Tracie Ibrahim, Chief Compliance Officer at NOCD, shares her personal story with OCD, and how it informs her work now. After years of misdiagnoses and improper treatment, Ibrahim has made it her mission to close care gaps for OCD—so no one has to endure what she did.
Tracie Ibrahim, Chief Compliance Officer at NOCD, has turned her personal experience with OCD into a powerful mission to improve care for others. By the time she finally received an accurate diagnosis at age 31, Ibrahim had spent nine years in and out of mental institutions, enduring improper treatment. Her story highlights resilience, advocacy, and a commitment to setting the highest standards in OCD care.
Ibrahim now works tirelessly to ensure NOCD provides compassionate, evidence-based treatment. Her mission is clear: Through influencing standards of care at NOCD, and raising awareness on social media, Ibrahim works to make sure no one with OCD has to endure the pain and frustration of inadequate treatment.
In this interview, Ibrahim recounts her incredible journey, and how she uses her experiences to help shape a better future for people with OCD, here at NOCD.
Can you explain your role as Chief Compliance Officer at NOCD?
My overarching job is to make sure that NOCD is compliant with all of the laws and regulations in the areas we serve, which include the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and other countries. To support that, I create policies that educate people on how to provide services compliantly and at a high standard.
Part of this is making sure that the care we give is not only good but also respectful of the different types of people we treat. For example, how would you address a member who maybe has different pronouns or comes from a different culture? Or how would you approach somebody in a wheelchair appropriately? I think a lot about how we approach our members and create staff trainings to help provide that safe, understanding environment. These trainings are required for everyone—therapists, member-facing staff, and even the people who answer the phones.
I also make sure that our clinical standards of care are in line with what we do. That means making sure kids are getting what kids need, adults get what adults need, and that everything we do makes sense. It has to be clinically sound and also compliant.
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How has your experience with OCD shaped the way you approach your role at NOCD?
My experiences receiving substandard care for my OCD drove me to this role. I remember sitting in treatment facilities and wondering, “who decided this was how we should be treated?” I questioned why there weren’t better standards, and why the people who were supposed to care for me didn’t understand my condition.
I questioned why there weren’t better standards, and why the people who were supposed to care for me didn’t understand my condition.
Initially, I became a therapist because I wanted to provide the kind of care I never received. But, as I worked in different organizations, I realized that care standards and training were flawed in more ways than I thought. That’s why I moved into management—to influence how care is delivered. At NOCD, I’ve been able to help create programs that ensure the care we provide is effective, compassionate, and evidence-based.
It sounds like your journey with OCD was especially challenging. Can you share some key moments from that experience?
Growing up, I didn’t know thoughts could be a symptom of OCD, so I believed my intrusive thoughts were real. My journey is unique because my mom was a therapist, but even she didn’t recognize my OCD. Like many, my family understood OCD as a stereotype: “You don’t like germs” or, “you like things a certain way.” While I do have contamination OCD, I also experienced suicidal OCD and homicidal OCD as a child. I didn’t know those thoughts were OCD, so I never shared them with anyone. When I eventually did, I was misdiagnosed, hospitalized, and labeled as suicidal or homicidal.
I spent nine years in and out of almost 30 facilities. These experiences caused clinical trauma, as I was constantly treated as though my intrusive thoughts were reality. Seeing those labels written on hospital boards or hearing staff discuss me that way made me think this must be true. It wasn’t until I was 31 years old that I discovered exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, and learned that taboo-themed OCD existed. That realization was life-changing, but it took years of unnecessary suffering to get there.
Misdiagnoses like yours are so common for people with OCD—how do you work to prevent this sort of thing at NOCD?
The most effective and ethical way to ensure people feel safe, welcomed, and understood is to train therapists on all the themes of OCD they may come across. At NOCD, we accomplish this through a very thorough internal training process. We also hold multiple weekly clinical consultations with OCD treatment experts, where therapists can bring questions and discuss individual cases to create an effective therapeutic path forward.
