Does OCD Make Your Child Worry About All the “Bad” Things They’ve Done?

Does OCD Make Your Child Worry About All the “Bad” Things They’ve Done?

OCD comes in many flavors. One flavor involves the ongoing fear of being a bad person. Ironically the most kind hearted people often struggle with this type of OCD theme. When our kids have these types of intrusive thoughts they might find themselves consumed with worry about behaviors they did in the past. OCD has access to their mental database and can present them with a long list of “bad” things they’ve done. We are all human and have done things we regret. In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about how OCD uses their experiences against them and how they can stay one step ahead and stop OCD in its tracks.

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PSP 306: The Messiness of OCD Progress

PSP 306: The Messiness of OCD Progress

OCD progress is not linear. It is often actually bumpy along the way. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I explore why things can get messy and how to see beyond the messy to recognize the OCD progress.

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What’s Your Child’s Personal Relationship Like with OCD?

What’s Your Child’s Personal Relationship Like with OCD?

What’s Your Child’s Personal Relationship like with OCD? This video is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. What is your child’s relationship with OCD? They are in a private relationship that no one, not even those closest to them can see. Only they know when they are feeding their OCD. Only they know when they […]

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PSP 305: CBT vs ERP Treatment for OCD

PSP 305: CBT vs ERP Treatment for OCD

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) are not the same. Many parents seeking treatment for OCD are not aware of that and search just for a CBT therapist. ERP is a specific type of CBT that provides evidenced-based treatment for those with OCD. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explain the difference between CBT and ERP as well as how to find a therapist trained in ERP.

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OCD is Back! Now What?

OCD is Back! Now What?

It can be so disappointing when your child has gotten relief from OCD, only to find it rear its ugly head again. It can be even more disappointing if you had the mentality that you can “cure” OCD. OCD is like Diabetes or Asthma. It is something that needs to be watched and managed throughout their life. But there is good news! The more they build those skills at recognizing and identifying OCD, the better they’ll be able to handle the bumps that come their way. Their skills are not lost. All that they worked on is not lost. Their OCD muscles to handle discomfort and deal with OCD head-on are still inside of them. Don’t let OCD convince them that they are starting from square one. They aren’t. You’ve got this. They’ve got this. In this week’s Youtube video for kids and teens I remind them that even with setbacks their skills are still there; their strength is still there.

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PSP 304: Teaching Our Kids Not to Engage with OCD

PSP 304: Teaching Our Kids Not to Engage with OCD

OCD wants us to take its threats seriously. It wants us to debate with it, argue, and come up with solutions to circumvent the issues it presents. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I explore how these issues can show up and how we can teach our kids and teens to not get caught in OCD’s trap.

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PSP 303: Behaviors That Hide Anxiety or OCD

PSP 303: Behaviors That Hide Anxiety or OCD

Anxiety and OCD don’t always appear in an obvious way. Sometimes our kids will have behaviors that we would never think would be anxiety or OCD. In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about some common behaviors that hide anxiety or OCD and what parents should do when they see them.

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PSP 301: Parenting Beliefs that Stop Anxiety & OCD Progress

PSP 301: Parenting Beliefs that Stop Anxiety & OCD Progress

We only have a small part to play in our child’s anxiety or OCD success. It is their journey and we are only one piece of that puzzle. But that is a puzzle piece we can work on! Often our own erroneous beliefs, limitations or fears create unintentional barriers to our child’s long term success with anxiety or OCD. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore some of those beliefs and fears and how we can address them.

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Do You Know What Helps Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD?

Do You Know What Helps Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD?

Our child’s anxiety or OCD doesn’t live in a bubble. Our kids are surrounded by people who are there to support them. But do they allow others to help them? Do they even know how to ask for help? Often they don’t communicate what they need and we are left guessing. In this week’s Youtube video, I talk to kids and teens about why it is important to let others know exactly how they can help with their anxiety or OCD.

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PSP 300: Reducing Chaos Anxiety or OCD Bring to the Family

PSP 300: Reducing Chaos Anxiety or OCD Bring to the Family

Anxiety and OCD doesn’t just impact our child, it impacts the whole family. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore the most common ways anxiety and OCD can impact our families and how to address these issues to minimize its impact.

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PSP 299: The Relationship with Sleep and Anxiety & OCD

PSP 299: The Relationship with Sleep and Anxiety & OCD

Many kids with anxiety and OCD struggle with sleep. This sleep struggle can be caused by a variety of issues that are different for each child. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I explore the most common ways anxiety and OCD impacts sleep and how a lack of sleep impacts anxiety and OCD. I also talk about the approaches that won’t work and what will work instead.

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Are You Working Harder Than Your Child on Their Anxiety or OCD?

Are You Working Harder Than Your Child on Their Anxiety or OCD?

Anxiety and OCD often make our kids push back on help. It might create an us vs them mentality in their mind. It might make them spin their wheels thinking about how they can avoid therapy, hide their compulsions or get others to give in to their anxiety or OCD. Unfortunately, this approach is a boomerang that only winds up hurting them and their long-term progress in the end. In this week’s Youtube video, I talk to kids and teens about how to be honest with themselves about their view of the help they are receiving. I encourage them to take the wheel and start steering their own journey while welcoming the support that surrounds them.

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PSP 298: When Anxiety and OCD Themes Impact the Ability to Get Help

PSP 298: When Anxiety and OCD Themes Impact the Ability to Get Help

There are many times when the actual theme of our child’s anxiety or OCD can undermine their ability to get help. How are we supposed to help our kids (or clients/patients) when the very nature of helping is triggering their anxiety or OCD? In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore the most common ways anxiety and OCD themes get in the way of helping and what parents and therapists can do when it happens.

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Helping Kids Handle Anger When You Don’t Accommodate OCD 

Helping Kids Handle Anger When You Don’t Accommodate OCD 

Your child’s OCD doesn’t stay neatly in its lane. It involves everyone around them, especially their family. It will try to get family members involved in their compulsions. It will use family as a tool to grow OCD. Knowledgeable family members get this. That is why family members will often pull back their accommodations and their entanglement in growing the OCD. When family members pull back, it is common for OCD to feel the rage of not being fed. This might overcome your child or teen in that moment. In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about how to handle the anger that comes when family members won’t accommodate their OCD and how to see the long term benefit of this type of support.

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PSP 297: The Difference Between Gut Instinct vs Anxiety/OCD

PSP 297: The Difference Between Gut Instinct vs Anxiety/OCD

Teaching our kids to trust their gut instinct can be a lifesaver. But what do we do when anxiety or OCD feels like gut instinct? What if intuition is really their OCD magical thinking in disguise? In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore the differences between gut instinct and intuition vs anxiety and OCD.

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