Supportive parenting for anxious childhood emotions

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Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a specialized, evidence-based treatment for childhood and adolescent anxiety, OCD, and related problems. What makes SPACE unique is that it is entirely parent-based.

Unlike traditional therapy where the child is the primary patient, in SPACE, the parents attend the sessions alone. The therapist works exclusively with parents to help them make two major changes in their behavior:

1. Increase Support: Parents learn how to communicate acceptance and confidence in their child while offering increased emotional and relational support.
2. Decrease Accommodation: This is the core of the treatment. Accommodation refers to changes parents often make to their own behavior to help a child avoid things that make them anxious. For example, answering a repetitive question, sleeping next to them, or avoiding certain places. While this provides temporary relief, it actually reinforces the anxiety over time.

By learning to gradually and consistently reduce accommodations, parents empower their children to face their anxieties and develop their own coping skills. The child's anxiety decreases because they learn that they are capable of handling distress, even without their parents immediately stepping in to "fix" the problem.

SPACE is a powerful and efficient treatment for a wide range of anxiety-related issues, including:

• Generalized Anxiety
• Separation Anxiety
• Social Anxiety
• Specific Phobias
• Panic Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

If you are tired of feeling held hostage by your child's anxiety and ready to learn concrete tools to foster long-term confidence and independence, this is the right approach for you.

I offer flexible options to help your family find relief from anxiety:

• Individual Family Sessions: I currently offer one-on-one SPACE therapy sessions where we can develop a personalized treatment plan specific to your child's needs and your family's unique dynamics.
• SPACE Parent Groups (Coming Soon!): Look for future announcements regarding group sessions. This format offers a cost-effective way to learn the SPACE principles alongside other parents facing similar challenges, providing community and shared learning.