The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC

03/27/2026

This is happening LIVE today - DAY 2 of Contemporary Practices in the Treatment of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors with PESI. Miss it? No worries - You can pre-order the on-demand version of the course.

For more information, visit: https://zurl.co/8finW

trichotillomania

03/25/2026

Did you know that some individuals with trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) also swallow the hair they pull — and that this can lead to a serious medical complication called a trichobezoar?

In my guest blog post for ADAA, I discuss what parents, individuals, and clinicians need to know: how trichobezoars develop, what symptoms to watch for, and how evidence-based treatment can address both the pulling and the swallowing behaviors — and prevent recurrence.

If you work with or love someone with trichotillomania, this is worth a read. 👇
🔗 https://zurl.co/Jhz6j

03/24/2026

Our CEH team, Dr. Marla Deibler, Dr. Stephanie Scherr, Dr. Cara Genbauffe, and Dr. Meg Giles, had a great time at the OCD New Jersey Annual Conference this past Sunday! Highlights included Dr. Josh Spitalnick's talk on health anxiety and a moving panel of individuals with lived experience. Always inspired leaving this community.

Pictured: CEH's Dr. Marla Deibler, Dr. Stephanie Scherr, Dr. Cara Genbauffe, and Dr. Meg Giles
Pictured: Keynote speaker: Dr. Joshua Spitalnick
Pictured: OCD NJ Board members - Dr Jordan Levy, Dr. Marla Deibler, Dr. Allen Weg, Dr. Rob Zambrano, Ms. Lisa Giuffre

03/23/2026

🧠 Upcoming CE Webinar for Mental Health Professionals

Treating childhood OCD can be challenging—but it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Join Jennifer Gola, PsyD for an engaging, practical training:

Childhood OCD ERP in Practice: From Core Concepts to Creative Application
📅 April 10, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM EST
🎓 2.0 CE Credits Available (APA, ASWB ACE, NBCC, NYSED)

This live webinar will provide practical, child-friendly strategies for implementing Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) with children and families. Participants will learn how to introduce ERP in a developmentally appropriate way, plan effective exposures, reduce rituals, and support parents in the treatment process.

Perfect for psychologists, therapists, counselors, and other clinicians working with pediatric OCD and anxiety disorders.

🔗 Register here:
https://zurl.co/jlaIE

03/19/2026

03/17/2026

Free to Be Me with a BFRB is now available!

It has been such a meaningful experience to collaborate with Dr. Jennifer Gola Bagwell and Dr. Renae Reinardy on this book — a kid-friendly guide to living well with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors. My hope is that it serves as a useful resource for children, their families, and the clinicians who support them.

If you work with kids navigating BFRBs, I'd humbly encourage you to take a look. And if you find it valuable, a review on Amazon helps so many more families discover it.

Thank you for your continued support!

📖 https://zurl.co/9I6FC

03/11/2026

NEW BLOG POST

Hair-pulling (trichotillomania) is often misunderstood. While the behavior itself can be distressing, it is usually not medically dangerous. However, in some cases a related behavior—swallowing the pulled hair—can lead to a rare but serious medical complication known as a trichobezoar.

In Dr. Deibler's newest post for Psychology Today:
• Why some individuals swallow hair they pull
• How trichobezoars develop
• Warning signs parents should know
• Why early recognition and evidence-based treatment matters

This is an important topic that many families—and even clinicians—have never heard about.

🔗 Read the article:
https://zurl.co/wGg2h

03/10/2026

🧠 Upcoming CE Webinar for Mental Health Professionals

Treating childhood OCD can be challenging—but it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Join Jennifer Gola, PsyD for an engaging, practical training:

Making Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Fun for Childhood OCD
📅 April 10, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM EST
🎓 2.0 CE Credits Available (APA, ASWB ACE, NBCC, NYSED)

This live webinar will provide practical, child-friendly strategies for implementing Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) with children and families. Participants will learn how to introduce ERP in a developmentally appropriate way, plan effective exposures, reduce rituals, and support parents in the treatment process.

Perfect for psychologists, therapists, counselors, and other clinicians working with pediatric OCD and anxiety disorders.

🔗 Register here:
https://zurl.co/lJey6

03/06/2026

You don’t have to navigate OCD or BFRBs alone. 💙

The Center for Emotional Health offers FREE Saturday support groups for individuals living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs)—open to the community and facilitated by expert clinicians.

🗓 Next meeting: March 7
🕙 10:00am – BFRBs
🕚 11:00am – OCD

✨ Hybrid format
📍 In person: Cherry Hill, NJ
💻 Virtual option available (PsyPact states)

These groups are a welcoming space to connect with others, share experiences, and build hope in a supportive, judgment-free environment.

🔗 Learn more and get joining details:
https://zurl.co/o5jDI

03/05/2026

Join CEH and OCD New Jersey, the NJ affiliate of the International OCD Foundation, for the 26th annual conference on March 22, 2026! CEH will be there!

Register at https://zurl.co/mLt8x

03/04/2026

🎙️ New Podcast Episode: Treating BFRBs in Children & Adolescents

Thank you to Dr. Edward Plimpton of the podcast, Your Anxious Child ,for hosting such an important conversation on Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) in youth.

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Gola and Dr. Renae Reinardy share thoughtful, developmentally informed insights on treating BFRBs in children and adolescents — including skin picking and hair pulling — conditions that are often misunderstood and frequently mischaracterized as “just habits.”

They discuss:
✔️ How BFRBs present in children and teens
✔️ Evidence-based treatment approaches
✔️ The role of parents and family support
✔️ Practical guidance for clinicians

We are grateful to Dr. Plimpton for elevating this conversation and helping increase awareness about effective, science-based care for young people struggling with BFRBs.

🎧 Listen here:
https://zurl.co/RK0v3

At The Center for Emotional Health, we remain committed to advancing education and delivering gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for BFRBs across the lifespan.

03/03/2026

🎉 We’re so excited to celebrate with you THIS FRIDAY! 🎉

We’re thrilled to invite clinicians to a FREE virtual Book Launch Party celebrating the upcoming release of Free to Be Me with a BFRB hosted by the wonderful Angela Springer and The Child Therapist HUB.

This book was written with kids in mind—warm, accessible, and filled with real-life stories representing a wide range of BFRB experiences so that children can truly see themselves reflected in the pages. Alongside practical, evidence-based tools for BFRBs, many of the strategies (especially the values-based content!) translate to anxiety and OCD work as well.

We’d love for you to join us live to celebrate, connect, and talk about the heart behind this book. There will be opportunities to chat with us directly and enjoy some fun BFRB-themed giveaways along the way!

✨ This event is FREE and open to ALL clinicians
📅 March 6, 2026 | 🕛 12pm CST | 💻 Virtual
👉 RSVP required:
https://zurl.co/DFvxH

📚 Want to grab your copy before release day?
Use discount code BRFB25 on the publisher’s website:
👉 https://zurl.co/Wx2qo

We hope you’ll join us to celebrate this labor of love and a resource we’re so proud to share with the BFRB community. pulling