More than Just a Bad Habit: Diagnosis & Treatment of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours
Body-focused repetitive behaviours come with shame attached, and the shame is why they stay hidden. A client will work with you for months on something else and only mention the picking or the pulling once they are certain you will not react. Some never mention the whole of it. A clinician who does not know to ask, and does not know what to ask about, will not find it.
Amanda Petrik-Gardner has roughly a quarter of her caseload in BFRBs, which is far more of this work than most clinicians ever do. Trichotillomania, excoriation, nail biting and the others, most of which are not in the DSM-5 at all. She teaches assessment first, and the practical core of that is the functional analysis: the log that shows when, where and in what state the behaviour happens, which you build with the client rather than hand to them.
Then the two approaches the field works with. Habit reversal training, and the comprehensive behavioural model developed by Charles Mansueto, which is where the sensory material sits. That part is the one clinicians most often miss: the specific feeling a client is chasing or getting rid of, the texture, the sound, the oral stimulation, which a client will rarely volunteer and which changes what intervention will hold. She is also clear about what the evidence currently supports and what it does not, which matters in a field this young. Goal setting gets its own attention, because a client who aims to never pull again has set themselves up to fail.
You’ll walk away with
- The range of body-focused repetitive behaviours, well beyond the two named in the DSM-5
- DSM-5 criteria for trichotillomania and excoriation, and what the others are diagnosed as
- How BFRBs differ from OCD and from self-harm, and why the distinction changes treatment
- Asking about behaviours a client is ashamed of, so that you get the full picture rather than part of it
- Running a functional analysis with a client, and what the log tells you that the interview does not
- Habit reversal training, taught in enough depth to run it
- The comprehensive behavioural model, including the sensory component clinicians most often miss
- Habit blockers: identifying them, and placing them where a client will actually reach for them
- Goal setting that does not set a client up to fail
- Working with children, and where the approach differs
- What to check when progress stalls, including shame, motivation and unrealistic goals
- An honest account of what the evidence currently supports in a field still establishing itself
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CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. This course is included with your Tatra Training membership, along with every other course in the library.
Where this sits: the specialist course in Amanda Petrik-Gardner’s clinical set. Her OCD course covers the related disorder in depth, and the two are frequently confused in practice.
Course Duration: 5.5 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records. Your certificates are yours to keep.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Revisit Anytime: Come back to the course as often as you like while your membership is active, whenever you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
When clients with OCD, anxiety disorders, and body-focused repetitive behaviors need evidence-based treatment that actually works, clinicians refer to Amanda Petrik-Gardner. Her specialised expertise in exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral interventions gives practitioners proven methods to help clients break free from the most stubborn anxiety patterns.
Licensed across eight states with over a decade in private practice, Petrik-Gardner has built her reputation on delivering concrete results for conditions that often resist traditional therapy approaches. Her deep training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Inference-Based CBT, and the Comprehensive Behavioral Model makes her a go-to resource for clinicians treating OCD, trichotillomania, skin picking, hoarding, and complex anxiety presentations.
What sets her training apart is practical application. Petrik-Gardner doesn't just teach theo - she shows clinicians exactly how to implement ERP protocols, structure exposure hierarchies, and navigate the challenging moments when clients want to avoid or seek reassurance. Her specialised knowledge spans everything from panic disorder and social anxiety to body dysmorphic disorder and selective mutism, giving practitioners comprehensive tools for anxiety spectrum conditions.
Her approach combines rigorous evidence-based methods with compassionate understanding of how these disorders impact daily life. She teaches clinicians to recognise the subtle ways OCD and BFRBs present, how to differentiate between anxiety disorders that look similar, and most importantly, how to help clients build lasting recovery skills.
For your practice, expect to gain specific ERP techniques for different OCD subtypes, practical strategies for treating body-focused repetitive behaviors, and clear protocols for helping clients with hoarding behaviors. Her methods help clinicians feel confident treating conditions they may have previously referred out.
Quick Win: Petrik-Gardner's approach to compulsive reassurance seeking - teaching both clients and their support systems how to respond differently to anxiety - helps to create immediate relief and faster treatment progress.
Qualifications
- M.S., Counseling Psychology, University of Kansas, 2008
- B.A., Psychology, Kansas State University, 2006
- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Kansas, Maine)
- Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Arizona)
- Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (Nebraska)
- Approved out-of-state telehealth provider (Florida)
Authored Books
- The Compulsive Reassurance Seeking Workbook (2024)
Featured & Recognition
- Creator, OCD Exposure Coloring Books (2021)
- Guest, OCD Family Podcast (2024)
- Active YouTube and Instagram mental health educator (2022–2025)
Teaching & Roles
- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Private Practice, Topeka, KS and Telehealth, 2015–present
- IOCDF Conference presenter (multiple years)
- Professional webinar presenter (2022–2025)
- Licensed Clinical Outpatient Therapist, Stormont Vail, Topeka, KS, 2014–2016
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 2
- Topics 5
- Duration 5.5 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English