Shows
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyChild OCD vs Autism: Understanding the Key DifferencesIs it autism or OCD? Sometimes the behaviors can look so similar, it’s hard to tell. In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I break down the key differences between autism and child OCD — and why understanding the distinction is crucial for getting the right support.You’ll learn:Why repetitive behaviors show up in both autism and OCD (but for very different reasons)How motivation, awareness, and sensory issues help differentiate the twoWhy misdiagnosis can delay effective treatmentWhat to do if your child has both autism and OCDIf you’re feeling...2025-05-2732 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 415: When OCD Looks Like Oppositional Behavior: Understanding Hidden CompulsionsIf your child refuses to shower, melts down over clothing, or avoids homework, you might assume they’re being defiant. But what if it’s actually OCD driving their behavior? In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast for Anxiety and OCD, I break down how OCD-driven avoidance and compulsions can look like oppositional behavior—and why this misunderstanding is so common.You’ll learn:🟤 How OCD can mimic defiance in kids.🟤 Key signs that reveal it’s OCD, not oppositional behavior.🟤 Why traditional discipline backfires with OCD.🟤 Practical str...2025-04-2237 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 412: Improving Our Child’s Life with OCD with Dr. Jonathan AbramowitzHow do we help our children with OCD have a better quality of life? Our child’s OCD is more than just Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy. It is more than just their intrusive thoughts and their compulsions.How do we help them with self-esteem? The feeling of guilt and shame? The struggles of navigating school and family relationships? In Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz’s new book, Living Well with OCD, he tackles the bigger question - how can people live a fulfilling life with OCD?Jonathan Abramowitz is a psychologist with a private pract...2025-04-0147 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 409: When You See Anxiety or OCD in Others KidsAs you become more educated about anxiety and OCD, you most likely will start seeing it all around you. It can be hard to stomach seeing a child struggling with anxiety or OCD, especially if their parents aren’t aware of what they are truly dealing with.So what do you do in those situations? I actually get asked that question more often than you might think! In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’ll explore the delicate balance of seeing anxiety or OCD in a child and how, and if, to educate the par...2025-03-1134 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 408: How to Use Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory with Kids with Anxiety or OCDI quickly fell in love with Mel Robbins’ book The Let Them Theory. It is such a simple, and yet powerful approach to living your life. Throughout the book I thought about how the Let Them Theory could be adapted to parents, and in particular, those of us raising kids with anxiety or OCD.I started to implement this approach with my kids in a child friendly way. It made a huge impact on how I showed up for their anxiety and OCD struggles. It also helped me let go of what I cannot control. In...2025-03-0443 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 407: Helping Kids with OCD and Magical ThinkingOCD can convince our kids that they have control over the uncontrollable. That is at the heart of magical thinking OCD compulsions. Magical thinking is when OCD convinces a person that if they do or don’t do something - they can prevent something from happening. That something could be literally anything related to their theme. They might be preventing themselves from throwing up. They might be saving your life. They might be preventing a health issue. It is different for each person, but the compulsion is the same - do this (or don’t do this) or EL...2025-02-2534 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 406: How to Handle Tourettic OCD with Dr. John PiacentiniNot every OCD theme is about a fear, sometimes it is about a feeling. That is the case with Tourettic OCD. Tourettic OCD is not triggered by an intrusive thought, but rather a somatic urge. Compulsions can include sudden, repetitive movements or vocalizations.It can be tricky to figure out what is a tic and what is tourettic OCD. That is why I invited Dr. John Piacentini to the show. Dr. John Piacentini is a Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA School of Medicine and Director of the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Pr...2025-02-1840 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 403: Parents at Odds: How Disagreements Impact Progress with Anxiety and OCDWhen parents disagree on how to approach their child’s anxiety or OCD, they do more than irritate each other, it impacts their child’s progress with anxiety or OCD.In this week’s episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I dive into the top 5 topics parents often disagree on when it comes to their child’s OCD or anxiety. We’ll also dive into why these are such common topics for disagreement as well as ways parents can mitigate the impact it has on their child’s anxiety or OCD.