OCD-UK Annual Conference 2012 - Cardiff, Sat 10th November

[Ashley]

Are you still looking for volunteers at the conference? If so what does it involve and how to apply?

Hi Zee, I know you emailed earlier, but as I am on the thread we are indeed still seeking volunteers. Nearer the time I will post a list of roles we need help with, most of which will still allow volunteers to view most of the conference. I do however need at least one or more willing to miss the conference.by sitting on the registration desk. So if any of you are coming or planning to come but your loved one would be willing to sit outside the lecture theatre to greet late comers then please let me know (no charge of course for those willing to miss the conference). If we have two people willing to miss parts what I would suggest is taking it in turns between sessions, so you get to listen to parts of it.

If anyone has any working experience of videoing conferences please do get in touch.

[Guest Zee]

Thanks Ashley :original:

I would consider being on the registration desk, anyone else want to share? If not certainly would be interested in other in other roles. With my state of mind i could really do with hearing some of the conference lol.

Zee

Edited May 26, 2012 by Zee

[Ashley]

A huge thank you to all those that have booked your tickets for the conference, we already have about 50 people booked for Cardiff in November, and I have some great OCD speakers lined up. In fact, we have the slight problem of trying to fit all our speakers into the day.

We have some feedback from last years conference to act on in terms of subjects to cover, but if anybody has any suggestions for subjects to cover please do let me know over the next few days as we work to finalise our agenda for the day.

I am looking forward to meeting some of our Welsh friends in Wales.

[Ashley]

I hope to have some exciting news about the conference later this coming week, fingers crossed there on that! In the meantime we have the agenda more or less pencilled in, I will also confirm the full agenda and timings later in the week, slight edit to times, the conference is set to run from 9:45 (not 10am as we said earlier, until 5:30pm). To give you a brief taster, we will have presentations on the following subjects (two of which guests had requested we present on this year in the feedback forms last year).

• Keynote from Professor Paul Salkovskis - Subject TBC
  
• Hoarding
  
• Intrusive Thoughts (this year with a slight focus on sexual fears - or what is sometimes called Homosexual OCD (HOCD))
  
• Checking (this year with a slight focus on driving OCD problems)
  
• One ladies experience of struggling with contamination problems and reluctance to seek help
  
• OCD and medication - Can medication help and busting other myths about meds
  
• When the OCD becomes too much - what should family members do to help their loved ones
  
• What to do when you know what to do CBT wise, but cant face the fear.
  
• Corrie star, Ian Puleston-Davies in conversation with myself - a presentation Ian dubbed The Two Ronnies... not sure which one I am!!
  
• Question Time - Similar format to the TV programme, a panel of speakers will take 60 minutes of audience questions on any OCD subject
  

We may also have two additional presentations which I am waiting to confirm. Presentations will be 20-30 minutes each, other than the Question Time feature which we are giving a full 60 minutes. Sadly time does not not allow us to cover every aspect of OCD, but I think we have a good cross section there to offer something for the majority of OCD types, and even the presentations not relevant for your own OCD should still offer some insights into OCD.

Confirmed speakers include:

Professor Paul Salkovskis (University of Bath)

Karen Robinson - Researcher and someone with OCD

Professor Adam Radomsky (Concordia University, Canada) * Via video link from Canada for the Question Time feature... technical aspect allowing

Dr Elizabeth Forrester (London IAPT, formerly of the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (CADAT))

Dr Anne Perry (Priory Ticehurst, formerly BCPU and ADRU specialist OCD units)

Dr Victoria Oldfield (Institute of Psychiatry)

Star of Corrie (Owen) Ian Puleston-Davies

More speakers to be confirmed later in the week. Because Ian spoke at our last two conferences we were going to give him a break this year, but as he was born in Wales we thought we should invite him. But we will give Ian a break on presenting next year (although we will of course invite him to attend as a guest), so this might be your last chance to listen to our entertaining chat! Well, Ian gets the laughs, I usually get the straight man bits, Mmmm.

Also, for those travelling to the conference on your own, fear not, you won't be alone this year. Following on from feedback last year, we have learned and this year we want to make it easier for solo guests to feel part of the day and not left on their own too much, so we will have an area set aside for solo guests to meet other solo guests, and we will reserve tables so should you wish to, you can chat away over coffee and lunch together. We will also reserve a row of seats in the lecture theatre for you too. We will also have someone with a big wide smiley face there to facilitate that and introduce you to each other. If you are coming to the conference alone and would like to be sent details of the volunteer to ask for on the day please let me know.

