 100:00 Goodbyes Disclaimer This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support. Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing  Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.

    1hr 1min

  6. 3 MAR

    Episode 3: OCD self-care, compassion, and how we try to k*ll off family members with our minds. 

    In this episode, we go through some of the wider factors that can make someone more susceptible to OCD, and some things that might have made previous therapy unsuccessful. Laura Mole talks through a way to build some self-compassion and Jessica Hayes shares some tips for those who are neurodivergent too. As always, we talk things through with a bit of humour and a whole lot of validation. So grab a brew, settle in, and listen to some friends get passionate about OCD.  In this episode: 00:40 Introduction and hello 01:20 Exposure lab feedback 05:30 Brain spam- our intrusive thoughts feature 13:40 Jess' book for children to protect people from OCD 15:55 Coping skills to tolerate exposures 18:04 Laura gets lost 18:35 Window of tolerance and why erp is sometimes too hard 20:25 How self-care fits into OCD therapy 22:32 Responsive self-care vs self-care compulsions 30:00 A list for when your amygdala is driving the bus and how loved ones can help 32:40 Self-esteem and how this plays into OCD 35:00 Neurodivergent self-regulation and sensory needs 41:20 Building self-compassion to help OCD 44:20 Laura's self-compassion exercise  49:40 OCD Wins of the Week 52 :00 Exposure Lab 54:30 Goodbyes Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing  Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.  Disclaimer  This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

    55 min

  7. 24 FEB

    Episode 2: OCD Myths, pranks, and a thousand chamber gun

    Join us, Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes, as we start to challenge myths around OCD and share some tips around what help can look like. Just two friends having a chat about something we are passionate about, hopefully in a way that makes you feel heard. You can listen to Laura pranking Jess and come along for the ride while we firm up some new features, and give you some food for thought around OCD too.  In this episode: 00:00 Intro and Laura's prank 03:26 Our training and approaches 07:12 Things our d*ckead brains have said this week 11:28 Resources for you 12:00 Exposure feedback 13:30 Therapist competencies and OCD help 17:35 You have to be tidy to have OCD, right? And other myths 24:35 OCD and the thousand chamber gun 27:50 OCD risk assessing, trust and personality traits 36:00 What if, just in case 37:20 Useful questionnaires 40:25 Helpful places to start challenging OCD 41:00 When things can be helpful vs reinforce the OCD 47:20 Exposures for the week 52:00 Goodbyes Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing  Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.  Disclaimer  This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support.

    53 min

  8. 17 FEB

    Episode 1: Visualising, Sourdough and Tank Tops

    An episode where you get to know us, Jess Hayes and Laura Mole, and our wonderful guest host, Jess Marriner. Grab a coffee and listen to three friends and therapists talk all things OCD and let us share some interesting insights you might not have considered. Prepare for some swearing, tangents, and genuinely useful knowledge too.  In this episode: 00:00 Intro and theme 03:00 Things our d*ckhead brains said this week 09:30 Visualising differences in OCD 15:00 Dreams in OCD, important? 16:30 Manifestation and other social media trends 19:10 Life as an OCD therapist 23:15 OCD search for certainty  24:00 How to know if it is OCD 34:30 What compulsions do we see? 36:15 What we want to hear from you 39:50 Taboo topics and Jess H's inappropriate surveys 42:30 Exposures from us 45:00 Goodbyes Disclaimer This podcast provides educational content only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support, please contact a mental health professional for advice and support. Get in Touch: Got intrusive thoughts to share or questions for us: Email us at ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: @justcheckingpod Please check out our privacy policy https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJZ4Sdh4OpxjRR9twGY6dOMH9n55Mq6qTqLBxOtN3Fw/edit?usp=sharing  Content Warnings: We do reference some thoughts that people may find distressing so please listen with caution if this is you, and take a break if you need to.

    46 min
  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

OCD therapists talk intrusive thoughts, scary themes, and why your brain can be a dick. If you are looking for reputable information that comes from some good friends then come and join us; Laura Mole and Jessica Hayes. Get involved by emailing ocdcollectiveuk@gmail.com and following us on Instagram @justcheckingpod to contribute towards features and to request that we cover what you want to hear. Disclaimer: This podcast provides educational information only and is not a substitute for professional mental health support.

Information

  • Creator
    OCD Collective
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © OCD Collective
  • Show Website
    Just Checking

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