🌸 Learn how to be an effective...2025-01-2850 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP: 399: Why the Core Fear Matters in Anxiety and OCDDoes it really matter if you understand the core fear related to your child’s anxiety or OCD. The short answer - yes. Of course we will treat anxiety with anxiety tools regardless of theme or core fear. And we will treat OCD as OCD regardless of theme or core fear. But understanding the core fear in anxiety or OCD is like the difference between using a compass to get where you are going versus a GPS. Core fears help us identify and pinpoint exactly what fuels all the anxiety and OCD themes; what fuels all...2024-12-3144 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP: 398: Handling Your Child’s Anxiety, OCD and Christmas BreakJust because it is the holiday season doesn’t mean our child’s anxiety and OCD take a break. The holidays can stir up a variety of issues for our kids depending on their particular anxiety and OCD themes. Down time can cause more anxious or intrusive thoughts. The whirlwind of parties, overstimulation and no routine can make emotions run high. It can be tricky to deal with contamination, restrictive eating, panic attacks and upsetting thoughts around relatives and friends. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’m exploring some common struggles kids with anxie...2024-12-2439 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP: 397: Feelings of Failure When Our Child’s Anxiety or OCD Doesn’t Get betterAs parents we can be hard on ourselves. The parenting journey raising kids with anxiety and OCD can come with many ups and downs. Many of us blame ourselves when our child’s anxiety or OCD doesn’t get better.But the truth is you can do absolutely everything to help your child with anxiety or OCD and they still don’t improve.We are only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to our child’s anxiety or OCD.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore the narrative that we of...2024-12-1733 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 386: The Difference Between PDA Accommodations and OCD AccommodationsOften parents who are raising kids with both PDA and OCD get conflicting advice. This can push a parent who is already stressed, over the edge. Are accommodations good or are they bad? One set of advice talks about leaning into accommodations, while the other set says accommodations are something to eventually stop. The reality is PDA accommodations and OCD accommodations aren’t the same. OCD accommodations are specifically talking about participating in a child’s OCD compulsions. Those are called accommodations. When we participate in our child’s OCD compulsions we are inadverte...2024-10-0131 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 385: Helping Kids with OCD with Stuart Ralph from OCD StoriesI had the pleasure of sitting down with Stuart Ralph, from the podcast The OCD Stories to talk about his journey from OCD sufferer, OCD podcaster to therapist.We explore how treating kids and teens with OCD requires a different, more flexible approach. Stuart also offers some helpful tips on how to navigate the UK mental health system.Stuart Ralph’s practice, Integrative Centre for OCD offers therapy to kids, teens and young adults regardless of where in the world they are located. To learn more go to his practice website here.Resources:...2024-09-2459 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 382: A Helpful Tool for OCD Reassurance SeekingOCD doesn’t just involve our kids, it involves us. OCD reassurance seeking is a sneaky compulsion. It gets us to do OCD’s dirty work. We often don’t even know we are talking to OCD.It can feel bad to pull back our reassurance, even if we know it is OCD. It can also be tough on our kids. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about a tool I created to help kids reduce their OCD reassurance seeking.Youtube video for kids on how reassurance can be a compul...2024-09-0346 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 377: How ADHD Complicates Anxiety and OCDAnxiety and OCD are hard enough to deal with, but when you sprinkle ADHD into the mix everything can be magnified. As parents raising kids with comorbid conditions, this adds another layer of struggle. You might find things that work for other kids with anxiety or OCD doesn’t work as easily for your child. It can require a different way to approach anxiety or OCD.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore five areas where ADHD complicates anxiety and OCD progress. I’ll break down ways you can tweak your approaches to address the ex...2024-07-301h 03
