Childhood anxiety disorders are common, affecting approximately one in every eight children according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. While many treatments focus mainly on managing the child’s feelings, parents play a role in helping their children navigate and overcome anxiety which is why Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) treatment is so critical to help your child’s anxiety to support them and their confidence in the ability to handle distress.
Parenting & Anxiety In Children
Children often take cues from their parents when assessing their environment like should they feel safe, or is this a dangerous situation? When parents unintentionally reinforce anxious behaviors by being overly accommodating or rescue-driven, they can inadvertently contribute to the cycle of worry their child may experience. However, when parents model healthy coping strategies and instill confidence, this helps children learn skills to manage anxiety. This is a great opportunity for parents to show their children healthy ways to cope.
What Is Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)?
SPACE⎯developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz⎯is a parent-based treatment for childhood anxiety and OCD. Instead of having your child directly participating in therapy, SPACE treatment helps parents change their own behaviors in ways that help reduce the child’s anxiety. Parents who participate in our SPACE treatment will learn skills and tools to reduce their child’s anxiety.
Two of the main changes that parents learn to make in SPACE treatment is to respond more supportively to their anxious child and to reduce the accommodations they have been making to the child’s symptoms.
Examples of these accommodations:
- Separation Anxiety⎯A parent sleeps in their child’s room every night because their child is afraid to be alone.
- Social Anxiety⎯A parent speaks for their child in social situations so they don’t feel awkward or avoids playdates so their child never has to feel uncomfortable.
- School Refusal⎯A parent lets their child stay home from school whenever they feel anxious.
Why Parent Involvement In Their Child’s Therapy Is Key
Individual therapy for a child is beneficial, but it’s even more effective when combined with consistent efforts at home. Here is why SPACE treatment helps with your child’s anxiety.
- Reinforcement At Home⎯Therapy sessions help develop healthy coping techniques, so when parents have the right tools, they can help their child at home consistently practicing real-life situational skills.
- Reduced Accommodation⎯Parents often unintentionally accommodate anxiety (e.g., letting their child avoid social settings or difficult school tasks). When parents learn how to balance providing support with encouraging independence, it reduces their child’s anxiety over time.
- Depersonalized Triggers⎯Parental guidance helps kids grasp that their fears are separate from their worth or abilities. This in turn fosters confidence and emotional maturity.
- Strengthened Emotional Connection⎯Collaboration between a child and their parents creates a safe space of trust and support.
How To Help Your Child With Anxiety
Treating kids with anxiety is really effective when combined with SPACE treatment for parents. Through SPACE treatment, you’ll learn how to change your behavior to support your anxious kid.
Join our SPACE program to see how small changes in your parenting can make a big difference in your child’s ability to manage anxiety.
