Barb Shepard, LMHC

10/20/2025

A lot has been going on lately in my mental health counseling practice, and I realized it might be time for a little reintroduction!

Hi, I’m Barb! I’ve worked in the helping profession since 2010 and specialize in anxiety and OCD across the lifespan. I love my job 💛

While most of my practice focuses on non-PANS cases of OCD, I’ve also developed a subspecialty in PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and its subset, PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection) that I’m starting to talk about more.

OCD is a core symptom of PANS, but unlike the traditionally recognized form of OCD described in the DSM-5, PANS-related OCD is an abrupt-onset medical condition involving immune system dysfunction that requires specialized medical treatment in addition to therapy.

Syracuse’s first ever participation in World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day made me feel like we really could change lives of PANS/PANDAS families in Syracuse and NYS!

The outpouring of support and interest in learning about these disorders was astounding and gave the families who attended so much hope for change.

I’ve recently updated the PANS/PANDAS section of my website, which now includes:
▫️overview of PANS/PANDAS symptoms
▫️photos from Syracuse’s first-ever participation in World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day
▫️resources from trusted organizations like International OCD Foundation
▫️research links for clinicians who want to learn more

Learn more here: https://barbshepardcounseling.com/pandas-pans/

Another thing I’ve got in the pipeline is a CEU training for New York State counselors, social workers and psychologists coming up in February (stay tuned for details). I have a stack of 30+ research articles on PANS/PANDAS and its implications for clinical practice sitting on my desk and I can’t wait to share this with fellow mental health professionals.

Together, I truly believe that we as a community bring more awareness, compassion, and action to families affected by PANS/PANDAS. 💚

10/14/2025

✨ Another week, another important awareness week — OCD Awareness Week! ✨

The average time it takes to receive an accurate OCD diagnosis is 14 years.

That’s why awareness and education are so crucial — and why I’m proud to see landmarks across the country lighting up this week in recognition, thanks to the incredible work of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). 💙

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is often misunderstood. Many think only of excessive handwashing or cleanliness, but OCD can show up in so many ways:

🌀 Postpartum mothers with terrifying, unwanted (egodystonic) intrusive fears of harming their babies

🌀 Adults replaying moments on the road, convinced they hit a pedestrian after a bump

🌀 People rereading texts repeatedly for fear of offending someone or asking for excessive reassurance that no one is mad at them

🌀 Avoiding car rides, school, or certain foods due to fears of vomiting (emetaphobia)

🌀 Magical thinking — “If I don’t do this exactly right, something bad will happen.”

OCD doesn’t just affect individuals — it impacts entire families through constant reassurance seeking and accommodating rituals.

But here’s the hopeful part: OCD is highly treatable.

💪 The gold-standard treatment, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, is backed by decades of research and real-life success. Every day in my practice, I see people reclaim their lives through effective, evidence-based care.

Let’s keep spreading awareness so more people can get the right diagnosis, the right treatment, and their lives back. 💙

To learn more about OCD treatment, visit iocdf.org or barbshepardcounseling.com

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The mission of the International OCD Foundation is to help those affected by obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders to live full and productive lives. Our aim is to increase access to effective treatment through research and training, foster a hopeful and supportive community for....

10/11/2025

Here are a few more shots of the National Grid Building lit up GREEN for World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day! 💚

Families, children, teachers, and local OCD and pediatric mental health providers gathered downtown to raise awareness for PANS & PANDAS. Some families traveled from over an hour away for this meetup — highlighting how isolating these disorders can be for parents and the immense need for support and community for these families.

Several of these families travel out of state to get care and pay out of pocket for these providers. Parents quit their jobs to care for their children and homeschool them due to the severity of symptoms. The financial and emotional strain for these caregivers is astronomical. Many PANS/PANDAS kids have been hospitazed for a range of reasons: life-threatening ARFID requiring feeding tubes; aggression so severe that it cannot safely be managed at home; and other immune-related conditions that can lead to serious physical health complications. What sounds like an impossible nightmare is the daily reality for most of these families as they break the bank to seek care.

One of the unique challenges for PANS/PANDAS and is frequently told “this disorder isn’t real.” This couldn’t be further from the truth, as there are decades of studies validating the legitimacy of these disorders, including a groundbreaking study published just this last August studying epigenetic and gene regulation related to PANS. Stanford and Mass General, two world-renowned medical institutions, both have dedicated PANS/PANDAS teams.

These families are in the fight of their lives as their kids deteriorate with physical, mental health, and behavioral symptoms — and then have to prove that this diagnosis exists in the first place.

Syracuse’s recognition of World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day is a huge step forward in getting these families the support and care that they deserve, and I was blown away by the local support. Thank you to everyone who shared posts on social media, brought flyers to your workplaces, lit up your porch lights green, and talked about PANS yesterday. This is how it all happens, one conversation and act of advocacy at a time.

To learn more about PANS/PANDAS, here are some incredible resources to get you started:

https://iocdf.org/pandas/

https://aspire.care/

https://www.pandasppn.org/

https://barbshepardcounseling.com/pandas-pans/



syracuse.com CNYCentral.com NewsChannel 9 International OCD Foundation

10/10/2025

More professional group photos to come in a few days — but here are a few shots of the National Grid Building lit up GREEN for World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day!

Families, children, teachers, and local OCD and pediatric mental health providers gathered downtown to raise awareness for PANS & PANDAS — the first event of its kind here in .

I was blown away by the local support. Thank you to everyone who shared posts on social media, brought flyers to your workplaces, lit up your porch lights green, and talked about PANS yesterday. This is how it all happens, one conversation and act of advocacy at a time. I am truly grateful.💚

Syracuse Celebrates World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day CNYCentral.com Syracuse, New York syracuse.com

09/30/2025

🌍💚 World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day is coming up on October 9th—and I’m so excited to share that the National Grid Building in downtown Syracuse, NY will joining over 100 other monuments worldwide by lighting up GREEN in support!

This visible show of support means so much to families walking the difficult road of PANS and PANDAS. These conditions can be incredibly disruptive for kids, impacting their ability to go to school, eat, sleep, or even leave their mother’s side without intense anxiety or distress.

Thanks to several groundbreaking studies published just in the last few months, we are gaining a clearer picture of the immune and infectious triggers that can cause these sudden-onset symptoms. But as with many areas of medicine, it takes time for new research to make its way into everyday clinical practice.

That’s why awareness and advocacy are so important. Families need support from providers, educators, and their communities at large. Every step toward visibility is a step toward better outcomes for these kids.

I’m so grateful to National Grid for joining this campaign and helping bring attention to something so important to many families in the Syracuse community.

To learn more about PANS/PANDAS and how you can take part in World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day, visit the ASPIRE website:

https://aspire.care/

Dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults affected by PANS/PANDAS and other immune-related encephalopathies