In addition, we offer several in-app tools to support members in between sessions, such as direct messaging with your therapist, assignments to help with ERP and free community support groups. I run two taboo-themed OCD support groups, where members can ask questions, share experiences, and receive factual information about their specific struggles with OCD. These groups have become the most attended and popular at NOCD, which speaks to just how many people needed a space to openly discuss taboo-themed OCD. For many, it’s the first time they’ve heard others talk about themes like pedophilia or homicide, without discomfort or stigma.
Members often ask questions like, “how do I know if I’m a murderer or pedophile?” or, “what if I did something I don’t remember?” We help normalize these thoughts by explaining that their distress over these themes demonstrates that these thoughts are OCD-related, not a reflection of who they are. Creating a space where these members feel safe and understood has been transformative for so many.
What about on a larger level—what needs to be done globally to bridge care gaps, and get people accurately diagnosed?
I believe that everything starts with proper education and training. That means starting with the schools who are training therapists and psychiatrists, which unfortunately have big information gaps regarding what OCD is, and how to effectively treat it. Because of issues with this training, people struggle to find effective and knowledgeable treatment providers.
NOCD makes real and accurate information available to people by providing accessible virtual treatment across the United States and the world, conducting extensive research on OCD treatment, and sharing social media campaigns. People can engage in advocacy efforts and share their stories to ensure that others with OCD don’t feel alone, embarrassed, or afraid to seek treatment.
For people with OCD, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to hear that there’s no “cure.” What would you say to someone hesitant to start treatment, because they want a quick fix?
A lot of people are looking for a quick fix—who wouldn’t want to get through something so awful in the fastest way possible? But, I can say that using ERP, I have been able to live a full, values-driven life where OCD does not control me or my decisions in any way. I do not feel tortured by these symptoms, because I understand what they are, and how to manage. OCD is in the backseat, and I’m in the driver’s seat heading toward my desired destinations.
I can say that using ERP, I have been able to live a full, values-driven life where OCD does not control me or my decisions in any way.
It may feel really difficult in the beginning, especially when your intrusive content is so distressing. But, with a specialized treatment provider, you can find your way to a better life. Our therapists understand what you’re going through and will help you feel safe, supported, and understood.
Why is seeing a therapist who specializes in OCD and ERP crucial?
OCD is incredibly nuanced, and many therapists don’t learn how to treat it properly. I was taught the wrong approaches in grad school, like many others, and I didn’t even hear about ERP until I actively sought out training on my own. ERP is the most effective treatment for OCD, because it directly helps people face their fears and sit with uncertainty.
At NOCD, we make sure all our therapists are trained in ERP, so members get the right care. Therapists learn not only how to address OCD in general but also how to work with specific themes—including taboo ones—which are often misunderstood or ignored. Our training focuses on evidence-based techniques and how to apply them in ways that meet each member’s unique needs.
Self-diagnosis can help someone realize they need support, but it’s not enough to guide them to recovery. Proper treatment requires proper assessment, alongside someone who truly understands OCD and knows how to apply ERP. Without that, people may end up in therapy that doesn’t work, or even makes their symptoms worse. When you work with a specialized therapist, you’re not just getting care—you’re getting care that can change your life.
When you work with a specialized therapist, you’re not just getting care—you’re getting care that can change your life.
As someone who has experienced OCD firsthand, and treats people with OCD—how do you take care of yourself? What keeps you going on tough days?
When I first started providing treatment for OCD, balancing my own self-care was more of an issue, because I was early in my own recovery process. Now, I’m able to hold space for others’ experiences, because I understand that my role is to share information and offer treatment that will help them thrive in their own recovery journey, while also ensuring self-care is a priority.
After spending years locked in psychiatric hospitals, and enduring trauma at the hands of so-called caregivers, I knew I wanted to create change. That passion is what drives me every day. There are moments when I think, “will I ever run out of passion for this work?” But, then I remember what I went through, and what so many people are still going through, which keeps my passion burning bright.
There are moments when I think, ‘will I ever run out of passion for this work?’ But, then I remember what I went through, and what so many people are still going through, which keeps my passion burning bright.
I’ve been in those places where people didn’t understand OCD, and provided harmful treatment, and that’s why I’m so committed to ensuring that NOCD offers evidence-based, compassionate care. It’s deeply personal to me—I don’t want anyone to go through what I did.