A Special Episode for Kids: The Fear Facer

Nine-year-old Ella Maners and her mother, Katie, share their experience managing Ella’s severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which manifests as paralyzing fears of vomiting and tornadoes. These phobias previously led to debilitating avoidance behaviors, such as refusing to leave a classroom or experiencing physical distress during routine school drills. To regain control, Ella attended a "Fear Facers" camp, where she utilized exposure therapy to confront her triggers. By personifying her OCD as a blue bubble named "O.C." and practicing counter-intuitive responses—such as sarcastically agreeing with the intrusive thoughts—Ella learned to diminish the power of her fears. While these anxieties persist, the therapy provided Ella with the tools to label her thoughts, recognize them as manageable, and ultimately feel brave enough to navigate situations that once rendered her immobile.