Helping Anxious Kids Who Crumble Under Pressure Anxious kids crumble under pressure for a variety of reasons. They might worry about deadlines and school work. They might worry about the social pressures of being called on or being watched. They might fear being less than perfect or being worse than others. They might have difficulties making decisions, worried about picking the wrong choice. In this […]
Preparing Our Anxious Kids for an Uncertain School Year There is one thing for sure, next school year is completely uncertain. Will kids go back to school? Will they wear masks? Will school be online or in person? There are more questions than answers when we look ahead. So how do you help an anxious child who craves consistency and stability when reality is anything […]
Ways Parents Can Help Kids with Selective Mutism with Anna Biavati-Smith “He’s just shy, he’ll grow out of it.” That’s what many parents hear when they voice their concerns about a child with undiagnosed Selective Mutism. Selective Mutism is often missed or completely misunderstood. The sad part is with early treatment, kids with Selective Mutism can make great progress. That is why I brought on […]
Inside the Mind of A Child with Emetophobia | The Fear of Throwing Up One of the most common anxiety and OCD themes is the fear of throwing up, also known Emetophobia. It impacts kids of all ages, and has the power to completely debilitate a person. In this week’s, AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk to my own eight-year-old daughter about her struggles with […]
Teaching Our Kids to Be Kind Even When Others Aren’t If a group of children were being mean, would your child feel brave enough to be kind? Being kind isn’t always an easy thing to do. Sometimes it can be a scary thing to do, even a brave thing to do. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I talk about ways to help foster […]
What to Do When Therapy isn’t Enough for a Child with Anxiety or OCD Your child needs help, but therapy isn’t cutting it. Maybe it’s because she refuses to go or perhaps it’s because her issues are just too intense for outpatient therapy. What’s a parent supposed to do when the help isn’t helping? Outpatient therapy is where the road starts, but not where it […]
How to Handle the Stress of Raising a Child with Anxiety or OCD Raising a child with anxiety or OCD should come with a warning label, “Warning: May be hazardous to your health.” Being a rock to a child that is often flailing in the sea of chaos, can be draining to even the best of us. It can wear you down, destroy your sleep […]
Understanding Emetophobia, The Fear of Throwing Up with Chrissie Hodges Parents often grapple with what may have caused their child to become so deathly afraid of throwing up. They come up with theories. Maybe it was the time she saw her cousin throw up? Or maybe it was the time she got sick in the car? Or maybe it was the time she got food […]
A Parent’s Journey Through Anxiety and Autism Autism can be a confusing disorder because it often comes with so many other comorbid conditions. Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can show signs of anxiety, OCD and ADHD. Initially it can be hard for parents and even professionals to get an accurate diagnosis. In this month’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast segment Member Spotlight, I talk to […]
How to Help Anxious Kids Help Themselves It is hard to watch our anxious kids suffer. It is hard to stomach their pain. It is very tempting to swoop in and protect them. To soften their fall. To protect them from feeling discomfort. But that is robbing them of the opportunity to build their skills. I find that the best way to help anxious kids […]
How to Spot OCD Symptoms in Teens Most kids with OCD go into adulthood without a diagnosis. This means years of feeling different. Years of feeling ashamed. And years of little to no support. If parents and therapists can learn how to spot OCD symptoms in teens, we could help them save years of unnecessary pain and suffering. OCD requires a very specific therapeutic approach […]
What is Emotional Contamination OCD? OCD can wreak havoc in any family. But one sub-type of OCD that can be particularly painful is emotional contamination OCD. Emotional contamination issues can hurt family relationships and confuse parents. Sadly most people, even mental health professionals, understand very little about how OCD can manifest. OCD isn’t just about germs and constant cleaning. OCD has many themes and sub-types. […]
Moving our Kids with Anxiety or OCD from Dependency to Resiliency We all do things for our kids. But there comes a time when we do too much. We inadvertently send a message that they are not capable of doing things for themselves. Ironically this directly impacts their ability to independently fight their anxiety or OCD. In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival […]
Three Ways to Help Anxious Kids with Picky Eating If your child is anxious, they are more likely to be a picky eater as well. This makes sense if you really think about it. Anxiety loves to scare our kids. It’s too dark. It’s too dangerous. Anxiety likes to whisper things about food too. It’s too chewy. It’s too smelly. What if’s like to have […]
A Parent’s Journey Through Separation Anxiety Clinical Separation Anxiety isn’t a toddler problem. In fact, symptoms often start to show up when kids are in elementary or middle school. Separation Anxiety Disorder isn’t about having a toddler follow you around. It is about having a child who experiences sheer panic when they are not by your side. It is about having a child who needs […]
