PSP 384: Why Family Involvement is Key to OCD Treatment in Kids

PSP 384: Why Family Involvement is Key to OCD Treatment in Kids

OCD doesn’t live in a bubble; it lives in our home. It lives in our families. It is not an isolated disorder. It involves the whole family system.

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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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Sensorimotor OCD and the Urge to Pee Over and Over Again 😩

Sensorimotor OCD and the Urge to Pee Over and Over Again 😩

Sensorimotor OCD makes people hyperfocus on bodily functions. One of those bodily functions is the need to pee. When you have sensorimotor OCD you hyperfocus on your bladder’s sensations. You might go to the bathroom over and over. You might check to see if you need to pee repeatedly.

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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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When OCD Bosses the Family Around

When OCD Bosses the Family Around

OCD doesn’t just boss the child around and tell them what to do or avoid. It loves to involve family members. Often kids just want their family to give in to OCD’s demands. It can be easy to make family members the enemy, when really it is OCD.

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PSP 369: Incorrect Assumptions About ERP and OCD Exposure Work

PSP 369: Incorrect Assumptions About ERP and OCD Exposure Work

There are many assumptions about ERP, Exposure Response Prevention, the go-to approach to treat OCD in kids. Some parents (and therapists) don’t understand how ERP is supposed to work, how it is done and what one should expect.

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Is Your Child Doing Mental Compulsions for OCD and Doesn’t Know it?!

Is Your Child Doing Mental Compulsions for OCD and Doesn’t Know it?!

OCD can be sneaky! Often people think they aren’t doing any OCD compulsions and so they don’t think they have OCD. There are a ton of mental compulsions that are often missed!

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PSP 368: Why OCD Can Get Worse with the Wrong Therapist 

PSP 368: Why OCD Can Get Worse with the Wrong Therapist 

When you bring your child to a cardiologist, you expect they know all the evidence based treatment interventions to help your child. When you bring them to an endocrinologist you assume they are an expert in all things endocrinology.

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PSP 367: If Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD Returns are You Starting Over?

PSP 367: If Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD Returns are You Starting Over?

There is nothing worse than seeing the first signs of anxiety or OCD return. It is a stomach dropping kind of feeling. It can bring all those old emotions flooding to the surface.

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Is OCD Robbing Your Child of Things They Love?

Is OCD Robbing Your Child of Things They Love?

OCD doesn’t stay in its lane. It robs our kids of the things they love the most. If they love their pet, it might give them thoughts that make them avoid them. If they love their phone, it will bombard them with compulsions around it. If they love gaming, their OCD will play its own game ruining all the fun. If they want to hang out with their friends, OCD might give them a ton of reasons why that will be too triggering. What things, people and experiences does OCD rob from your child? In this week’s YouTube video I talk to kids, teens and young adults about how to find their power and take back the things they love.

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PSP 362: The Use of Storytelling in Anxiety and OCD

PSP 362: The Use of Storytelling in Anxiety and OCD

It can be hard to help kids navigate anxiety and OCD. Sometimes adding some creative ways to help validate, normalize and build skills to handle anxiety or OCD can be gold! One of my favorite ways to do that is through storytelling.

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Is OCD Using Facts as a Weapon Against You?

Is OCD Using Facts as a Weapon Against You?

OCD will use everything in its power to keep you growing it, including facts. If we search, we can find literally any fact to support OCD’s lies. OCD will often take a fact and exaggerate the risk. OCD will take a fact and scare you into doing more compulsions. OCD will take facts to prove it is right.

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Tools to Beat OCD at Home

Tools to Beat OCD at Home

It can be hard to know how to beat OCD and even harder to find an OCD therapist with the expertise to guide you through it!
That is why I created my new book, Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids. I took all my clinical skills from my practice and poured it into this book so kids can learn all they need to know one engaging activity at a time.

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PSP 354: A New Way to Help Your Child with OCD at Home

PSP 354: A New Way to Help Your Child with OCD at Home

As parents we are often desperate to provide our children with tools to help their OCD. We might scour the internet trying to find an OCD specialist; not an easy feat. Or if we are lucky enough to have found an OCD specialist, we might want to know what we can do at home to fill in the gaps.

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Who is Your Child Fighting? Their OCD or You?

Who is Your Child Fighting? Their OCD or You?

OCD loves to get our kids on the hamster wheel of rules, compulsions and avoidance. It dangles a carrot that says, “Just do what I want and all your discomfort will go away.” When our kids believe OCD’s lies they live in a world that is controlled by OCD.

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