If you’ve never attended an OCA meeting before, you may be wondering what to expect. While each meeting has its own format and personality, most follow a similar structure.

​

Meetings usually begin with a welcome. In virtual meetings, you may also be asked to introduce yourself using your first name or a name you choose. Knowing who is present helps everyone feel more comfortable sharing openly and helps us maintain a safe meeting environment. You never need to provide your full name or other identifying information.

​

Anonymity is an important part of OCA and helps members feel safe sharing openly and honestly about their experiences. We ask that the identities of those attending and the personal details they share remain private. What you learn or hear in a meeting may be carried with you as part of your own recovery, but please leave names and identifying details behind.

​

The welcome is typically followed by brief readings about OCA and our recovery program. These may include the OCA Foreword, the Twelve Steps, and one of the Twelve Traditions.

​

The main portion of the meeting may focus on a recovery topic, one of the Twelve Steps or Traditions, a reading from OCA or other approved literature, or a speaker sharing their experience, strength, and hope. Members are then invited to share their own experiences with OCD and recovery. Some meetings have guidelines about the length or format of shares, which will usually be explained by the chairperson. You are always welcome to simply listen—there is no requirement to speak.

​

Toward the end of the meeting, there may be OCA announcements and information about ways to connect with other members or become involved in service. Meetings generally close with the Serenity Prayer or another closing chosen by that meeting.

​

Many meetings offer time afterward for newcomers to ask questions and for members to stay and chat informally. This fellowship time can be a great opportunity to get to know other members, exchange contact information, learn more about sponsorship, or simply spend some time with people who understand.

​

Although formats vary from meeting to meeting, the purpose is the same: to provide a welcoming place where people affected by OCD can share experience, strength, and hope and support one another in recovery.

​

You don’t need to understand the Twelve Steps, have a sponsor, own any OCA literature, or know what to say before attending your first meeting. Just come as you are.