This book was quite informative and helpful! Originally, I picked up this book out of curiosity, but it is nicely written, especially for the audience it is trying to attract!

*posted 10/12/21

This was a very helpful and informative read! As someone who doesn't have OCD but still enjoys learning, this book was a fun read. It gave me some insight into what living with OCD looks like and what it can really feel like to have OCD.

What initially drew me to this book was a professional curiosity. I studied psychology in college along with sociology and various other related topics because my overall goal was to work with kids in an educational setting and I knew I would need that background to connect with and support them. Although I've had experience working with kids with various behavioral and emotional problems, different walks of life, and dealt with some serious situations, I have never worked with a student diagnosed with OCD. I've had more experience working with children diagnosed with ADHD honestly, but I thought "why not learn more about it now and add those skills to my toolkit".

That being said, even if you don't have OCD yourself this book can be helpful. Maybe you have a friend, family member, or other person in your life that has OCD--this book will open your eyes to what it's really like for them and what you should avoid doing (things that seem helpful but actually aren't) and some things that you can do instead that are more supportive.

I think it's also important to note that although the exercises in this book are geared toward individuals with OCD there are some that can be useful for people without OCD. As the author mentions, all people have intrusive thoughts and overcoming OCD is mostly about learning to redirect your thinking when your mind wanders.

I think the author did a great job of presenting the information in an easy to understand way for teens. The chapters had a good blend of clinical information so teens could better understand their own experiences and exercises to help them manage their OCD.

Overall, I think this is a great resource for teens with OCD or adults that work with kids that want to learn more.

I found this to be a helpful resource for breaking down OCD and it's coping skills for teens. The book is very much written for the age group, and helps provide context in developmentally appropriate ways. I have used some of the tools for helping patients manage OCD. I definitely recommend this workbook for teens struggling with OCD. It's less wordy, provides clear examples and action steps to reduce distraction from most teens.

Great explanations and easy workbook to aid client's with OCD disorders in addition to receiving therapy from a trained clinician

I wish I'd had a copy of this when I was a teen. It's got a lot of practical advice for dealing with intrusive thoughts and has the potential to do wonders.

A great workbook for teens. Explanation of the complexities of OCD is provided in appropriate and easy-to-understand language. Exercises are well explained, and workbook can be used independently or with a counselor in sessions. OCD is a veritable monster, and this workbook (while not a cure and never making the claim to be one) can be a step toward reclaiming lost ground and might offer some hope.

I got this because I have ocd and I thought it would be a good workbook even though I’m a young adult and not a teen but it really is very geared toward teens. I read though most of it and I think it would be great for a teenager that is newly diagnosed with ocd or is showing a lot of symptoms. My favorite thing about it is that the beginning really seems like it would really help someone that’s struggling with their new diagnosis and would help them work through the stigma! I definitely recommend this workbook for teenagers!

Thank you to Netgalley and New Harbinger Publications, Inc. for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I wish that The OCD Workbook for Teens was written when I was a teenager, because this book is incredibly useful. The workbook covers all of the important topics of OCD therapy and treatment: OCD definitions and diagnosis, ERP, Mindfulness, the importance of self care, and fighting stigma. I found every chapter full of helpful information, and the workbook style complimented each presented skill. While I do think the book tries a bit too hard with the language style to relate a teenage reader, I would also argue that OCD is hard enough to deal with, so the informal tone could be a benefit to the book. And as a fan of Draw Your Monster, I loved the illustrations. I would recommend this book to accompany OCD therapy and treatment.

The OCD workbook for Teens was provided as as an advanced reader's copy courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a therapist I have worked with clients who have an OCD diagnosis so this workbook immediately caught my attention. The author did a good job, overall, of introducing some clinical/therapeutic terms in a way that anyone can understand, especially teens. The author did a good job of approaching the subject from a non-judgmental stance while also giving empathy to those who actually have an OCD diagnosis. I have had plenty of clients who have OCD say that they cannot stand when someone makes an offhand reference to a behavior they have as being because of OCD . It was good that the author presented clarity regarding this. The book provides some good techniques a teen can try and explains them in an easy to understand structure. The author incorporated some humor throughout the book which can help ease some of the intensity of addressing OCD. I do not believe that the book thoroughly addressed everything with OCD and did have some exaggerations but it is a decent foundation for addressing OCD.

As a therapist, I don't encounter OCD as frequently as some other mental health concerns, but teenagers have been making up about half of my caseload since I've been practicing. The OCD Workbook for teens provides concrete and supportive strategies for learning about and managing OCD symptoms. The summaries in the "for you to know" sections are helpful with clarifying/summarizing the information presented, and the case studies are clear, relatable, and extremely helpful. Some of the language used in the chapter titles and text feels like it's trying a little too hard to be relatable, and was at times confusing to follow as a result. This language may be alienating to youth, especially older teens, who I find appreciate being treated as adults but may require more accessible language or more step-by-step guidance in building skills. With that aside, I can see a lot of my teens benefitting from the skills that this workbook teaches.

