PSP 391: What to Do When Your Child Won’t Get Needed Mental Health Treatment with Alec Pollard

PSP 391: What to Do When Your Child Won’t Get Needed Mental Health Treatment with Alec Pollard

The number one struggle I hear from parents is, “My child won’t accept help for their anxiety or OCD.” What are we supposed to do when anxiety or OCD has hijacked the house and everyone who inhabits it?

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PSP 390: Helping Kids Who Give Up Easily

PSP 390: Helping Kids Who Give Up Easily

Anxiety and OCD can take a TON of resilience. So when we have kids who generally give up easily, this can impact how they handle their mental health struggles.

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Is Your Child Stuck on an Anxiety Avoidance Loop?

Is Your Child Stuck on an Anxiety Avoidance Loop?

Anxiety can feel so overwhelming that our kids just want to avoid it. That can make them avoid doing hard things. It can make them avoid triggering their anxiety. Perhaps they avoid going to certain places, seeing certain people or doing certain activities.

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PSP 388: Helping Our College Kids with Anxiety or OCD

PSP 388: Helping Our College Kids with Anxiety or OCD

It is hard enough supporting our kids with anxiety or OCD, but what happens when they go away to college? We still need to support our kids, but our relationship and physical proximity has changed. 

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PSP 387: How to Address Picking and Pulling Behaviors with Aneela Idnani 

PSP 387: How to Address Picking and Pulling Behaviors with Aneela Idnani 

It is not uncommon for kids with anxiety or OCD to also have issues with picking their skin or pulling their hair. These behaviors are classified as BFRBs, body-focused, repetitive behaviors.

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PSP 383: The Power of Celebrating Small Wins with Anxiety or OCD

PSP 383: The Power of Celebrating Small Wins with Anxiety or OCD

Anxiety and OCD can create hopelessness. It can feel like such an overwhelming task to overcome these struggles. Often we focus on the end goal.

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PSP 379: Are You Missing Some of Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD Struggles?

PSP 379: Are You Missing Some of Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD Struggles?

If we are openly discussing our child’s anxiety or OCD with them, we might assume that we aren’t missing anything. But it is important to note that just because we see the tip of the iceberg, doesn’t mean we see everything.

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PSP 378: Helping Kids with Anxiety and Panic Attacks

PSP 378: Helping Kids with Anxiety and Panic Attacks

She was visibly shaking. Her hands were trembling and she was asking me to help. Her face was so pale that my own panic started to set in. This was the start of an anxiety attack.

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PSP 377: How ADHD Complicates Anxiety and OCD

PSP 377: How ADHD Complicates Anxiety and OCD

Anxiety and OCD are hard enough to deal with, but when you sprinkle ADHD into the mix everything can be magnified. As parents raising kids with comorbid conditions, this adds another layer of struggle. You might find things that work for other kids with anxiety or OCD doesn’t work as easily for your child. It can require a different way to approach anxiety or OCD.

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PSP 376: How to Respond to Unhelpful Comments About Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD

PSP 376: How to Respond to Unhelpful Comments About Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD

It is already tough trying to help our kids with anxiety or OCD, but it is even harder stomaching unhelpful comments and advice.

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Is Your Child Trying to Get Rid of Anxiety? That Might be the Problem.

Is Your Child Trying to Get Rid of Anxiety? That Might be the Problem.

Often when we have anxiety or OCD we hyperfocus on getting rid of the anxiety. We can view anxious feelings as the enemy. We might think that success is not being anxious 100% of the time. Success is not being uncomfortable. Success is being calm and content.

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PSP 375: Can the Movie Inside Out 2 Help Your Child’s Anxiety (or Even OCD?)

PSP 375: Can the Movie Inside Out 2 Help Your Child’s Anxiety (or Even OCD?)

It has been so nice to see all these films addressing our children’s mental health issues. The more these struggles can be normalized, the less stigma they’ll be for our kids!

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PSP 374: Loving the Child You Have vs The Child You Wanted

PSP 374: Loving the Child You Have vs The Child You Wanted

Raising a child with anxiety or OCD can bring with it so many struggles, including our own grief and overwhelm. It is easy, and tempting, to bury our own raw emotions around our child’s anxiety or OCD struggles. But honoring and processing our feelings is equally important.

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PSP 371: Boosting Self-Esteem During Anxiety and OCD Struggles

PSP 371: Boosting Self-Esteem During Anxiety and OCD Struggles

Anxiety and OCD can rob our kids of so many things, including their self-esteem and self-worth. It is easy for them to feel hard on themselves when their anxiety or OCD is knocking them down. Often kids are extra hard on themselves during these times.

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PSP 370: We are Your Anxious Kids All Grown Up | Conversation with Amanda Stern

PSP 370: We are Your Anxious Kids All Grown Up | Conversation with Amanda Stern

What will your anxious kids look like when all grown up? Amanda Stern and I are two possibilities. Amanda Stern is the author of the beautiful and raw memoir, Little Panic, a story about growing up with an undiagnosed panic disorder.

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