The team work really hard to make the conferences happen, and the logistics of getting all the speakers to our different venues each year, I really hope that people will support the conference (we need to sell X number of tickets to break even). It's a great way to listen to and quiz some real OCD experts, and to meet other people with OCD and perhaps even make a new friend or two.

I look forward to seeing some of you in Cardiff in November!

[Guest Zee]

Hi Ashley

I think i read somewhere you said not many forum users attend. Excuse my ignorance but why do you think that is and what are the other reasons people would attend.

Zee

That sounds like a weird question lol, im thinking of coming and just wondering

Edited June 24, 2012 by Zee

[Ashley]

I think i read somewhere you said not many forum users attend. Excuse my ignorance but why do you think that is and what are the other reasons people would attend.

Good question. I don't think it is anything negative by the forum. The conference attracts people that hear about it from a variety of sources, our forums are only a small part of the charity Zee and so for example of our 800 OCD-UK members, I would guess less than 100 of those are forum regulars. What we have is almost four different communities, our Facebook community, Twitter, the forums, our main website readers, and those members that read our magazine. So for example when I post about something like the conference I now find I have to post it across four different websites.

We do get forum users attend, some like Whitebeam for example I don't think as missed one since we started back in 2005.

I would encourage people to attend though, even if they have come before, because one of the comments on last years feedback forms was really encouraging, which basically said that I come every year, and it is clear every year we act on the feedback and every year is better and better, which of course was really nice to hear. Last year we tried to get too many presentations into the agenda, but that did not leave enough interaction between speakers and audience, so this year we will have the Question Time panel which will hopefully make it much more interactive.

I guess all I can say is come along, I guarantee even if you have been before you will still go away learning something new... worth coming just to listen to Paul Salkovskis, he is always entertaining, even if I am usually the butt of his jokes, bless him

[Guest Zee]

Thank you very much :original: I hope i didn't appear antagonistic asking that - didnt mean it like that, i am just a little afraid of going so was wondering. Keep up the great work OCD UK is a life saver for me. Yes i think i would like to come cheers.

Zee

[Ashley]

Thank you very much :original: I hope i didn't appear antagonistic asking that - didnt mean it like tha

Not at all, was a fair question. Don't worry, we will have lots of forum users there I am sure, but I think sometimes forum 'meet-up's' at the conference have not happened because some people prefer to keep their online identity separate from their face-to-face aspect, which I understand of course. We do issue badges during registration, and often forum users write their forum username on their badge too.

On average we get between 200 and 250 people at the conference.

[Guest ihaveocd23]

Hi think im going to try and come sounds good!!! will there be anything like this in the north west in the future?x

[Ashley]

Hi think im going to try and come sounds good!!! will there be anything like this in the north west in the future?x

I am afraid not as we did the North West last year in Liverpool. We will be back to the North West perhaps for a smaller event, as we have a trustee in Liverpool so she will want us to host something there, but the main annual conference could be 4 or 5 years before it is back in the NW as we tour the country in the in-between years.

[Lacko'zeds]

I'll do my best to be there, Ashley, but I don't know if I'll be up to a gruelling 8 mile journey

[Ashley]

I'll do my best to be there, Ashley, but I don't know if I'll be up to a gruelling 8 mile journey

Ha, hope you have not jinxed us now with early Winter snow to turn that 8-mile journey into a gruelling trip! :lol:

[Guest ihaveocd23]

Thanks for the relply x

[Ashley]

We are finally able to confirm our agenda for our conference in Cardiff, and for those unable to get to Cardiff, keep checking this thread as we hope to make another announcement in the next couple of weeks.

For those that would like to come along, but would be travelling alone, we understand you are likely to be feeling incredibly nervous and wondering whether you should come, we can assure you that you won't be the only one coming for the first time, and everyone there will be friendly, and understand exactly what you go through with OCD on a daily basis. We will do our vest best to make everyone feel welcomed and relaxed, including an area for those travelling alone to meet others on their own, so please don't be afraid, we will do all we can to make you feel welcomed on the day.

Every year our conference agenda attempts to provide a wide range of helpful and supportive presentation subjects, and following on feedback from last year's conference, again us year we have tried to provide a little something for everyone, regardless of OCD type, we believe all will benefit throughout the day. This year we have presentations on the following OCD related subjects:

• OCD and Hoarding
  
• Intrusive thoughts with focus on Homosexual OCD fears
  
• OCD and checking with focus on driving OCD problems
  
• Contamination OCD
  
• For family members, when the OCD becomes too much and what should family members do when sufferer seeks reassurance
  
• OCD and medication
  
• What to do when you know what to do CBT wise, but can't face the fear
  
• Question Time - An opportunity to question OCD experts
  

Again, our annual conference is fortunate to have the support of some of the leading OCD specialists, who year-on-year continue to support our charity. This year we have presentations from the following experts, and we remain indebted and grateful that have chosen to freely give up their time to support our conference.