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionSeven Mistakes Some OCD Therapists Are Making in 2024 | Ep. 392In today’s discussion, we’re delving into the seven mistakes some OCD therapists are making in 2024. While the title might seem provocative, the goal is to highlight concerning trends in OCD treatment and provide insights that could enhance therapeutic approaches. Remember, this is my opinion based on what I've observed in various forums. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I hope to spark a constructive conversation. Mistake #1: Insufficient Initial Education Importance of Education at the Start of Treatment Many clients report feeling thrown into exposure and response prevention (ERP) with...2024-07-0621 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 372: When Kids Reject the OCD DiagnosisIt can take so much energy to find a qualified OCD specialist to finally assess and diagnose your child with OCD. But what are you to do when your child rejects the OCD diagnosis? In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about some common reasons why a child might reject an OCD diagnosis and where to go from there.🌸 Get in-depth support to help your child with OCD in my online courses at AT Parenting Survival School.***This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD p...2024-06-2548 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 371: Boosting Self-Esteem During Anxiety and OCD StrugglesAnxiety and OCD can rob our kids of so many things, including their self-esteem and self-worth. It is easy for them to feel hard on themselves when their anxiety or OCD is knocking them down. Often kids are extra hard on themselves during these times.As parents we are intensely focused on helping our kids navigate anxiety or OCD, but there are some things we can do to boost their self-esteem as well. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’ll explore some simple ways you can help your child’s self-esteem and self-wo...2024-06-1839 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 363: The Importance of Finding the Right Therapy for OCD | One Family’s JourneyThe wrong therapist can wreak havoc on a children’s OCD. That is why it is so important for parents to understand what are evidenced-based approaches specifically for OCD. It is also key to have the skills to decipher a qualified therapist from a non-qualified therapist. When Eve started having intrusive thoughts, she privately went to google to figure out what was going on. Fortunately for Eve she stumbled upon the right sites that helped her understand her thoughts were OCD. Many families aren’t so lucky, especially when it involves OCD themes like sexual orientation or harm...2024-04-2356 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionHelp Your Child Crush Their OCD (with Natasha Daniels) | Ep. 382Helping children navigate the complexities of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) requires a delicate balance of understanding, patience, and empowerment. Natasha Daniels, a renowned expert in this field, shares invaluable insights into how parents can support their children in overcoming OCD with positivity and resilience. Normalizing OCD: One of the first steps in supporting children with OCD is normalizing the condition. Both parents and children need to understand that they are not alone in this journey. Natasha emphasizes the importance of taking things one step at a time and not allowing the overwhelming nature of OCD to overshadow the...2024-04-1934 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 362: The Use of Storytelling in Anxiety and OCDIt can be hard to help kids navigate anxiety and OCD. Sometimes adding some creative ways to help validate, normalize and build skills to handle anxiety or OCD can be gold! One of my favorite ways to do that is through storytelling.Storytelling is a powerful tool. It can help kids understand how anxiety and OCD work. It can help talk about anxiety or OCD without discussing it directly. It can be a creative outlet to process emotions around anxiety and OCD. It can even be used to problem solve and teach tools on how to crush...2024-04-1648 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & Depression11 Things I Tell My Patients in Their First Session of OCD Treatment | Ep. 378Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a challenging condition, but the good news is that it's highly treatable. The key to effective management and recovery lies in understanding the condition, embracing the right treatment approaches, and adopting a supportive mindset. This article distills essential guidance and expert insights, aiming to empower those affected by OCD with knowledge and strategies for their treatment journey. YOU ARE BRAVE FOR STARTING OCD TREATMENT Taking the first step towards seeking help for OCD is a significant and brave decision. Acknowledging the courage it takes to confront one’s fears an...2024-03-2221 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 354: A New Way to Help Your Child with OCD at HomeAs parents we are often desperate to provide our children with tools to help their OCD. We might scour the internet trying to find an OCD specialist; not an easy feat. Or if we are lucky enough to have found an OCD specialist, we might want to know what we can do at home to fill in the gaps.I often get asked, what does that look like? How can I help my child build their OCD skills at home to make sure we are getting ahead of this beast?When kids learn and practice...2024-02-2043 