Hello!

I'm Erin Harding-McNany and I want to warmly welcome you to The OCD Treatment and Training Institute (OTTI). 

 The vision for this institute has been a cherished dream of mine for quite some time. Faced with life's twists and turns, I realized I had two choices: remain stagnant in positions that hindered me from reaching my full potential, or build an institute where I could continue following and honing my passions while giving back. While it's tempting to claim this institute as uniquely mine, it's not solely mine at all. It's crafted for all of you. Inspired by the hundreds of clients and families I've had the privilege of working with, as well as the countless mental health professionals and agencies I've collaborated with, this space is a culmination of shared experiences, OCD knowledge, lessons, insights, and care. It's a space for you, and I am committed to nurturing and expanding The OCD Institute as far as I can cast the line.

OCD often takes around 7 years to be accurately diagnosed, if it's diagnosed at all. Many clients lack insight into their suffering, enduring years of debilitating OCD symptoms that they attribute to being 'crazy' or 'monstrous’, which can lead to isolation, shame, and depression. Many mental health professionals still struggle to effectively assess, diagnose, and treat OCD, leaving many clients with inadequate care or even harmful treatments that worsen their condition. My goal with The OCD Treatment and Training Institute is to help close this gap, fostering connections and providing professional training, one step at a time. I firmly believe that by establishing a practice dedicated to offering competent, comprehensive, and compassionate education (with a healthy dose of professional candidness and humor) to professionals across the US and to clients/families in the community I can continue to make a meaningful difference.

My Mission

My Story

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety spectrum disorders for a combined 10 years. Even during my undergraduate studies in Psychology, I developed a passion for anxiety treatment, especially after contributing to a research team focused on the positive impact of human-animal interaction on adolescents struggling with anxiety. Witnessing the recognition of our research team’s work by the Washington Post in 2018 only fueled my commitment to making a difference.

Continuing my education at the University of Pittsburgh, I earned my Master’s in Clinical Social Work. Subsequently, I gained invaluable clinical experience at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic’s Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program (OCD IOP). In this role, I served as a group clinician, specializing in providing effective Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy to children and teens facing severe OCD symptoms. Additionally, I worked as a family therapist, addressing systemic and system dynamics influenced by OCD.

I later transitioned to the role of Director of Training and Development at The Center for OCD and Anxiety, where I spent 5 years developing a comprehensive curriculum to train and onboard new employees, fostering their confidence and proficiency in OCD treatment. My passion for education further blossomed as I created and expanded the center's master-level internship program and training institute.

This institute is a celebration of my next professional chapter, a symbol of my passion for this work, and, more importantly, a means of spreading education, awareness, and expert outpatient treatment to all of you.

Thank you for reading, and again, Welcome to The OCD Treatment and Training Institute.