Welcome to the
Behavior Therapy Training Institute
BTTI for Treating OCD in Communities of Color
by the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
Detroit, Michigan
September 25-27, 2026
Hosted By:
Wayne State Univesity School of Social Work
Sponsored By:
We are at full capacity.
Sign up on the BTTI interest list & indicate your interest!
Already on the BTTI Interest List & want to update your interest list preferences?
Email training@iocdf.org!
The Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) is an in-depth intensive training course in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for mental health professionals who are treating individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders. The BTTI was developed to help address the shortage of therapists properly trained in using CBT to treat OCD around the world.
The BTTI for Treating OCD in Communities of Color was specifically created for BIPOC clinicians treating BIPOC populations and will be taught by BIPOC faculty. To maintain the spirit and intention of the program, registrants will be asked to attest to meeting this criteria in the registration process.
This program is lead by experts Dr. Monnica Williams and Dr. Jenny Yip serving as Clinical Co-Directors.
Please review the Session Details tab for session descriptions and more information.
Clinical Co-Directors
Jenny Yip, PsyD, ABPP
Monnica Williams, PhD
Attendee Testimonials
“The BIPOC BTTI is an invaluable, vital training experience for BIPOC clinicians. I made excellent connections with fellow attendees and we already have plans to support each others’ career development as OCD/anxiety clinicians and as BIPOC clinicians. This training was a formative experience for me and I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend.” — 2025 attendee
“This training was wonderful! I feel as though I am a more skilled OCD clinician as a result due to increase in skills and knowledge especially from a BIPOC framework. It is a great mix of learning during presentations and clinical practice in breakout groups.— 2025 attendee
“The training was incredibly helpful, I feel much more confident in my ability to work with folks with OCD, particularly in communities of color.” — 2025 attendee
“As a BIPOC clinician, it is always important for me to be present in spaces that are by us and for us. I found it particularly important for me to attend because I feel most comfortable and regulated in spaces where I am not the only person of color in the room. Moreover, as a BIPOC therapist, I am still seeking relationship/networking opportunities, seasoned role models for what is possible, and a safe space to discuss the realities and challenges of the world that affects the work I do.” — 2024 attendee
"I have had very few opportunities in my life to meet with, let alone work with, BIPOC people, so this was especially important as I try to connect with BIPOC patients in my state. Bringing up issues of race with other providers and even faculty in my program has been difficult because my concerns and viewpoints have been minimized or dismissed. It was especially poignant when Erin asked how many times we had been in a room filled with people of color because this was my first time. I feel like I now have a resource of people where my voice will be heard.” — 2024 attendee
“To be in a space where you aren’t the minority and to have information and knowledge included that is relevant to populations that I serve was really significant. To be taught by BIPOC clinicians, particularly in the field of OCD was also really important to me.” — 2024 attendee
“It is helpful to have a space where BIPOC clinicians feel comfortable raising diversity issues that may emerge in treatment, especially since the field of therapy has developed in a very white-centric way." — 2024 attendee
"This was an excellent training and I am really grateful to have attended. I appreciate how this training was intentional in centering people of color, including helping clinicians of color access this through scholarships” — 2023 attendee
“The BIPOC group training is specific to cultural needs and is empowering. Being able to focus on nuance with often overlooked populations helps BIPOC therapists have the best training to meet the needs of BIPOC clientele.” — 2023 attendee
“I will forever hold gratitude for the experience and knowledge that I acquired from this training. The information that I received surpassed my expectations and gave me a completely different outlook on diagnosing and treating OCD, specifically with communities of color. I had the opportunity to learn from psychologists who have done extensive work and research on treating OCD in communities of color and I have been singing their praises ever since. This training provided me the opportunity to meet amazing therapists of color across the nation whom I still keep in touch with every month. I appreciate that they provided a scholarship for this training to ensure that clinicians of color could feasibly access this essential information. Whether you specialize in treating OCD or not, I would highly recommend this training for any specialist as means to prevent further misdiagnoses and increase culturally competent treatment.” — Jada Carter, 2023 Attendee
To read more about Jada's experience and the way it informed her practice, click here!
Training Schedule
Day 1
Basic Principles of Treatment
8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Day 2
Pharmacotherapy
Pediatric OCD
ERP Skills Practice
8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Day 3
Case Formulation and Treatment Planning
8:00 AM–2:00 PM
Follow-up Consultations
Included in the cost of registration are three, 90-minute follow-up consultations with the faculty and group members assigned during the training weekend.
