Table 1 Psychoeducation intervention for parents of children and adolescents with OCD

Session 1–2

THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE

− To build a therapeutic relationship between the psychotherapist and the parents

− Build a relaxed atmosphere

− Investigate and inform of child’s strengths

− Focused on child’ skills and psychological resources

Session 3–5

EDUCATION

− To investigate and modify parents’ possible misconceptions of OCD

− Give information about: cause of the disease, the prevalence in childhood and adolescence, examples of possible manifestations, the symptomatology, and therapeutic options

− Communicate hope, optimism, welcoming and restructuring expectation about the OCD symptoms reduction

− Attribute symptoms to the OCD itself and not to the child providing information about how to do not blame the child for symptoms

− Provide information according to family’s conversational style, repeat and clarify concepts, applied to different situations, and illustrated from different perspectives

Session 6–10

FAMILY ACCOMMODATION

MANAGEMENT

− Help to parents:

a. To recognize parent’s involvement in child’s symptomatology

b. To manage child’s OCD symptoms more effectively in family’s daily routines

− Explain Family Accommodation mechanism (maintenance of the disorder)

− Share useful behaviors to apply in everyday life teaching how to avoid getting involved in compulsive rituals

− Use role-play techniques to show parents how to react to a child’s specific compulsive rituals

Session 11–12

ERP TREATMENT EDUCATION

− To prepare and to teach parents the ERP treatment

− Psychoeducation about ERP Treatment

− Inform adequately parents on the procedure during the specific exposure

− Ensure that the parents will follow the psychotherapist’s indication