COVID-19 Notice:
To ensure health and safety, GOAL group meetings will be held via Zoom teleconferencing. To join, at least 24 hours prior to the meeting time, please email Dr. Jordan Izzo, group coordinator at jordanizzo@behaviortherapycenter.com to receive the Zoom join link. Note that to attend, you must be an approved member. If you are not a current member, please email Dr. Izzo to arrange for a brief screening phone call.

BTC is pleased to announce we are now offering a G.O.A.L. (Giving Obsessive-Compulsives Another Lifestyle) group. The GOAL group is a professional-assisted group, meaning that while a therapist is present at every meeting, the group is run by members.  The group is free and is open to all OCD sufferers whether clients of the clinic or not.

Who is the group for?

1.     Adults, 18 and over who suffer from symptoms of OCD.  This group is not intended for sufferers of OCD related disorders, such as Hoarding Disorder, Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder), unless the individual has concurrent symptoms of OCD.

2.     GOALS group is intended as a support group not a substitute for appropriate psychotherapeutic services. Members must be showing safe behaviors in order to attend.  If you believe that you are a threat to your own or others’ safety, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.  If in crisis and in need of immediate help, contact Montgomery County Crisis Services at 240-777-4000.

3.     Guest speakers and family members are only permitted to attend the group periodically as an exception under the condition that the members who are present have first given unanimous verbal consent.

Purpose of the meetings

1.     Provide a place to discuss issues directly and indirectly relevant to OCD,

2.     Foster and support individuals with taking control over their OCD symptoms (goal planning); and

3. Allow informal socializing.

Due to limited space, BTC clients will be given priority and up to 5 members from outside of BTC will be welcome to participate. No charge to attend.  Members are encouraged to bring snacks and drinks for the informal socializing portion of the meeting.  Please contact Jordan Izzo, Psy.D. at jordanizzo@behaviortherapycenter.com for inquiries about joining the group.

Guidelines for GOAL Group members

1. Please be on time.

2. Adopt a nonjudgmental attitude toward other members. You can display a nonjudgmental attitude by listening intently, imagining what it is like in the other members’ shoes and making supportive rather than critical statements.

3. One person speaks at a time. Wait until others are finished talking before you speak and refrain from side conversations while others are speaking.

4. During discussion, refrain from disrespectful behavior (jokes about what someone said, interruptions, sarcasm, etc.) Therapists will let you know if they believe you are crossing the line of respect.

5. Please respect the other members’ time. Try to monitor how much time you are using while you speak, and allow others equal time to speak as well. BTC therapists may redirect the discussions to give everyone a fair chance to speak.

6. Refrain from using cell phones, tablets, computers during the meeting. Please step out if you need to answer a call, text or email. Please be attentive while others are speaking.

Your continued participation is contingent on following the above guidelines.

See important COVID-19 notice above

Hello GOAL members. Please note that due to lack of available staffing to assist GOAL group at the frequency of every 2 weeks, we are needing to change the frequency of meetings to once every 4 weeks. Thanks for understanding.

Schedule

We will be meeting during the following Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. at BTC:

  • September 13th, 2023 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Brad Hufford, LCSW-C)

  • October 4th, 2023 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: CANCELLED due to technology issues)

  • November 1st, 2023 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Amanda Benzing, LGPC)

  • December 6th, 2023 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Charles Mansueto, Ph.D.)

  • January 3rd, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Dominique Abunassar, LGPC)

  • February 7th, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Jordan Izzo, Psy.D.)

  • March 6th, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Brad Huffed, LCSW-C)

  • April 3rd, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Amanda Benzing, LGPC)

  • May 1st, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Charles Mansueto, Ph.D.)

  • June 5th, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Dominique Abusnassar, LGPC)

  • July 3rd, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Jordan Izzo, Psy.D.)

  • August 7th, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Brad Hufford, LCSW-C)

  • September 4th, 2024 (7:00pm - 9:00pm - Facilitator: Amanda Benzing, LGPC)

CHECK BACK PERIODICALLY WITH THE ABOVE SCHEDULE FOR ANY POSSIBLE CHANGES OR UNEXPECTED CANCELLATIONS.  Please contact Dr. Jordan Izzo at jordanizzo@behaviortherapycenter.com with any questions about the GOAL group or the schedule.