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionOvercoming Visual Staring OCD (with Matt Bannister) | Ep. 371Visual Staring OCD (also known as Visual Tourrettic OCD), a complex and often misunderstood form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, involves an uncontrollable urge to stare at certain objects or body parts, leading to significant distress and impairment. In an enlightening conversation with Kimberley, Matt Bannister shares his journey of overcoming this challenging condition, offering hope and practical advice to those grappling with similar issues. Matt's story begins in 2009, marked by a sense of depersonalization and dissociation, which he describes as an out-of-body experience and likened to looking at a stranger when viewing himself in the mirror...2024-01-2641 min
Around and Around - The OCD CircleTHE REALITY OF OCD: TRACI PERKINS’ JOURNEY – FROM THE OCD PROJECT - PART TWOTHE REALITY OF OCD: TRACI PERKINS’ JOURNEY – FROM THE OCD PROJECT - PART TWO
This morning’s episode is part two of my conversation with
Traci Perkins, who was a patient on the reality show “The OCD Project.” Theu
OCD Project took place in 2010 and is available for viewing on YouTube. I
encourage you to watch it in order to get to know Traci better. And also, if
you have any questions for Traci, please contact me on one of my social media
accounts, which are listed in the show notes below. Traci will be glad to...2023-11-2728 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 341: Helping Kids with Disgust OCD themesThere are a few OCD themes that can look very different than the rest. Just right OCD and Disgust OCD themes are two of them.Parents and therapists might struggle to find the “core fear” around these themes. That is because disgust and just right themes have to do with a fear of overwhelm around a feeling.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about how disgust OCD themes can show up and some alternative views being shared about how to treat disgust OCD differently than other themes....2023-11-2138 min
Around and Around - The OCD CircleTHE REALITY OF OCD: TRACI PERKINS’ JOURNEY – FROM THE OCD PROJECT - PART ONE
THE REALITY OF OCD:
TRACI PERKINS’ JOURNEY – FROM THE OCD PROJECT - PART ONE
I’m really excited about this morning’s show. It’s part 1
of my conversation with Traci Perkins, a patient on the reality show, “The OCD
Project.”
"The OCD
Project" was a reality television series that aired on VH1 in 2010. The
show followed the experiences of individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
(OCD) as they underwent intensive therapy and treatment at a residential
treatment facility. Dr. David Tolin, a psychologist and expert in OCD, led the
therapy sessions and worked with the parti...2023-11-2028 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionWhen OCD and PTSD Collide (with Shala Nicely & Caitlin Pinciotti) | Ep. 362 Kimberley: Welcome, everybody. This is a very exciting episode. I know I’m going to learn so much. Today, we have Caitlin Pinciotti and Shala Nicely, and we’re talking about when OCD and PTSD collide and intertwine and how that plays out. This is actually a topic I think we need to talk about more. Welcome, Caitlin, and welcome, Shala. Caitlin: Thank you. Shala: Thanks. Kimberley: Okay...2023-11-1742 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 339: Understanding the Relationship of PANDAS/PANS and OCDNo one knows for certain what causes OCD. We know what areas of the brain are implicated in OCD, but the rest seems up for discussion. We need more research to understand this disorder.Some kids have OCD symptoms due to an umbrella of issues under PANDAS/PANS. Research is showing that inflammation in the brain can impact mental health and cause neuropsychiatric symptoms, including OCD. Many kids have autoimmune issues, infections such as strep or have had environmental exposure to things like mold or Lyme that can cause an inflammatory response. In t...2023-11-071h 05AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 337: Ben Ellis’ Journey with OCDBen was always an anxious child, but behind that anxiety lurked something else. It took a stay in a treatment center for eating disorders and eight therapists to finally get the help he truly needed, with the diagnosis he actually had - OCD.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, Ben walks us through his journey with OCD, from his inability to share his intrusive thoughts, to his unrelenting search to find an effective therapist trained in OCD.Ben is determined to be a part of the effort to re...2023-10-2444 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 335: Creating Natural Exposures to Crush Anxiety and OCDUltimately we want our kids to live a life where they walk towards their anxiety or OCD fears and discomfort. The more they build those anxiety and OCD skills, the more resilient they will become.Natural exposures can help on two fronts. If your child is not ready to commit to formal ERP (Exposure Response Prevention), the main approach in OCD treatment, doing natural exposures can be a great first step.Second, we want our kids to develop an organic, authentic way of dealing with anxiety or OCD. When they learn how to...2023-10-1044 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 333: Should You Tell the School About Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD?Parents often ask me if they should tell the school about their child’s anxiety or OCD. