A Q&A with Athlete Cory Hirsch

Chrissie Hodges is a mental health advocate and public speaker on obsessive-compulsive disorder, mental illness, and stigma reduction surrounding mental health. She is the author of 'Pure OCD: The Invisible Side of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder'. Chrissie works with individuals providing peer support and consultations for referrals and resources for OCD treatment. She provides Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy coaching for individuals in treatment at Effective OCD Treatment.

Chrissie is the co-founder of ‘Peer Recovery Services’ managing the Colorado State Government contract placing and supervising Peer Support Specialists in the civilian and forensic State Institutions of mental health. She is the founder and Executive Director of the non-profit OCD Gamechangers. Chrissie was the recipient of the 2017 'Advocacy Hero Award' by the International OCD Foundation. 

Millions and millions of people around the world live with mental illness, but their stories are not all the same. They come from different places, cultures, communities and countries. They like different things, have different kinds of friends, and cope with their symptoms in different ways. When talking about mental health, it's important that we highlight these differences and explore how they shape our experiences. Mental health narratives should be as diverse and unique as we are.

Ask the Advocates is an ongoing Q&A series with outspoken mental health sufferers from around the world. Guests will open up about their experiences living with a wide range of conditions and symptoms, and answer your questions about pain, growth, healing, treatment and more. Before each episode, spend some time learning about the scheduled guest and come prepared with questions that are relevant to what they've been through.