OCD & ERP: Beyond the Manual
A six-week, live, supervision-style training that builds real clinical confidence, clarity, and efficacy when treating OCD. Apply what you learn the same week you learn it.
A six-week live training that builds real clinical confidence in treating OCD. You will work through case demonstrations, supervision-style coaching, and experiential practice, so you can apply what you learn the same week you learn it.
Each session runs 1.5 hours, fully virtual, in a cohort capped at 10 clinicians. The small group format means individualized feedback and genuine practice time, not a passive webinar.
Led by Elisha Schafer, Clinical Director of Lotus Counselling and adjunct professor in McMaster University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences.
Beyond the Manual is expanding into two levels
We are splitting our OCD and ERP training into two live tracks so you can start where you actually are. The current fall cohort is open for registration right now. The two new levels open for registration soon.
Build a confident ERP foundation from the ground up.
Starts Wednesday, November 4 · 12:00-1:30PM ET · six weeks, live
Go deeper with complex, nuanced OCD presentations.
Starts Thursday, November 5 · 12:00-1:30PM ET · six weeks, live
Ready now? The fall cohort is open. See dates and register below.
How the training works
A working cohort, not a webinar
- 01
Fully virtual, live
Live instruction over video, so you can join from anywhere. Not a passive, pre-recorded webinar.
- 02
6 weeks, 1.5 hours each
One 90-minute session per week for six weeks, with individualized feedback and genuine practice time.
- 03
Capped at 10 clinicians
A small cohort means supervision-style coaching and real space to practice, not a lecture hall.
- 04
9 CE credits
Earn 9 continuing education credits on completion of the training.
The curriculum
Six weeks, six areas
The training moves through the areas that most often separate competent OCD treatment from confident OCD treatment.
Understanding OCD Beyond Diagnostic Criteria
How OCD actually presents in the room, past the DSM checklist.
Precision in Clinical Dialogue
The language that moves ERP forward, and the language that quietly reinforces the disorder.
Targeting Change Mechanisms in ERP
What is actually driving change in exposure work, and how to aim treatment at it.
Rumination-Focused ERP
Addressing covert mental compulsions that standard ERP often misses.
Incorporating Psychodynamics into ERP
Bringing depth and the therapeutic relationship into a behavioural framework.
Complex & Nuanced OCD Presentations
Working with the harder, less textbook cases you meet in real practice.
Who this training is for
Built for working clinicians
Who it's for
- Psychotherapists, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, and graduate trainees.
- Clinicians who want to treat OCD with more confidence, clarity, and efficacy.
- No prior OCD-specific training required. A basic understanding of OCD and CBT is helpful.
What's included
- Case demonstrations
- Scripts, resources, and worksheets
- Experiential practice
- Supervision-style coaching
Who leads the training
Led by Elisha Schafer
Every cohort is led by Elisha Schafer, Clinical Director of Lotus Counselling and an adjunct professor in McMaster University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. She built the OCD and concurrent-disorders programs at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and Homewood Health.
Beyond the Manual is the training she designed to put those same clinical methods in the hands of working therapists across Ontario, taught live, in a small supervision-style cohort.
Before you register
Quick question before you join
How did you find Beyond the Manual? A few seconds here helps us reach more clinicians.
Cohort 4 · First Fall Cohort
Wednesdays 12:00-1:30PM ET · Sept 16 - Oct 21, 2026
Cohort 5 · Second Fall Cohort
Thursdays 12:00-1:30PM ET · Sept 17 - Oct 22, 2026
Register for the second fall cohort
The first fall cohort (Wednesdays, Sept 16 - Oct 21) sold out, so we opened a second fall cohort alongside it. It runs Thursdays 12:00-1:30PM ET: Sept 17, 24, Oct 1, 8, 15, 22, 2026. Capped at 10 clinicians, so you get supervision-style coaching and real practice time, not a lecture hall. Earn 9 CE credits on completion. Led by Elisha Schafer.
After the training
Keep the work going with consultation
Graduates can join the Beyond the Manual Consultation Group, an alumni-only space to bring a current OCD case and work through it with a small group in real time.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about the training
Who is Beyond the Manual for?
It is for psychotherapists, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, and graduate trainees who want to treat OCD with more confidence. No prior OCD-specific training is required, though a basic understanding of OCD and CBT is helpful.
How is the training delivered?
Fully virtually, with live instruction. Each cohort runs one 90-minute session per week for six weeks, capped at 10 clinicians so there is room for individualized feedback and genuine practice.
How many CE credits do I earn?
You earn 9 CE credits on completion of the six-week training.
Who leads the training?
Elisha Schafer, Clinical Director of Lotus Counselling and an adjunct professor in McMaster University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, leads every cohort.
What does it cost?
Registration is $299.00 CAD (plus tax) for the full six-week cohort.
Is there support after the training?
Yes. Graduates can join the Beyond the Manual Consultation Group, an alumni-only small-group case consultation, available as a single session or a three-session bundle.
Questions before you register?
We are happy to help you decide
Reach out and we will answer any questions about fit, cohorts, or CE credits.
or email our office: info@lotuscounsellingservices.ca