After the conclusion of the training, trainees are considered to have attended a BTTI. After completion of the three (3) follow-up calls, trainees are considered to have completed a BTTI and may add that credential to their listing in the IOCDF Resource Directory (a benefit of IOCDF Professional Membership).
Pricing & Policies
Standard Registration Fee
$685
Includes three days of training, all training materials, continuing education credits, and three 90-minute small group follow-up consultations led by expert faculty.
In-person event fees also help offset the cost of training locations, and food and beverage offerings.
Scholarship Registration Fee
$150
Includes three days of training, all training materials, continuing education credits, three 90-minute small group follow-up consultations led by expert faculty, and food and beverage offerings.
Plus, a complimentary one-year IOCDF Professional Membership.
In addition to providing scholarships, The IOCDF is committed to increasing access to this training and will offer this in-person training (typically $785) at the virtual BTTI price ($685).
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable. At this time we cannot provide refunds for medical, travel, or professional emergencies.
If you must cancel your registration, you will return to the waitlist with your initial Interest List submission date, meaning you will not restart the waiting process.
If you miss one of the three follow-up group meetings (scheduled during the training with your group members), make-up consultations will incur a $50 fee.
All three follow-up calls must be completed to be considered to have completed the BTTI and to list yourself accordingly in the IOCDF Resource Directory.
Scholarship Information
The IOCDF is committed to increasing access to OCD and related disorders treatment for underserved communities. In service of this commitment, several scholarship seats are reserved per BTTI for therapists who are people of color, who practice therapy in languages other than English, who live in a country with very few OCD specialists, and/or who work with a significant portion of underserved patients.
If awarded a scholarship, recipients will be able to attend the BTTI for $150, and will receive a free year of professional membership with the IOCDF. Should you be selected for the BTTI Scholarship and have already registered, you will be refunded the registration fee less $150.
Past Trainings
2025 Training in Memphis, TN
2024 Training in Oakland, CA
Faculty L - R: Sony Khemlani-Patel, PhD, Erin Nghe, LCSW, Rebecca Roberts, LCPC, Jenny Yip, PsyD, ABPP, Darlene Davis Goodwine, PhD, Simone Leavell-Bruce, PsyD
Faculty L - R: Jenny Yip, PsyD, ABPP, Sanjaya Saxena, MD, Rebecca Roberts, LCPC, Monnica Williams, PhD, Sony Khemlani-Patel, PhD, Erin Nghe, LCSW, Simone Leavell-Bruce, PsyD
2023 Training in Atlanta, GA
2022 Training in Washington, D.C.
Faculty: Jenny Yip, PsyD, ABPP, Sanjaya Saxena, MD, Rebecca Roberts, LCPC, Monnica Williams, PhD, Sony Khemlani-Patel, PhD, Erin Nghe, LCSW, Simone Leavell-Bruce, PsyD
Faculty Members: Jenny Yip, PsyD, ABPP, Monnica Williams, PhD, Sony Khemlani-Patel, PhD, Erin Nghe, LCSW, Simone Leavell-Bruce, PsyD, Darron Smith, PhD, Chad Wetterneck, PhD
BTTI Registration Process
Below is the registration process for General and Pediatric BTTIs, however the BTTI for Treating OCD in Communities of Color has an open registration process.
The BTTI is a highly sought-after training with a waitlist of interested attendees. While we are continually increasing the number of BTTIs each year, please note clinicians on the waitlist may not receive an invitation for over one year.
However, the BTTI for Treating OCD in Communities of Color is offered to all interested clinicians and is not dependent on a waitlist invitation to register.
You are eligible to attend a BTTI if:
- You are an independently licensed clinician currently treating individuals with OCD and/or related disorders. (Note: You must have an independent license, meaning you do not require supervision to see clients. If you would like to request an exception to this policy, please email training@iocdf.org as these are reviewed on a case by case basis)
- You have not already attended a BTTI session. Clinicians can only take either the General BTTI or the Pediatric BTTI, not both. If you work with youth at all in your practice (even if they are not your primary or sole focus), we highly recommend you opt to attend the Pediatric BTTI.
Invitations are sent in two rounds per year, in order of BTTI Interest List submission date. Declining an invitation to register does not affect your submission date or place in line. Once invitations to register are sent, they will continue to be sent until the training is filled. Seats are not held once an invitation is sent, so if you receive an invitation, we recommend signing up as soon as possible to ensure your preferred training does not sell out.
Please note:
- If a clinician has filled out the BTTI Interest List multiple times, the IOCDF will use their earliest submission date to mark their place in line on the BTTI Waitlist.
- If your contact information has changed since your Interest List submission, please email training@iocdf.org to update it so you can receive invitations to the correct email address.