Support for Parents

OCD disrupts daily life for the entire family.

You would do anything for your child and have tried everything you can to help them with their anxiety or OCD, but things aren’t getting better.

Raising a child with anxiety or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can feel overwhelming, but there is help available for both you and your child, and it’s important to remember that you don’t have to do it alone.

With the proper support, you will become equipped to guide your child toward managing their anxiety or OCD successfully.

The SPACE program offers relief.

The Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) Program is a comprehensive approach designed to help parents effectively support their children dealing with anxiety.

If your child struggles with anxiety or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), you may feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to help. The Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) program offers a unique, parent-focused approach to managing your child’s anxiety without needing your child to participate directly in therapy.

Developed by experts at the Yale Child Study Center, SPACE helps parents support their children by changing how they respond to their child’s anxiety-driven behaviors. Unlike traditional therapies, which focus on the child, SPACE empowers you to make essential changes that can significantly reduce your child’s anxiety.

One of the core components of the program addresses “accommodations.”

Accommodations are behaviors you might engage in to ease your child’s anxiety, such as offering constant reassurance, avoiding certain situations, or helping your child avoid their fears. While these actions may seem helpful in the short term, they can reinforce your child’s anxiety over time.

SPACE helps you gradually reduce these accommodations while providing emotional support and creating a safe, loving environment. Through the program, you’ll learn specific strategies to encourage your child to face their fears and build resilience with the guidance of a trained therapist.

Research has shown that SPACE is highly effective in reducing anxiety and OCD symptoms in children. This program is especially beneficial if your child is resistant to therapy or reluctant to talk about their anxiety.