TELL ME IT WILL BE OK

Today we explore the difference between accommodations and support using the definition from the study cited below, which is "changes in parents’ behavior in attempts to prevent or reduce child distress."  Johanna Thompson-Hollands, Caroline E. Kerns, Donna B. Pincus, Jonathan S. Comer,  Parental accommodation of child anxiety and related symptoms: Range, impact, and correlates , Journal of Anxiet...

This week we discuss what mindfulness is, how it works, how it helps child anxiety, and how to do it. I also invite you to get my free 7-day Get Yourself Grounded email course by taking the Parenting Pitfalls quiz at http://ChildAnxietySupport.com/quiz Mentioned in this episode: 🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREATHE? Parenting has never been more challenging especially for empathetic parents of se...

This week I talk about anxiety in the context of a post traumatic stress disorder diagnosis and discuss how it should be addressed. I mention EMDRIA.org in the podcast and wanted to be sure to include a link.  You can also read more about the other treatments I mention here: TF-CBT (this links to a PDF published by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network) What is PCIT? (a definition and explai...

This episode is a response to a listener having a tough time and I hope they hear it and find comfort in the answer. And if you, too, are needing support right now, I hope it speaks to you and makes your way a little easier. Mentioned in this episode: 🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREATHE? Parenting has never been more challenging especially for empathetic parents of sensitive kids. TELL ME IT WIL...

This week’s question is meant to address the concerns of parents who contact me and say they’ve tried to get their child help and it isn’t working or it hasn’t worked and they’re asking me what to do next. So I’m squishing all of these questions together into one to talk about the things that get in the way of child anxiety treatment.  Mentioned in this episode: 🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREAT...

The short answer is yes, social media absolutely can cause teen anxiety so I use this episode to talk about what parents can -- and should -- do about it. I mention the report: The Common Sense Census published by the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University, which you can download as a PDF here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/common-se...

While the answer to this question is out of my professional scope of practice, I was able to find information in a literature review specifically about the member's question in regards to vitamin D, which you can find here:  The Influence of Vitamin D Intake and Status on Mental Health in Children: A Systematic Review We talk about that and also use this episode to discuss the importance of taking...

This week I explain why we need to reframe the question "How do I explain to my anxious child that they don't need to be scared" to "How do I help my anxious child cope with their fear when they are scared?" Mentioned in this episode: 🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREATHE? Parenting has never been more challenging especially for empathetic parents of sensitive kids. TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Prac...

This week we talk about child anxiety and how it can make it hard for some anxious kids to fall asleep (and stay asleep) on their own. I also mention that in March 2023 the theme for the Child Anxiety Support site is Meltdowns and that in April 2023 we'll be walking through the 6-week Strong Kids, Strong Families child anxiety program all together as a cohort. You can join the program at any time...

It may seem counterintuitive but encouragment doesn't always help an anxious child. Learn the two reasons why this is so on this week's episode of The Child Anxiety FAQ. Mentioned in this episode: 🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREATHE? Parenting has never been more challenging especially for empathetic parents of sensitive kids. TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice is a weekly, guided practice that...

This week we discuss why we need to shift our focus from motivating our anxious child and where we need to shift it to make a real difference in our parenting. Mentioned in this episode: 🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREATHE? Parenting has never been more challenging especially for empathetic parents of sensitive kids. TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice is a weekly, guided practice that gives qui...

This is a topic I get asked about a lot and was finally inspired to record it after receiving a long submission from a listener that included this:  “Do we just carry on with how we handle her anxiety in our care despite being different? How does an anxious child cope with split homes? How do we ensure the anxious child doesn't play the parents off against each other (which currently happens). We...

This question came up after I did a reel on instagram and TikTok where I was talking about the research behind child anxiety treatment and someone asked, "Is this true with autism and adhd then too?” Even though it isn’t anxiety specific, there is certainly enough overlap in these diagnoses that I thought it was worth discussing.  I mention two studies in this episode and wanted to include the cit...

We talk about coping skills -- what does that mean? what are those skills? how do we teach them to our kids? -- and explore what research has to say about anxiety treatment for kids. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. This website or podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoe...

Anxious kids can take up a lot of the family's bandwidth. We talk about how to support siblings while also supporting our anxious child and discuss the Parenting Pitfalls than can trap siblings, too. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. This website or podcast should not be used in any legal...

Whew -- a tough question that comes up a lot. I'm not sure you're going to like the answer but I hope it helps you understand why anxiety treatment is complicated and needs to be personalized for every family and every child.  While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. This website or podcast shou...

Welcome back to The Child Anxiety FAQ here in the new year! This is such a terrific question to start out and I am so proud of the person who asked because many of us -- in fact, I'd say most of us! -- struggle with this very issue! Let's talk about it -- what do we do about it when we get angry with our anxious child? And why is it happening? While I make every effort to ensure that the informati...

This is the last podcast of 2022 and I share what I'll be focusing on for our relaunch in 2023. You can also learn a little bit more about what inspires me to do the work that I do and how my parenting philosophy informs my work with parents of anxious kids and teens.  This podcast and website represents the opinions of me, Dawn Friedman MSEd. The content here should not be taken as clinical advic...

There are lots of reasons why your anxious child's anxiety might not be improving with therapy. We talk about them on this week's episode. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. This website or podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishi...

There's a difference between appropriate anxiety -- when there is real danger -- and dysfunctional anxiety -- when anxiety is not serving its purpose. Today we talk about those differences and how our own histories can make knowing the difference more challenging. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction o...

I love talking about children's play and this episode gives me the opportunity to do that. Play is a great way for kids -- especially anxious kids -- to process their fears. Listen in to learn more including how to know if it's a problem and what you can do to help. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction...

Last week we talked about whether or not co-sleeping causes separation anxiety and concluded that no, it's more complicated than that and this week's question is related so I scheduled them right next to each other. Now you might remember I said that if a family is happy co-sleeping, then great. Go for it. But this family is not and I totally understand. It’s ok to want to sleep by yourself. Will...

This is one of those parenting decisions that I don’t think you can take out of context of the family functioning and say it is GOOD or BAD. It’s neutral. It’s good if your family likes it and it works and it’s bad if your family doesn’t like it and it doesn’t work. But does it cause separation anxiety? Let's talk about it. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is a...

I chose this big broad question on purpose so I could give you a big broad answer. I mention two other practitioners in this episode and here are the links to learn more about them: Eve Hermann LMT SEP at Source Emodiment (Eve hosts a monthly virtual gathering in our site) and Dr. Gabby Goldach at the inside space I hope you will check them out! While I make every effort to ensure that the informa...

This episode we talk about the three reasons we get anxious around our anxious child: first because it's catching, second because we share their worry, and third because we're worried about their anxiety.  While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. This website or podcast should not be used in any...