On episode 16 of A Chat with Uma, I speak with Reverend Katie O'Dunne! Rev. Katie O'Dunne is the founder of Faith & Mental Health Integrative Services, an organization helping individuals with OCD and related disorders live into their faith traditions as they navigate evidence-based treatment. Prior to this, she spent 7 years serving as the Academy Chaplain and the Pauline and R.L. Brand Jr. '35 Chair of Religious Studies at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Katie is proud to be an IOCDF lead advocate, an ordained minister, and an endurance athlete tackling 50 ultra-marathons for OCD. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at Vanderbilt to continue her focus on faith & mental health.

In this episode, we discuss the following topics (+ timestamps):

(00:00:00 ) Intro:

• Check-in on presence & well-being


• Guest Suggestion Form


• Podcast scheduling update

(00:07:03 ): Introduction of Rev. Katie O'Dunne

(00:15:46 ): Confessional + backstory of my initial fear of Katie due to religious trauma; Misconceptions about those who work in ministry

(00:19:18 ): Deep dive into Katie's story:

• Ineffective therapy in childhood


• Venturing into chaplaincy


• Untreated OCD wreaking havoc through her life & career


• How loss and grief exacerbated her moral/religious scrupulosity


• Finally engaging in evidence-based treatment (exposure & response prevention/ERP) for OCD


• Reclaiming her life & finding purpose in working at the intersection of faith and mental health

(00:30:14 ): Doing unseen compulsions, accidentally "tricking" therapists, and being incorrectly treated by therapists who are not properly trained to treat OCD

(00:36:08 ): How Katie got into interfaith chaplaincy and working with people of all faith/belief backgrounds (including identifying as agnostic, atheistic, etc.)

(00:41:46 ): How OCD can latch onto religion, and working at the intersection of faith + OCD

(00:43:58 ): Defining + explaining moral scrupulosity and religious scrupulosity, individually and as themes of OCD

(00:56:07 ): How Katie created Faith & OCD initiatives for the International OCD Foundation (⁠IOCDF Faith & OCD Resource Center⁠⁠)

(00:58:10 ): Katie's doctoral work at Vanderbilt University, conceptualizing OCD treatment as a spiritual practice

(01:05:33 ): Challenges and opportunities around mental health outreach + education for other clergy members

(01:09:04 ): Where Katie is today in her own OCD recovery journey

(01:13:55 ): How running ultra-marathons became a part of Katie's OCD recovery & advocacy journey; Running towards our values

(01:19:00 ): All about Katie's upcoming projects:

• 'What's The Scoop with Scrup' podcast


• Upcoming Faith + OCD Support Group Platform

(01:23:27 ): DEEP rapid-fire final questions with Katie, and closing out the episode!

Connect with Katie:

• Website + Faith & Mental Health Integrative Services⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠revkatieodunne.com


• ⁠Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@RevKRunsBeyondOCD


• Email: katie.odunne@gmail.com


• Support: 50 Ultras for OCD


• Free Faith & OCD Support Offerings


• IOCDF Faith & OCD Resource Center

Connect with me!

• My website⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠umarchatterjee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


• ⁠Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@UmaRChatterjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


• Twitter:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@UmaRChatterjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


• TikTok:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@UmaRChatterjee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


• Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@umarchatterjee.com⁠⁠⁠


• Have a guest you want on the show? Fill out the ⁠⁠Guest Suggestion Form!⁠