Should You Tell Your Child They Have Anxiety or OCD? Many parents worry about telling their child they have anxiety or OCD. Some worry about potentially labeling their kids. Some worry that it will make their child feel different. Others worry about the stigma the child will face. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival episode, I dive deep into the pros and cons of telling […]
When OCD isn’t a Fear, But Rather a Feeling of Disgust Unfortunately many people believe, including some mental health professionals, that in order to have OCD you must have a core fear. Sadly, many people get misdiagnosed because people are searching up, down and all around for a fear. But OCD doesn’t have to be an intrusive thought, it can also be an intrusive feeling. […]
Helping Parents Handle the Grief that Comes with an Anxiety or OCD Diagnosis Most of us had a fantasy of what parenting would look like. It might have involved Pinterest crafts, bake sales and play dates. It probably didn’t include hyperventilating, panic and avoidance. None of us signed up to parent a child with anxiety or OCD and most of us weren’t prepared to do […]
Red Flags to Watch for When Working with an Anxiety or OCD Therapist Not all therapy is the same. Not all therapists are the same. And when it comes to anxiety and OCD you really want to get it right the first time. But many parents don’t know what to look for and some don’t even realize warning bells should be going off. I invited […]
Empowering Our Kids with Anxiety or OCD to Help Themselves We want the best for our kids. We want our kids to blossom and live a happy fulfilling life. But when our kids start to struggle with anxiety or OCD we might think that rosy picture is gone forever. We might think we have to “cure” anxiety or OCD for them to be well again. […]
Helping Teens with OCD with Lisa Coyne Most teens don’t want people to tell them what to do, especially their parents. So what are parents supposed to do when they desperately want to help their teen with OCD? Sometimes that can be tricky. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I invited Lisa Coyne, the co-author of the book, Stuff That’s Loud and the founder […]
Graphic Novel for Teens with OCD | Interview with Jason Adam Katzenstein Jason Adam Katzenstein gets it. He gets the struggle of what it feels like to have OCD and he gets the fear that comes along with trying to crush it. Luckily for the OCD community, Jason is a popular and gifted cartoonist who decided to take his personal and vulnerable story and […]
4 Simple Steps to Help Kids Self-Regulate with Lauren Spigelmyer Many of our kids have a hard time self-regulating. Just like other skills, we often have to teach our kids how to successfully handle their difficult emotions. This can be especially hard for kids that have anxiety and OCD. When you are a child who already struggles with hyperarousal, it doesn’t take much to throw […]
Handling Overwhelm When Parenting Kids with Anxiety or OCD It can get pretty overwhelming parenting a child with anxiety or OCD. But this is a marathon not a sprint and burn out isn’t an option. Overwhelm is an issue we all deal with throughout this journey. It is something that can creep up on you without any warning. So how do we as parents dial […]
How to Help an Anxious Kid Wear a Mask Masks are a struggle for many kids, but if your child has anxiety or OCD it can be a much BIGGER struggle. This could be due to many reasons. Maybe they feel claustrophobic. Maybe they have sensory issues. Or maybe they have social anxiety and it seems embarrassing. Regardless of what the struggle is the end […]
Starting Online Schooling? How to Handle Difficult Behaviors with Wendy Bertagnole The pandemic has turned much of our world upside down. And now entering into the next school year, everything is different for our kids. If you are entering the new world of online schooling, you are not alone. Many of us are going into uncharted territory this school year. That is why I brought […]
Important Highlights from the 2020 OCD Conference for Parents The International OCD Foundation’s annual conference was cancelled along with pretty much everything else in 2020. But the online version did not disappoint, offering some great takeaways for parents raising kids with OCD. In the latest episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I highlight some areas parents need to be updated on, if they haven’t […]
Understanding Magical Thinking in OCD OCD symptoms and behaviors can look vastly different in each person. You might have a child who has compulsions centered around contamination while another person might have a child with compulsions around magical thinking. You might have a child with both! I always tell parents that you want to be well versed in all the many ways OCD can pop […]
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 […]
