Show Notes
When Therapists Spiral Too: What OCD Taught Us About Ourselves
Can therapists get caught in the same OCD traps as their clients? Absolutely. In this honest and vulnerable episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Tori Miller and Dr Dr Celin Gelgec pull back the curtain on a real moment where a late-night social media post sent Celine into an OCD-style spiral of doubt, reassurance seeking and perfectionism. What started as curiosity quickly became hours of researching, second-guessing herself and questioning everything she thought she knew. Using this experience, they explore one of the most important concepts in OCD treatment: transference and countertransference. They discuss how therapists can unknowingly absorb a client's uncertainty, feel the urge to rescue, reassure or change course, and why recognising these reactions is essential for effective treatment. This episode is a powerful reminder that clinicians are human too. The goal isn't to eliminate uncertainty or become the perfect therapist—it's to notice what's happening, stay grounded, and continue modelling the very skills we ask our clients to practise every day. Whether you're an OCD clinician, a mental health professional, or someone living with OCD, this conversation offers valuable insight into perfectionism, uncertainty, and why learning to tolerate not knowing is at the heart of recovery.
In this episode you'll learn:
How therapists can become caught in the same uncertainty loops as their clients. What transference and countertransference look like in OCD treatment. Why noticing your own urges to rescue, reassure or "fix" can make you a better clinician.
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More from Breaking the Rules: A Clinician's Guide to Treating OCD
This one's for the parents. In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Tori Miller tackle one of the most common questions they hear from families - I think my child might have OCD. Where do I even start?
OCD or Anxiety? It's Not a Black and White Question
ERP is the gold standard for OCD. But what happens when it's not enough on its own? In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Tori Miller explore one of the most important — and least talked about — questions in OCD treatment: when and how to bring in other therapeutic modalities, and how to do it without abandoning the principles that make ERP work. Tori shares what traditional manualized ERP actually looked like in the early days of her career — rate your SUDS, watch the clock, wait for the anxiety to come down — and how the field has shifted since the inhibitory learning model changed the way we think about exposure. Celin reflects on her experience of always working in an integrated way, and why the principles of ACT have always felt like ERP to her — because they are. They also get honest about the moments when ERP becomes a battle. When the exposure menu turns into a war. When a client has every reason in the world not to engage — and what to do instead. Whether you're a clinician looking to expand your toolkit or someone living with OCD who's wondered why their therapist keeps talking about values and mindfulness - this episode will change how you think about what treatment can look like.
Four years in, and we're going back to basics. In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Celin and Tori walk through the full OCD assessment process from the ground up - because with new listeners joining and so much focus on treatment in recent episodes, it felt like the right time to start at the beginning.
Sex & OCD: The Theme No One Wants to Talk About