Cognitive Rampage #278: Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona

Dr. Zurita Ona, or “Dr. Z,” is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California. For over fourteen years she has developed significant experience working with children, adolescents and adults struggling with anxiety and emotion regulation problems; particular areas of expertise are Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Z serves on the Board of Directors for OCD SF Bay Area, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and is in charge of the Clinical Symposium for the annual conference of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). Dr. Z is the author of the following books: ACT beyond OCD: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy workbook for adults The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD: Unhook Yourself and Live Life to the Full, is dedicated to all the teens she worked with and were struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Parenting a troubled teen: using acceptance and commitment therapy, written for parents or caregivers raising teens struggling with “feeling too much, too quick, and acting too soon.” Escaping the emotional roller coaster: ACT for the emotionally sensitive, a self-help book for adults struggling with having an emotional switch that goes on and off, anytime, anywhere. Dr. Z is the co-author of the book Mind and emotions: a universal protocol for emotional disorders” that has received a “Self-help seal of merit” from the Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapists (ABCT).” Dr. Z also presents at local, national, and international conferences her clinical work. In addition to her doctoral training, Dr. Z is a graduate of the International OCD foundation Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) for the treatment of pediatric OCD and adult OCD; her clinical work is primarily based on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the recognized front-line treatment for OCD, anxiety and related condition disorders. Dr. Z completed a 10-day intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and over the last 10 years, she has been learning, practicing, and teaching Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) applied to specific populations. In 2019 Dr. Z was nominated a Fellow of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science. In addition to private practice, Dr. Z is a clinical faculty for The Wright Institute where she supervises and teaches doctoral students.