Professor Caleb Lack

02/05/2026

Want more learning? Well come get some over the next few months!

February - ALTOC OCD specialization course (https://altoc.org/especializacionentoc/) and the IOCDF's Pediatric Behavior Therapy Training Institute (https://iocdf.org/professionals/training-institute/about-the-pediatric-btti/)

March - DSM-5-TR Trauma & Stressor-Related Disorders for PESI (https://www.pesi.com/item/dsm5tr-trauma-stressor-related-disorders-165330)

April - EITOC 2026 (three day intensive training on OCD) in Lima, Peru - https://altoc.org/eitoc2026/

May - Oklahoma Counseling Institute's Summer Super Summit (https://summersupersummit.com/)

And a reminder - you can always get on demand trainings from me at several places, for ethics, tics and Tourette's, Written Exposure Therapy, and more! (https://www.pesi.com/speaker/caleb-lack-2532302 and https://learn.thecenterforemotionalhealth.com/collections?q=caleb+lack)

02/04/2026

In case you missed it, the American Psychiatric Association has released the first of many papers from it's Future DSM Strategic Committee working groups. In it, we see the subcommittees holding forth on questions with easy answer (such as "Are functioning and quality of life essential elements of a complete psychiatric diagnosis?" - Answer: Yes, and we need more standard ways of assessing them), but grappling with changes that could include some very controversial ones not well supported by the research (such as emphasizing "biomarkers" for what are, at heart, socially constructed disorders).

I'd highly recommend reading the reports, regardless of your thoughts on the DSM and diagnosis generally.

02/02/2026

¡Únase a nosotros en Lima este abril para EITOC 2026!

(Enlace en los comentarios)

02/01/2026

In case you need some good laughs this weekend, maybe check out these “highlights” from my time grading college freshmen papers a few years ago.

(Link in the comments)

01/30/2026

Did you know that you can get FREE learning and CEUs thanks to Sheppard Pratt? They have an incredible library of 1 to 1.5 hour short courses you can take at no cost. It includes many on anxiety and OCD, including my talk on anger and rage. Check out their website and start learning!

01/24/2026

Very interesting new research out of several clinical labs in Germany. In it, they conducted CBT on patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia (CBT is our most well supported treatment for PD/AG), but half the group received modified treatment to increase their fear activation during ERP work (that is, additional interoceptive exposure to bodily anxiety symptoms). Follow up showed that both arms of treatment were highly effective, but that there was no difference in treatment outcome. In other words, higher self-reported fear and distress during ERP exercises did NOT result in better outcomes for those with panic disorder and agoraphobia.

These (and other findings in the article) are in line with an inhibitory learning model of how ERP works, and additionally point to the fact that we as clinicians must take into account HOW we do ERP, adjusting for different populations (phobias vs. OCD vs. panic disorder, for instance) in order to get the most potential benefit.

01/23/2026

It's always gratifying to see your work reaching people across the globe. Most weeks for the past 5 years (including this one), I've been the most read author on ResearchGate from my university. If you're looking for some information on OCD, PTSD, ethics, or pseudoscience, go check it out!

01/22/2026

👉 👀

Go with that

01/22/2026

This freely accessible LUNA (Learning to Understand and Navigate Anxiety) program from the Baylor College of Medicine is an incredible resource to help youth struggling with anxiety and their families. What is LUNA?

"...a family-based, online treatment program to help children and teens manage and overcome their anxiety. It is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, the most scientifically supported treatment for anxiety in youth, which involves identifying and changing unhelpful anxious thoughts and behaviors. We have tested this self-help material in research studies, which show that it can be valuable in helping your child with anxiety.

LUNA is a family-led treatment, which means that we teach you and your child how to complete the treatment by going through the modules and doing activities. In LUNA, you and your child will work together as a team to tackle the challenge of overcoming anxiety."

01/20/2026

A new report from the Brookings Institute on the use of generative AI in the classroom finds there could be some benefits…but the downsides - like stunted cognitive and emotional development - likely outweigh them.

Report: The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5674741/ai-schools-education

01/20/2026

Especially as our society in the US becomes even more uneven, with more and more wealth and political power in the hands of the economic elite, I am reminded that Dr. King did not just talk about racism, but was killed not long after he started advocating more and more for economic justice and equity.