Being a Parent with Ocd - by Jon Hershfield (Paperback)

About the Book

Parenthood magnifies everything, including the struggles and symptoms related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). From intrusive thoughts to endless checking, fears of contamination, and moral scrupulosity, OCD can transform ordinary parenting moments into high-stakes internal battles. Being a Parent with OCD offers compassionate, practical, and evidence-based guidance to navigate every developmental stage, from pregnancy through the teen years. Parents with OCD will learn to calm intrusive fears, manage compulsions, and stay connected to what matters most: love, presence, and joy in the parenting journey.

Book Synopsis

How do you manage intrusive thoughts, obsessions, and compulsions and be the parent you want to be when you have OCD?

Parenthood can bring extraordinary joy and extraordinary anxiety, especially if you live with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The thoughts, rituals, and fears you manage daily may suddenly attach to the people you love most. You might worry about harming your baby, spreading contamination, or making a catastrophic parenting mistake. These fears can feel isolating and shameful. But you are not alone, and recovery is possible.

Being a Parent with OCD provides compassionate, evidence-based support at every stage of the parenting journey. Drawing on proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and mindfulness-based techniques, this book helps you recognize how OCD interacts with parenting demands and transitions, and offers real tools to help you confront your fears and reclaim meaningful family moments.

This go-to parenting guide will help you:

• Face intrusive thoughts without giving in to compulsions
• Reduce hyper-responsibility and guilt while staying present with your child
• Handle common triggers like contamination, harm fears, and scrupulosity
• Develop mindful awareness and self-compassion to quiet the inner critic

From deciding to become a parent through raising infants, children, teens, and young adults, this book offers tools to manage your OCD symptoms however and whenever they show up, so you can experience love, happiness, and connection with your children.

About the Author

Jon Hershfield, MFT, is director of The Center for OCD and Anxiety at Sheppard Pratt in Towson, MD. He specializes in the use of mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders. Jon is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation and is on the faculty of their Behavioral Therapy Training Institute. He is author of Overcoming Harm OCD, When a Family Member Has OCD, and The OCD Workbook for Teens; and coauthor of The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD and Everyday Mindfulness for OCD.