Season 2 Episode 16: Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors featuring Dr. Laura Chackes

Dr. Laura Chackes, Psy. D. explains what therapists need to understand about treating Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB’s). The most common BFRB’s being Trichotillomania, aka hair pulling, and Excoriation, aka skin picking.

Laura Chackes, founder and owner of The Center for Mindfulness & CBT in St. Louis, is a licensed psychologist who specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with OCD and body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). Dr. Chackes is a leading expert in the treatment of BFRBs such as skin picking and hair pulling. She has been running treatment groups for children, adolescents, and adults in St. Louis for over 10 years, and teaches courses online to adults with BFRBs, as well as to train therapists how to treat these disorders. Her mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy approach has led hundreds of BFRB sufferers to long-term symptom relief.

Dr. Chackes is also a fierce advocate working to spread awareness of BFRBs in order to reduce the shame and isolation that comes from the public's lack of knowledge of these disorders. Her Facebook group, Overcoming Skin Picking and Hair Pulling: Help for BFRBs, has connected over 4000 BFRB sufferers, parents, and therapists to learn more about how they can best support one another.

OFFERS & HELPFUL LINKS:

• Dr. Laura Chackes Online Training for Therapists 
• Jennifer Agee coaching page
• Destination Continuing Education Facebook community
• Counseling Community Instagram