Dylan Mckelroy started his career in construction. He had a desire to work with people more directly, which led him to go back to school and become a therapist. After he graduated, he landed a job in community mental health like a lot of therapists do. But somewhere along the way, he realized his current role wasn’t giving him the impact he was looking for.
That search eventually led him to NOCD.
In this episode of the Get to Know NOCD Therapists Podcast, Dylan sits down with Dr. Patrick McGrath to talk about his path into mental health, what NOCD’s training program looks like, and how Dylan is able to see the impact he’s having on his Members. Below is the conversation, lightly edited for clarity and length.
From construction to community mental health
Dr. McGrath: What’s your story of coming into the mental health world?
Dylan: My story is a little bit different because I come in from a construction background, since graduating high school. I predominantly worked in construction and the trades.
While in construction, I even started college because I wanted to do more— I liked building, I liked making a difference in the world, but I wanted to work with people a little more hands-on. That’s when I got into college and started working toward becoming a therapist. Eventually I graduated and started working in community mental health, which is where a lot of us start.
In community mental health, I really figured out that I loved being a therapist. But I started realizing I wanted to do a bit more than what I was doing. I was working with traditional talk therapy, and I didn’t feel like I was making as much of a noticeable impact as I wanted to. That’s when I started researching different modalities — different forms of therapy that I felt could have a really big impact on people’s lives.
That research led me to things like biofeedback, neurofeedback, and eventually, learning about NOCD and that work that’s being done here.
Discovering NOCD through its marketing
Dr. McGrath: Did you see some NOCD ads, or how did you find out about us?
Dylan: Lots of them. That was one of the first things I said in my interview — the marketing campaign here is great. I’ve seen so many of your interviews with celebrities and well-known individuals, and it was a great way to get to know the company better.
Dr. McGrath: I’m glad, Dylan, that the messaging that’s come out from NOCD was really impactful on you, because it’s so important on both sides. People with OCD need to recognize that they have OCD, because many people don’t know that what they’re struggling with is OCD. And unfortunately, there are also a lot of therapists who don’t know how to diagnose OCD — and even if they do, don’t necessarily know how to properly treat it. They’ll use standard talk therapy, which is probably what you were taught in graduate school, that seems to solve every problem but we know does not actually solve every problem. It really does require specialized care. That really has been a lot of the messaging we’ve put out, and I’m glad it resonated with you and was the impetus for you to look at us as a company.
Dr. McGrath: What are some of the messages you now use? How do you give that spin to people — what do you say OCD is, and how it interferes in people’s lives?
Dylan: I’ve heard OCD referred to as the thief of time. It really just steals time from you. That’s what stuck with me the most. People who live with OCD don’t have the time in their life to do the things they want to do, to be the person that they want to be.
Dr. McGrath: I like that. It really doesn’t care about you or what you need to do. It only cares about itself and what it wants to be done.
The training gap most therapists face
Before joining NOCD, Dylan had come across OCD cases in his caseload, but wasn’t equipped to treat them.
Dylan: I’d had one or two people who came in diagnosed with OCD, and I wasn’t prepared or experienced enough to be able to treat them. So I had to refer out. It was something I was lacking in.
When asked how much time he’d spent studying OCD in graduate school, Dylan’s answer was blunt:
Dylan: Maybe reading the title in the DSM.
It’s a gap Dr. McGrath pointed out is common across the field, and one that shaped why NOCD exists in the first place. NOCD’s founder, Stephen Smith, went through numerous therapists who either couldn’t identify his condition as OCD or offered generic coping strategies that are not effective for treating OCD.
What NOCD’s clinical training actually involves
Dr. McGrath: What was it like to come into the training we gave and really learn about OCD?
Dylan: Somebody said it during the beginning of the training program: you’re going to be entering NOCD Academy — this is really like going back to college. And that’s what it felt like. It was an entire in-depth program where, by the end of it, I felt completely prepared to meet with all my Members and work with people with OCD. I really didn’t have any questions or doubts by the end of the program.
Case consultations, absolutely love them. They’re available nearly every single day of the week. We’re able to open up our calendar and say, what do I need help on? And even if we don’t have questions about a client, we can pick a group, see what it’s titled, and learn more about that specific topic for the week.
Dr. McGrath: We give a lot of feedback — no one just gets through training and then starts. You have a process with our clinical advising meetings, mock sessions. What was that like?
