Fear Over Facts: When Fellow Clinicians Become a Barrier to Dissemination of Exposure and Response Prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-A Clinical Response to Licensing Board Investigation of Exposure and Response Prevention.

In 2018, a graduate level student filed a complaint regarding the use of exposure-based therapy for persons with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experiencing violent obsessions. In the investigation, the licensing board expressed concern about safety of us of exposure and response prevention (ERP) with children and in public venues. The licensing board also struggled with accurate assessment of a clinician's efficacy in following the gold-standard treatment for OCD. Despite extensive research demonstrating ERP is a safe, effective treatment for OCD, stigma against exposure based treatments remain strong, even among clinicians. This commentary article discusses the specific licensing investigation and implications for change throughout the field of psychotherapy.