Does Your Teen Use Google to Grow Their OCD?

Does Your Teen Use Google to Grow Their OCD?

OCD loves when our kids go down rabbit holes. OCD will get them to do its dirty work and grow it bigger. One of those ways is through googling question after question. Yes! googling and online research can be an OCD compulsion. In this week’s YouTube video I talk to kids and teens about how google research grows OCD, how it turns into a compulsion and what to do instead.

Read Me

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.

Read Me

Does Your Child’s OCD Get Stuck on Emotions?

Does Your Child’s OCD Get Stuck on Emotions?

OCD likes to hook into everything, including our child’s emotions. It is common for people to have OCD themes around emotions.

Read Me

It’s Not You, It’s OCD.

It’s Not You, It’s OCD.

OCD is very convincing. It convinces our kids that there is a threat. It convinces them that they need to take action. It convinces them that they have full control.

Read Me

Is OCD Sabotaging Your Child’s Success?

Is OCD Sabotaging Your Child’s Success?

OCD is like a chess match. You make your move, OCD makes its move. It is not a stagnant disorder that just lies there as you crush it with OCD skills. It looks to outsmart, outmaneuver you.

Read Me

PSP 344: The Relationship Between Misophonia, Misokinesia, and OCD

PSP 344: The Relationship Between Misophonia, Misokinesia, and OCD

OCD loves to hang out with other issues. There are many comorbid conditions that go with OCD. Misophonia and Misokinesia are two of them. Does your child feel rage over certain sounds, including mouth and nose sounds? Does your child get overwhelmed by certain motions, like a foot tapping or knee bouncing? Those are common struggles people with Misophonia and Misokinesia experience.
In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the interconnected relationship between Misophonia, Misokinesia and OCD.

Read Me

OCD Compulsions are Fuel to OCD | Is Your Child Fueling Their OCD?

OCD Compulsions are Fuel to OCD | Is Your Child Fueling Their OCD?

The math is simple. The more compulsions our kids do, the bigger their OCD will grow. And yet, OCD can make it feel more complicated in their head. It can make them go to the mental gym weighing out the dangers. It can make them calculate the risks. It can make them believe that their safety or even their identity is at risk.
So how do they stop fueling their OCD? First, they should learn what things are compulsions. Kids (and parents) often miss compulsions that only consist of avoidance, accommodations or mental activities. Second, they need to build their muscles to not fuel their OCD. The best way to reduce OCD is to cut off the fuel line. That can take time, patience and perseverance – but it is the sure fire way to reduce OCD symptoms in the long-term.

Read Me

The Easy and Hard Way to Get Relief from OCD

The Easy and Hard Way to Get Relief from OCD

Getting relief from OCD is not rocket science. OCD is driven by intrusive thoughts that make our kids want to do compulsions. These compulsions can be mental, physical or even just avoidance. The more they do these compulsions, the more their discomfort grows, the more intrusive thoughts they have. OCD is predictable in that way. No matter what thoughts or OCD themes they have, this pattern exists. The only way to break out of this pattern is to have them see the illusions OCD is feeding them and disrupt the pattern that OCD wants them to follow.

Read Me

PSP 336: Teaching Kids with Anxiety or OCD to Advocate for Themselves

PSP 336: Teaching Kids with Anxiety or OCD to Advocate for Themselves

It is important for all kids to learn how to advocate for themselves. It is an especially important skill for kids with anxiety or OCD. Many of us feel like we have to go to bat for our kids with anxiety and OCD over and over again. But often we forget the important aspect of pulling back over time to teach our kids how to advocate for themselves. Self-advocacy builds self-esteem and empowerment. It helps kids learn that they have a voice. We can teach our kids to advocate for themselves in simple steps. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the ingredients to self-advocacy and how to build those skills one step at a time.

Read Me

Is Your Child Catching New OCD Compulsions?

Is Your Child Catching New OCD Compulsions?

Working on OCD is like pulling weeds. Our kids are slowly taking their garden back by eliminating one OCD compulsion at a time (or several at a time!). The less they do compulsions, the weaker OCD becomes. But what if they let some new compulsions grow some early roots? What if they focus so hard on the weeds in front of them, they miss the new weeds starting to form in the distance? What if they want people to see a clean garden, so they hide the new weeds to everyone but themselves? In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about the importance of pulling out those small OCD weeds and preventing any new OCD compulsions from ever taking root.

Read Me

PSP 324: How to Help Kids with Anxiety or OCD Transition to College

PSP 324: How to Help Kids with Anxiety or OCD Transition to College

How to Help Kids with Anxiety or OCD Transition to College This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Going to college can bring a mix of emotions. Many kids feel excitement and some trepidation. But kids with anxiety or OCD can be overwhelmed with the transition. They can worry about being far from […]

Read Me

PSP 320: Are You Defining Success Around Anxiety or OCD in a Helpful Way?

PSP 320: Are You Defining Success Around Anxiety or OCD in a Helpful Way?

How do you define success when it comes to getting anxiety or OCD under control? What does “recovery” look like to you? What does it look like to your child? How we view success and how we convey it to our kids is critical. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I explore what a healthy view of “success” looks like and how to communicate that effectively to our kids.

Read Me

PSP 319: How to Remove Stigma in Kids with OCD

PSP 319: How to Remove Stigma in Kids with OCD

When kids feel stigma attached to their OCD they are less likely to want to discuss it or receive treatment. One of the first steps we can do to help kids with OCD is to help remove the stigma society has placed on this disorder. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the importance of removing stigma around OCD and concrete ways to do that.

Read Me

Does OCD Make Your Child Worry They’ll Harm Someone They Love?

Does OCD Make Your Child Worry They’ll Harm Someone They Love?

OCD can make our kids worry about all sorts of things. OCD comes in many disguises and themes. Harm OCD themes are often missed or misunderstood. In this week’s Youtube video I talk to kids and teens about what harm OCD themes look like and what they can do to get some OCD relief around this type of theme.

Read Me

PSP 312: How Imaginal Scripts are Used in OCD Treatment

PSP 312: How Imaginal Scripts are Used in OCD Treatment

When we are raising kids with OCD it is important that we fully understand the therapeutic approaches our kids are being taught in therapy. Ultimately we will want our kids to be able to utilize those tools throughout their life. The use of imaginal scripts can be an effective tool in their OCD toolbox. In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore what imaginal scripts are, how to write an effective one and the most common pitfalls that make them less effective.

Read Me