• Professor Paul Salkovskis - University of Bath
  
• Dr Elizabeth Forrester - Croydon IAPT
  
• Dr Victoria Bream-Oldfield - Institute of Psychiatry
  
• Ian Puleston Davies - Writer, and actor, star of Coronation Street
  
• Dr Anne Perry - The Priory Ticehurst
  
• Karen Robinson - OCD sufferer, and researcher from the University of Bath
  
• CBT Cymru
  
• Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald - Charlie Waller Institute, Reading University.
  
• Dr Lauren Callaghan - Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit (ADRU)
  

We hope that we have assembled a conference agenda that you will find interesting, informative and helpful, but these are just a few of the benefits you might get from attending the OCD-UK National Conference in Cardiff.

• Audience with leading OCD experts
  
• Education and increased knowledge about OCD and CBT
  
• The unique chance to have your questions answered
  
• Opportunity to meet the OCD-UK team in person
  
• Listen to first hand experiences of others with OCD
  
• Meet others that share your problems, and an opportunity to make new supportive contacts
  

Please click here to view the full conference agenda, and click here to book tickets.

[Ashley]

Two more speakers confirmed for our conference. Dr Lauren Callaghan, friend of our charity (she ran the Brighton Marathon and British 10k for us this year) will be presenting about Intrusive Thoughts, with a focus on sexuality fears. Lauren currently works for the Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit (ADRU), or known to many of you as the Bethlem unit.

Another speaker confirmed this evening is Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald, currently part of the Charlie Waller Institute in Reading.

Both are people I consider OCD experts, and both perhaps more importantly I know well enough to state they are passionate about helping people, and by that they care and don't see their patients simply as 'clients' but in fact care about them as people, which I think is one of the quality's to make someone a good therapist.

I am delighted both want to come along again to speak at our conference, and I am sure both will bring their own personality to the proceedings.

[Guest pinklady]

I have just booked my ticket, and train tickets, looking forward to it, but a bit nervous too!

[Ashley]

Don't be nervous Pinklady, we do try and keep it light hearted and relaxed, and I am usually the butt of Paul's jokes, so hopefully it will be entertaining as well as educational.

On the day I am looking for volunteers that can help, this may mean missing a few minutes of each session. If anybody is planning to attend with a friend or family member that is perhaps less interested in OCD who might help us, I need a volunteer that is willing to miss the entire morning session to meet and greet any late arrivals, but they will be able to watch the afternoon session. No charge for the volunteer of course. Please do contact me if you can volunteer in some capacity.

Thank you.

[Guest TummyDepressed]

Hi all. I am going to come to this!

If anybody is worried about going in alone, I would be happy to meet them a few minutes beforehand and we can go in together!

I would volunteer Ash, but ideally want to see all of the sessions..... If I can think of anybody who may be able to help will let you know.

J

[Guest *Lou*]

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all well. I'm going too! Looking forward to it x

[Guest leinad1988]

I can't wait for this! well done ashley and every who helped arrange this the day looks like its going to be brilliant! I think the agenda looks really good.

[Guest sarah1984]

I'm coming too and I'm really looking forward to it! Hope to meet some forum members in person too :original:

[LondonTown]

Croeso y Cymru (Welcome to Wales)

That's the extent of my Welsh language skills pretty much - I now live here and have just booked my ticket

Really looking forward to it!

[Ashley]

It's great that I will get to meet some more of our forum friends We are expecting about 200 people to attend on the day, or at least have booked tickets. I am now starting to get to that point where I am incredibly nervous in the hope that we get the conference right, provide helpful and educational lectures, and that everything goes ok on the day and we please everyone. I never truly relax until the about 6pm and the last person as left the building. I am usually the first there, and the last out the doors, and only then to I tend to breath easy, and I am sure next week will be no different.

I will be printing everyone's first name on the badges, but do write your forum username underneath so you can identify each other.

The plan is still to live stream, so those that cant make it, won't miss out and should be able to see the majority of the conference... technical gremlins allowing of course. I will post next week about how people access that webstream.

[Ashley]

Does anyone speak/write Welsh? I want a line translating from English to Welsh if anyone can help me?

[Guest margot]

I've just messenged you Ashley.