Dylan: There were several days of hands-on training in a group setting, cameras on, interactive — you get called on, you’re encouraged to be present, take notes, participate. Then you have your clinical advisory meeting, where you meet one-on-one and do a whole mock session — you roleplay client, then roleplay therapist, going through the whole thing. You guys got some good actors, roleplaying children, adults, anybody of any age and background. You really get the feeling that you’re doing a therapy appointment with somebody for the first time.
Key elements Dylan and Dr. McGrath highlight:
- Live case consultations, available nearly every day, where therapists can bring a specific question or pick a topic they want to learn more about that week
- Hands-on group training sessions, conducted on camera, where trainees are actively called on to participate and take notes
- One-on-one clinical advisory meetings, including full mock sessions where trainers roleplay clients across a range of ages and backgrounds
Ongoing support from clinical managers
Every NOCD Therapist works with a Clinical Operations Manager (referred to internally as a “COM”) who is available for support, coaching, and concerns.
Dr. McGrath: How is that relationship going?
Dylan: That relationship’s great. I’ve been working with my COM since the very beginning. She reaches out regularly, just saying, “Hey, just checking in. Do you need anything right now?” And if I need anything at any point, all I have to do is shoot her a message. She gets back to me the same day, usually within the hour.
What it’s like working remotely
Dylan: It’s great. It’s so comfortable. I can have my desk organized how I want it — things I enjoy out and available to me, snacks, everything’s here. I don’t have to get up, I don’t have to drive anywhere. The biggest part is I don’t have to commute to an office.
Impact on Members
For Dylan, one of the biggest differences between NOCD and his previous experience is the ability to track real outcomes and have significant impact on Members.
Dylan: This is what I was looking for when I started looking for something that has more significant impact on the Members, because we keep track of metrics. We’re able to actually see the difference that we’re making over time. We’re able to see a reduction in symptoms. We’re able to see an improvement in their life.
Instead of a session that amounts to “How are you feeling this week?” followed by a vague “okay,” NOCD’s assessment tools give therapists clarity on how Members are progressing over time.
Dylan: They really help to highlight any area where — hey, you’ve made great progress here, but here we’ve kind of stagnated, or we’re lacking a little bit. So let’s shift what we’re working on for a little while so we can really make progress in every category.
Treating related conditions
NOCD Therapists also treat other conditions. The role also includes training opportunities in:
Dylan: I’m a big fan of treating hoarding. Our knowledge hub is extensive — it shows so much of what you want to learn, has all the steps, videos, training videos, everything you could want. Hoarding is actually something I’m studying and specializing in at this moment. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to pick up other forms of treatment.
Dr. McGrath: Sometimes people might think, wait, hoarding — you have to be in someone’s home. What’s it like to just tell someone to turn the camera around and walk them through their house, but without having to go into the home?
Dylan: I think with any sort of telehealth therapy, it’s dependent on how much you’re putting into it, how willing you are to really engage with the Member. If you’re just going to half-heartedly say, “okay, turn,” you’ve got to really put in the work to have them really be present and functional during the session.
Using data to improve
NOCD Therapists have visibility into their own performance metrics — something that can feel unfamiliar for clinicians coming from private practice or community organizations where that kind of data might only surface once a year in a review.
Dylan: It really helps to highlight where I’m doing good, and also things I can do to improve my interactions with my Members. Sometimes I’ll notice that my between-session check-ins with Members might start to get a little low, and it’s a reminder: okay, I need to go through my list, reach out to everybody, check in between appointments. It’s really helpful.
That transparency is directly tied to NOCD’s core value of putting Members first, and making sure we give our members the best care possible.
Dylan: All of our metrics circle back to how are we interacting with the Members. How is their care going. How often we’re communicating with them. How long it takes for us to help them get to certain levels of progress in their treatment.
Looking ahead
Dr. McGrath: Dylan, thank you so much for spending some time with us today. I really appreciate hearing your views of being a NOCD Therapist, and for also being encouraging of other people to join us here at NOCD. I love being here — I’ve been here for six and a half years and cannot wait to see us continue to grow and expand. What’s your hope for the future of your career here at NOCD?
Dylan: I’d love to continue to grow and expand here, learn more specialties. Like I mentioned, hoarding is an option. Just being able to expand and become the best therapist that I can be.
Considering a career at NOCD?
Dylan’s path — from construction, to community mental health, to specialized OCD treatment — reflects something many clinicians experience: a gap between the training they received and the training they actually needed to make the impact they set out to make.
If you’re a licensed therapist looking to deliver specialized, evidence-based treatment and want to see if NOCD might be the right fit, visit our careers page to learn more. Our recruiting team will walk you through next steps, including interviews, to see whether NOCD is the right place for your next chapter.
