“A Professional Home”: Dr. Aureen Pinto Wagner’s Career in OCD Treatment

Dr. Aureen Pinto Wagner’s history with the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) traces way back.

“I became a member of what used to be called the OCD Foundation at the time in the early nineties,” Wagner recalled, noting that at that time she was more of a “passive” member.

Then, in the year 2000, when Wagner published her first book, Up And Down The Worry Hill, she got an intriguing phone call from Dr. Alec Pollard.

“I got a personal invitation to come to the [IOCDF] conference and present a workshop for parents,” Wagner explained. “I was very excited.”

The conference became a family affair for Wagner, who at the time had a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old baby. “I didn’t want to leave them behind,” Wagner said, “so my husband and I piled up the kids and the strollers onto an airplane and off we went to Chicago.”

At the IOCDF Conference, Wagner recalled the kind reception by notable leaders in the field such as Dr. Michael Jenike and Patricia Perkins. “I still have very fond memories of the warm welcome I received from so many people there,” Wagner said.

From there, her involvement in the IOCDF grew as she found a “professional home” within the community. Wagner, a clinical child psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for children, teens, and adults with anxiety disorders and OCD, now serves an important role within the IOCDF’s Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board (SCB) and on its Training Committee. One of her most fulfilling roles is helping train CBT therapists through the IOCDF’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI.)

Now practicing at Anxiety Wellness Center in Cary, North Carolina, Wagner first became interested in specializing in OCD during her postdoctoral fellowship at the Brown University Bradley Hospital. “I was fortunate to have a wonderful supervisor and mentor, Dr. Greta Francis, who specialized in treating kids and teens with anxiety. I had the opportunity to be trained by her and I found it so powerful to see kids get well,” Wagner said. “But I also saw some of the challenges in working with kids and teens. I quickly understood that CBT was very effective, but it was both a science and an art. And I really wanted to be better at it,” she added.

Wagner described truly delving into her work and becoming invested in it. She read journal articles and books, attended conferences, and learned from doing. “I found what I love to do. And I am grateful to the many children and families who allowed me to share in their journey to overcoming OCD,” she said.

For Wagner, her timing of entering the mental health field seemed fortuitous. “When I entered the field of psychology, it seemed like a lot of doors were opening for women, and women were increasingly joining the field of psychology as well as mental health,” she described. “I certainly had many more opportunities than my mother or my grandmother and their generations. For me to get a PhD… I was the first person in my family to break out beyond a high school or college degree,” Wagner said.

Wagner described finding a lot of support throughout her education: “I was valued and respected and given opportunities. I worked hard and I persevered through many challenges.”

For other women looking to pursue careers in the field, Wagner emphasized the need for more therapists in the space. “I would say anxiety and OCD these days are all too common and there’s a great need for well-trained CBT therapists and researchers,” Wagner said.  “There’s a lot of room, a lot of space to learn and to grow … find a good mentor, find good training,” she added. “And if you want to do it and it’s exciting for you, then commit to it, get involved in it, learn as much as you can.”