Loved the interventions & resources in this book! I think it will be able to be applied easily to my practice and the clients that I work with. It was very practical and broke things down in a way that I think makes it easier for clients to understand the purpose behind the activity or worksheet.

Boy, do I have my two-cents about this book.

- Right off the bat, I found "The OCD Workbook for Teens" far too juvenile considering the title "for teens" audience. Although it's easier to understand content that's backed with a simplistic writing style, the quips and puns were discouraging and provided readers with their first true experience of second-hand embarrassment. Referencing back to the audience, nearly every single reader will have OCD, meaning they likely have better things to be obsessing about than the author's conveniently placed anecdotes and catchy chapter titles. If you're reading this book, you're not looking for a good time, you're looking for help. As a reader with OCD, I know that it was difficult to distract myself from preforming compulsions with this book as it suggests.

+ However, each chapter contains a "For You to Know" box that highlights the most important information and provides context for any examples. These summaries are invaluable for those who cannot stay focused for long or who would like recaps of the information. It's like CB Therapy without a CB Therapist!

- For the most part, "The OCD Workbook for Teens" is like every other teen self-help book. Campy, overly illustrated, and full of exercises that you could find for free online. Considering the book is only 136 pages, what I consider a generous amount is blank, lined space dedicated to writing responses to questions about your OCD compulsions, rituals, and intrusive thoughts. Although the structure may be helpful for some, I found "The OCD Workbook for Teens" too short to bother with.

+ Despite my recurring boredom and urge to skim the pages of this book, I admire "The OCD Workbook for Teens" and strongly recommend you give it a try if you suffer from OCD because it, like no other teen self-help book, lets you know that you're not alone. Hershfield does not stray from mentioning, discussing, and depicting the darker sides of OCD, including but not limited to Harm OCD, suicidal tendencies, and intrusive thoughts. What is the point of a self-help book if it hides the truth from readers? "The OCD Workbook for Teens" is the epitome of the sort due to its realistic perception on the condition and its brutally honest advice for teenagers who suffer from it and feel embarrassed, scared, or outcast because of the simplicity of other OCD resources.

Perhaps "The OCD Workbook" isn't a replacement for therapy, but it is a helpful start to understanding that OCD is the enemy, not you. As a whole, I believe the book deserves 4/5 stars.

I am a teen who has been diagnosed with OCD for several years. Sometimes, I feel like I am over reacting, and I 'don't really have OCD I'm just freaking out over nothing."
This book reminded me that I do in fact have OCD. :)
While this doesn't mean I am completely incapable and that the disorder is who I am, it does hinder my life almost constantly. Flipping through the pages of this workbook, I noticed some very on point connections to my symptoms. Like word for word what I am experiencing. While this was helpful for re-validating in my mind what I already know to be true, I also noticed several symptoms that I have never even come close to experiencing. I think this shows how well the book included several different instances of OCD, rather than just being like "oh yeah they like for their pens to be in the right order." Along the same lines, the book provides personal (ish) stories, which kind of humanizes the disorder more, and made me feel less alone.
Although I really appreciated this book for reinforcing my good habits, I think that it would be more effective for someone who has just been diagnosed or is just noticing symptoms of OCD. Pretty much everything in this book has been things that I have already worked on, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The first few chapters focus on defining and accepting OCD, which I thought I had down but I guess not.
Overall, I think this book should be marketed for a slightly younger audience, since OCD symptoms often show up in young children, and the book seemed to already focus towards younger teens.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy to read this book. I found the book presents a lot of general information I already knew like what obsession, compulsions are, and the distorted thoughts that come with OCD., which generally is what most books describe. I could not relate to a majority of the techniques, such as ERP presented. The only useful tool that was new and interesting was the one on mindfulness and use of an object anchor, to help one focus and stay focused when having OCD thoughts. I wish this book had more hands on practical ways to help those with OCD gender neutral.

As an adult with OCD, I was curious about this book. Although I’m not a workbook kind of person for self-help like this, if I had been a teenager, I think I would have actually been willing to peruse it and would have found it helpful.

It does a good job of explaining OCD, giving examples of obsessions and compulsions, providing possible ways to help manage those, and also assures youth with OCD that they aren’t gross or bad or anything like that. Some wording is a little cheesy, but just in a high school textbook kind of way. Overall, it is very readable.

The library where I work does have one of the other workbooks in this series, but we generally don’t keep workbooks like this because people may write in it, etc. That said, I will be interested in an eBook version and would be sure to RA it for those who may have OCD and are looking for managing mechanisms and those who love someone who has OCD.

Very useful. Glad to see it exists.

The information contained in this book is good. The author provides lots of different examples of OCD and how to handle them. The exercises on mindfulness are good, as are the illustrations throughout the book.

I struggled with the informal tone of the writing. Although I know this is targeted towards teenagers, the informality might come across as not being taken seriously, in my opinion.