Common OCD Themes Even Therapists Sometimes Miss
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety
Natasha Daniels: Child Therapist, Child Anxiety and OCD Expert, Parenting Coach and Parent
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 16 June 2026
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Many OCD themes are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or completely overlooked because they don’t match the stereotypes most people associate with OCD. In this episode, I dive into the OCD themes that often fly under the radar, including Moral OCD, Harm OCD, POCD, SOCD, ROCD, disgust based OCD, symmetry OCD, and Just Right OCD.
I talk about how these themes can present in children and teens, why they are often mistaken for anxiety, behavioral issues, personality traits, or even hidden desires, and how shame and mental compulsions can keep kids struggling silently for years.
You’ll also learn why OCD is not always driven by fear. Some themes are fueled by disgust, discomfort, uncertainty, or an overwhelming feeling that something is “off” or incomplete. I break down how OCD can lead to reassurance seeking, confession, avoidance, mental reviewing, and hidden rituals that many parents and even therapists may miss.
I also discuss what parents can do if they suspect OCD is being overlooked, including how to educate themselves on OCD themes, help their child understand what OCD is doing, trust their gut, and seek out proper OCD specific support and ERP therapy.
If your child has ever struggled with intrusive thoughts, shame around certain thoughts or feelings, hidden compulsions, or behaviors that never fully made sense through a traditional anxiety lens, this episode will help you better understand what may really be happening beneath the surface.
Resources Discussed in Episode:
Join our FREE series: How to Be an Effective Anchor for Your Kids with OCD
Get your PDF handout of today’s episode here.
OCD Therapy through NOCD
FREE Therapist Workshop on OCD
Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids
Chloe and The Bossy Cloud OCD Picture Book
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This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting
This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.
Parents, do you need more support?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before we jump into today's episode, I do want to talk to you about overwhelm. Because when we are |
| 0:07.0 | raising kids with anxiety and OCD, overwhelm is not just something our kids experience. It's something that is |
| 0:12.9 | contagious and it's something that a lot of us feel as well. And honestly, one of the biggest gifts that you can |
| 0:20.7 | give your child is learning how to anchor yourself. |
| 0:23.8 | And when we learn how to shift our mindset out of fear and panic, when we learn how to ground |
| 0:28.8 | ourselves and calm our nervous system, when we learn how to spot and identify our triggers |
| 0:34.7 | and we learn how to address them, we can become incredibly effective anchors for our kids |
| 0:40.2 | with anxiety and OCD. And I have been doing this for at least five years, ever since my husband |
| 0:48.2 | suddenly passed away. And I'm raising kids with anxiety, OCD, and co-occurring issues like autism, ADHD, |
| 0:56.5 | arid, and health issues like pots and dysotonomia. |
| 0:59.2 | I feel like we have it all going on in my house. |
| 1:01.7 | But my kids have noticed a calm in me. |
| 1:04.3 | And they've often mentioned that I seem happier and more anchored. |
| 1:08.1 | And that's because I am really working on having a daily practice |
| 1:12.8 | of resetting and anchoring. And I am now teaching this to other parents for free in my anchor |
| 1:20.0 | series. And my anchor series is starting soon. So I hope that you'll join us. It is starting July 9th |
| 1:25.1 | through the 17th. You can watch the videos on demand during that |
| 1:29.0 | period of time and register at AT Parenting Survival Series.com. I will see you over there. Now back |
| 1:36.9 | to the show. Welcome to the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, where you get help and guidance through the chaos of parenting a child with anxiety or OCD. |
| 1:50.8 | This show is for educational purposes and is not intended to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. |
| 1:57.3 | Here's your host, child therapist, Natasha Daniels. |
| 2:01.5 | Well, hello there, and welcome to another episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast. |
... |
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