Bubrick Center for Pediatric OCD

The Bubrick Center for Pediatric OCD, a new center at the Child Mind Institute, is dedicated to expanding clinical services for children and families affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions.

Named for Jerry Bubrick, PhD, who was a nationally recognized expert in the diagnosis and treatment of OCD, the Bubrick Center is focused on advancing evidence-based treatment and driving innovation in OCD care. Our team provides individual treatment for thousands of children across the New York metro area, the San Francisco Bay Area, and from around the world struggling with OCD and related disorders.

OCD is a leading cause of mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults. People with OCD experience upsetting intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses that cause intense anxiety. They engage in repetitive behaviors or rituals known as compulsions — not because they want to but in an attempt to avoid or calm their anxiety. OCD can be profoundly disruptive, affecting a child’s life at home, in school, and with friends.

The Bubrick Center provides precise, evidence-based OCD diagnoses to guide treatment and help each young person reach their full potential. We specialize in individualized treatment plans using cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). This includes a type of CBT called exposure and response prevention (ERP), the gold-standard treatment for OCD and related disorders. For children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing significant impairment, we also have an Intensive OCD Program in New York that provides a greater level of care and offer individual-tailored intensives for families in the Bay Area.

There are a range of disorders that share clinical characteristics with OCD. Our team has expertise in diagnosing and treating many of these disorders, including:

• Chronic tic disorders, Trichotillomania (hair pulling) and Tourette’s disorder
• Illness anxiety disorder and Emetophobia (fear of vomiting)
• Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS)
• Hoarding
• Body dysmorphic disorder and Dermatillomania (skin picking)
• PANS and PANDAS
• Social anxiety disorder
• Agoraphobia

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a technique that allows children to address their anxieties gradually in a safe and controlled environment. This helps them learn that they can experience small amounts of distress without resorting to their compulsions, giving them a sense of control. By facing their fears head-on, children learn that they can tolerate them, and, over time, they discover that their anxiety decreases. In addition to sessions at the Child Mind Institute, our clinicians can also practice safe exposures in real-world locations, such as on buses, in restaurants, and elsewhere in the community, depending on a child’s needs.

The frequency and intensity of treatment is determined by the severity of a child’s symptoms. For children with mild-to-moderate symptoms, weekly or twice-weekly sessions are usually recommended. If a child’s symptoms are severe, we may recommend our Intensive OCD Program, which offers treatment three hours a day, five days a week, and can make an extraordinary difference in a relatively short period of time. We tailor the length of treatment to each child depending on their specific needs. For some kids, this process can prevent hospitalization.

Parents are our partners in care. Our clinical team trains caregivers in the dos and don’ts of parenting an anxious child. We also offer separate parent sessions to keep parents informed and ensure they are active participants in treatment.

If a child needs medication along with CBT or has a co-occurring condition such as depression or a learning disorder, we work with our team of child and adolescent psychiatrists, learning specialists, and neuropsychologists at the Child Mind Institute. We can also partner with a child’s current therapist or psychiatrist.