The Mental Health Board and the Center for Emotional Wellness of the Northwest Suburbs have partnered to offer this training opportunity for our BH network.
Supporting Students with Anxiety, OCD, and School Refusal: Effective Assessment and Intervention Strategies at School and Home | Virtual | Friday, September 5, 2025 | 9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Presented by Jacqueline Rhew, CADC, LCPC, Patrick McGrath, PhD, and Kathleen Torres, LCSW. EVENT FLYER
REGISTER HERE!
FREE: 3 IDFPR CEUs for LSW/LCSW, LPC/LCPC, Psychologists, and ISBE CPDU’s for School Professionals (Pending)
SUMMARY
An increasing number of students are struggling with anxiety-related challenges that affect their ability to learn, engage, and thrive in school. Beyond general stress, many students also cope with perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and specific phobias—issues that often go unrecognized or misunderstood in educational settings. This session is designed for school-based mental health professionals to deepen their understanding of how these challenges present across age groups and to respond with practical, effective strategies.
Grounded in trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate practices, the training provides tools to reduce anxiety triggers, support emotional regulation, and address patterns of avoidance, reassurance-seeking, and rigidity often seen in students with OCD or perfectionism. Emphasis is also placed on collaboration with educators and families to create consistent, compassionate support across home and school environments. The goal is to promote safe, responsive school cultures where students feel seen, supported, and equipped to manage emotional and behavioral challenges.
PRESENTERS
Jacqueline Rhew, CADC, LCPC, is the co-founder of the Center for Emotional Wellness of the Northwest Suburbs. She is an expert in her field and is called upon by hundreds of school districts, family agencies and mental health facilities — locally and nationally — for consulting staff to better serve their youth. Jacqueline served as a Clinical Consultant for AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital for many years, and previously served as Assistant Director for the School Anxiety/School Refusal Program — a program she was instrumental in creating and developing. She has facilitated 300-plus workshops for professionals and parents — locally and nationally — on topics ranging from anxiety, school refusal, parenting, and self-injury.
Patrick McGrath, PhD, serves as the Chief Clinical Officer for NOCD, where he oversees the company’s clinical protocols and team of OCD specialists. As the world’s leading provider of virtual therapy for OCD, NOCD offers evidenced-based treatment for adults and children around the world struggling with OCD and related conditions, with a network of licensed therapists who are trained, led, and supervised by Dr. McGrath.
Dr. McGrath is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of OCD treatment experience. He is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Boards of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the Past President of OCD Midwest, an affiliate of the IOCDF.
He authored the books “Don’t Try Harder, Try Different,” and “The OCD Answer Book” and was featured on the Discovery Health Channel’s documentary “Panic” and on three episodes of “Hoarding; Buried Alive” on TLC.
Kathleen Torres, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, with 15 years of experience in the mental health field. Katie received her undergraduate and MSW from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Katie currently serves as a Director of the Center of Excellence at Compass Health Center, focusing on OCD and Anxiety Disorders. Prior to joining Compass in 2024, Katie worked at a Chicagoland Hospital leading their PHP/IOP programs. Katie has spent her entire career treating children, adolescents and adults with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders and is passionate about utilizing exposure response prevention to help patients decrease avoidance and live a value aligned life!
