SPACE for parents:
Support for Children & Teens with Anxiety and OCD
Supporting your child through anxiety and OCD
When your child is struggling with anxiety or OCD, it can be difficult to know how to help. You may find yourself providing reassurance, changing routines, avoiding situations, or stepping in to make things easier for your child.
These responses are understandable. As parents, we naturally want to protect our children. However, some of these patterns can unintentionally maintain anxiety or OCD over time.
What is SPACE?
SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a parent-based approach that helps parents respond to anxiety and OCD in ways that are supportive, compassionate, and empowering.
SPACE is an evidence-based treatment approach developed specifically to help parents support children and adolescents experiencing anxiety and OCD.
Rather than focusing primarily on changing the child, SPACE focuses on helping parents change how they respond to the child's anxiety or OCD.
Parents learn how to provide support and communicate confidence in their child's ability to cope, while gradually reducing behaviors that accommodate anxiety or OCD.
What does parent accommodation look like?
Accommodation can take many forms and often develops gradually. For example, parents may:
Repeatedly reassure their child that everything will be okay
Avoid certain situations because they cause anxiety
Participate in rituals or compulsions
Answer repeated questions or provide reassurance
Change family routines to prevent distress
Complete tasks for their child because the child is anxious
These responses often come from a place of love and protection. SPACE helps parents recognize these patterns and develop new ways of responding.
In SPACE, we will work together to help you:
Understand your child's anxiety or OCD and how it affects the family
Identify patterns of accommodation
Respond to your child's distress with empathy while maintaining appropriate boundaries
Communicate confidence in your child's ability to cope
Gradually reduce accommodations that may be maintaining anxiety or OCD
Develop a consistent approach that supports your child's growing independence
The goal is not to dismiss your child's fears or make them face everything alone. Instead, the goal is to help you communicate "I understand this is hard, and I believe you can handle it."
What will we work on?
Who can benefit from SPACE?
SPACE may be a good fit for parents and caregivers of children or adolescents experiencing:
Anxiety
OCD
Excessive reassurance seeking
Avoidance
Separation anxiety
Social anxiety
Fears and worries that interfere with daily life
Family accommodation related to anxiety or OCD
SPACE may be especially helpful when anxiety or OCD is significantly affecting family routines, relationships, school, or daily activities.
SPACE is primarily parent-focused. Sessions provide parents with education, guidance, and practical strategies for responding differently to anxiety and OCD.
We will work collaboratively to identify the patterns that are occurring in your family and develop specific, manageable steps toward change.
You don't have to navigate your child's anxiety or OCD alone.
What can I expect?
Interested in learning more
If you are wondering whether SPACE may be a good fit for your family, I welcome you to reach out. We can discuss your concerns, your child's needs, and whether a parent-based approach such as SPACE makes sense for your situation.
I work primarily with families of children and adolescents, generally ages 12 and up.
Contact me to schedule a consultation.
In Person
&
Telehealth
IL&CA
Telehealth only for clients who reside in CA