Journey to Becoming an ERP Specialist
Any clinician can specialize in ERP and there is not a specific route that will help you to accomplish that goal. However, since the OCD community is relatively small, few training programs/information exist that are readily available as well as specialists with availability to hold supervision/consultation groups. This makes the process even more difficult for clinicians & students of color trying to reach this status. Specializations are not always a topic of discussion in graduate school and choosing one can feel like a life altering decision. Hopefully with this brief guide, the process will not feel as overwhelming as it can look.
Benefits for BIPOC Clinician
Before going into the specifics of how to specialize, let’s look at why this could be beneficial especially for a clinician of color. Finding a specialization in the field of psychology allows you to be one step closer to finding your niche; that specific audience that you want to target for treatment in therapy. Clinicians of color are already more in demand than they have ever been before with increased talk of mental health following the global pandemic, nonetheless they only make up 23% of all current clinicians. The number of BIPOC clinicians that specialize in OCD is even smaller; with 1 in every 4 people having an OCD diagnosis this does not leave a lot of options for the clients of color diagnosed with OCD.
Specializing in ERP
The one thing everyone can agree on is that specializing in OCD requires a graduate degree of some kind in psychology/social work/something very similar. If you are fortunate enough to be reading this before graduating AND know you want to specialize in ERP (first of all, wow), try to incorporate ERP into your studies as much as possible. The easiest ways to do this could include identifying a practice/clinic that is known to treat OCD and securing an internship or practicum. The more creative ways might include utilizing ERP into homework assignments or projects when it’s appropriate to do so. For example, you could give a presentation on how you would structure an ERP group therapy curriculum.
Not able to incorporate ERP into your studies, no worries! There are a couple more options that assist in gaining that specific knowledge to choose from and hopefully at least one if not all can be incorporated within a busy graduate school schedule.
Reading ERP Specific Books
- Treatment Manuals, Workbooks, Novels
Reading Articles about ERP
- Peer-reviewed, Professional Blogs, Personal Blogs
Watching Videos on ERP
- Educational, Testimonials, Documentaries
Attend ERP Specific Conferences
- In-person, Online, Retreats
If you are not fortunate enough to read this before you graduate, don’t fret because it is definitely not too late. If you have not already, get a license that allows you to work with clients in a clinical setting (i.e. LPC, LCSW, Psychologist, etc). If you have not completed your 3,000 hours, or whatever ridiculous number your state requires, this is your opportunity to explore different modalities and populations you think you want to work with moving forward. Many clinics will hire students to offer services at a discounted rate to provide a sliding scale option for clients, which will typically include a regular supervision for discussing current clients and asking questions for guidance. If renewing your license is a part of your regular routine, it is still not too late so no stress in that department. Sometimes OCD clinics consider experience with ERP a requirement for hire, in order to gain experience you could try one of the following:
ERP Supervision- Many ERP Specialists offer specific one on one supervision around various ERP cases a clinician might have where they can ask questions, get suggestions, and receive an outside perspective.
Consultation Groups- Often because of lack of availability, ERP specialists will offer supervision in group form regularly, where several clinician meet to discuss any particularly difficult ERP case they might have at the time or offer a new set of eyes for a clinician needing guidance.
Maintaining Specialist Status Sometimes starting a specialization can cause feelings of imposter syndrome to creep into the mind. In these times it can be helpful to remind yourself of all the work you did to get to this point and discuss these feelings in supervision or a consultation group. Many clinicians choose to continue to meet for group consultation throughout their careers, but it is not necessary. Clinicians also find a group they enjoy and pop in whenever they need to check-in instead of on a continued schedule often as a result of not having enough availability to accommodate that in their schedule. To supplement for not attending as many consultation groups, these clinicians will sometimes complete ERP specific CEUs to maintain knowledge.