Helping Anxious Kids Through the Summer Summer is supposed to be relaxing and fun. But anxiety and OCD do not take a break just because it’s summer. In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about ways to set up routine and structure to help reduce anxiety. I also talk about other possible struggles and how to deal with them as we […]
Interview with Dr. Shefali | Helping Mothers Turn Pain into Power Dr. Shefali is a prominent clinical psychologist and the New York Times best selling author of The Conscious Parent and The Awakened Family. In her new book, A Radical Awakening, she talks to women about how to take their pain and turn it into power. According to Oprah Winfrey, “The world needs to know. […]
When You Hit Compassion Fatigue with Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD None of us signed up to raise a child with anxiety or OCD. It wasn’t what we dreamed of when we poured over all the pregnancy and parenting books. And yet, here we all are, trying to not only survive, but thrive with our kids and their struggles. What happens when compassion runs dry? […]
How Understanding Anxiety & OCD Themes Can Help Your Child Anxiety and OCD come in many flavors. Often we even name these flavors with various titles like symmetry OCD, Harm OCD, Separation Anxiety, Emetophobia etc. Does it really matter what theme of anxiety or OCD my child has? Yes and no. There are pitfalls to wearing blinders and only focusing on your child’s anxiety or […]
Why Anxiety or OCD Therapy is Not Enough for Our Kids Many of us think that if only we can find a qualified anxiety or OCD child therapist, all of our child’s struggles would go away. I wish that were true. I wish that was the case for the children that I have treated and for my own children. But the truth is, as parents […]
How to Help Kids with Anxiety or OCD When They are Angry Kids with anxiety or OCD aren’t just fearful, often they are angry. Anxiety and OCD can cause kids to rage, meltdown and talk back. It can make them dig their heels in and be oppositional. But when parents react to those behaviors in “typical” ways, they often hit a brick wall. Why? Because […]
Helping Anxious Kids Change Teachers or Therapists Change is hard on most kids, but it can be especially hard on anxious kids. So what happens when they have to change their teacher or therapist? It can be rough, especially if they were well bonded to the teacher or therapist before the change.Change offers our kids the ability to practice flexibility and can build their adaptation […]
How Living in the Moment Can Help Kids with Anxiety It’s nice to live in the moment, be in the now. But what if it could be more than nice? What if it could help reduce your child’s level of anxiety? What if it can train your child’s brain to stay connected and not live in the trauma of “what if’s?” In this latest episode […]
How to Help Kids Who are Scared of Bugs Many kids and even adults are scared of bugs. But for some of our kids it goes way beyond that. Perhaps they won’t go outside, won’t go to the park or won’t go swimming because of their fear of insects. Maybe they are worried about taking a shower or a bath or even going to the […]
How Self-Esteem Plays a Role in Kids with Anxiety or OCD Anxiety and OCD will often take a swing at our child’s self-esteem. It can do that with the anxious or intrusive thoughts it bombards them with. It can do that by paralyzing them with fear, as they watch their peers not struggle. It can also be present alongside anxiety or OCD. It can help […]
Helping Kids with Anxiety or OCD Cope with Grief or Trauma It’s hard enough to have anxiety or OCD, but what happens when your child is hit with grief or trauma? It can feel like a muddy, chaotic mess. Unfortunately life happens and so do tragedies. Our kids are not immune to life happening to them, I wish they were. Anxiety and OCD are opportunistic. […]
Update on Tragedy that has Devastated Our Family For those of you that aren’t aware, my husband died suddenly of a blood clot ten days after a minor Achilles surgery. The grief has been all consuming for me and my three children. I know my podcast, youtube channel, social media posts and emails have abruptly stopped almost a month ago and I didn’t have the […]
How Online Support Can Be A Game Changer for Parents Raising Kids with OCD or Anxiety There are common stories among parents raising kids with OCD or anxiety. Stories of struggling to find a well trained anxiety or OCD child therapist. Stories of feeling isolated and alone. Stories of friends, family or the school not fully getting the depths of their child’s struggles. These are […]
Why Mental Health Professionals are Missing Signs of OCD When you get assessed by a mental health professional you assume that they would be well versed in all possible diagnoses. You assume they will identify, diagnose and treat any possible mental health struggle. Unfortunately that assumption is not only wrong, but dangerous. OCD seems to be the step-child of mental health education and training. Which […]
How to Motivate Our Kids to Work on Anxiety or OCD One of the biggest challenges parents face when raising a child with anxiety or OCD is…motivation. How do we motivate our kids to face their fears? How do we motivate our kids to sit in discomfort? How do we motivate them to even talk about their struggles. That can feel like an uphill battle. […]