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. There are things to consider. Like does their anxiety or OCD impact their academic performance or ability to function at school? Is there a chance that they will be mislabeled or misunderstood due to their anxiety or OCD?In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore the areas to consider when weighing the pros and cons of telling the school about your child’s anxiety or OCD.🌸...2023-09-2640 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 332: Understanding Relationship OCD in Kids and Teens with Kristina OrlovaIt is helpful to understand the many different disguises OCD can wear. When we understand how OCD can show up, we can nip it in the bud more often. Relationship OCD is often talked about in an adult context, but it impacts kids and teens as well.I invited Kristina Orlova, an anxiety and OCD therapist and creator of OCD Academy, to come onto the AT Parenting Survival Podcast to help us understand ROCD better.To learn more about Kristina Orlova’s OCD Academy click here. Also, check out her po...2023-09-1945 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 330: Tips to Travel Internationally With Kids with Anxiety or OCDWhen your child is struggling with anxiety or OCD it can feel overwhelming to travel internationally. How will their anxiety handle all the change? Will their OCD be triggered? Helping our child with anxiety or OCD is a marathon not a sprint, and life should still be lived and enjoyed. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I discuss my tips, tricks and hacks to traveling internationally with kids who have anxiety or OCD.Click here to listen:🌸 To get in-depth support helping your ch...2023-09-0538 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionAm I doing ERP correctly? 3 Common OCD Traps | Ep. 352 Am I doing ERP correctly? This is a common roadblock I see every week in my private practice. I think it is a common struggle for people with anxiety and OCD. Today, we will talk about the three common OCD traps people fall into and how you can actually outsmart your OCD and overcome it. https://youtu.be/Ngb_lQK5Fnk?si=9FU42GZZZDJ58f-W Now, when we're talking about Expsoure & response prevention ERP, we must go over the basics of ERP therapy, so let's...2023-09-0117 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 329: What to Do When Your Child with OCD or Anxiety Won’t Discuss itOften parents give up before they even start because their child with OCD or anxiety refuses to talk. It is easy to think there is nothing you can do if you can’t get your child to discuss their anxiety or OCD.But there is always a place to start, always. Kids refuse to talk about anxiety or OCD for various issues. Here are some common ones:-They have a hard time expressing their emotions in general-They are embarrassed about having anxiety or OCD-They thi...2023-08-2942 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 326: OCD and Eating DisordersOCD and Eating Disorders are often comorbid conditions, but beyond that, OCD can cause disordered eating. Many OCD issues including Emetophobia, Moral OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Orthorexia, PANDAS/PANS and ARFID can impact our kids ability to eat.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explore the various OCD issues that can overlap Eating Disorders and some that can be incorrectly diagnosed and treated as only an Eating Disorder.Click here to watch my short Youtube video on Orthorexia.🌸 Click here to join my FREE series running August 3-11 c...2023-08-0839 minYour Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionHyper-responsibility OCD | Ep. 348Welcome back, everybody. It is so good to have you here talking about hyper-responsibility & hyperresponsibility OCD. A lot of you may not even know what that means and maybe have never heard it, or maybe you’ve heard the term but aren’t quite sure what it entails. And some of you are very well acquainted with the term hyper-responsibility. I thought, given that it’s a theme that’s laced through so many anxiety disorders through depression that we should address it. I think that’s a really great starting point. WHAT IS HYPER-RESPONSIBILITY OCD? Let’s ta...2023-08-0434 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 325: OCD Recovery and Maintenance with Shaun FloresShaun Flores was only a couple of years into his own struggle with OCD when he became an OCD advocate. He quickly became a stronger messenger of hope through his OCD awareness work. Recently I had Shaun back on the AT Parenting Survival podcast to discuss how his OCD recovery is going, what he does to maintain progress and how the perception of recovery can be part of a bigger issue. As Shaun discussed his recovery it became apparent how OCD decimated his financial stability, derailed his career path and left him in de...2023-08-0154 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionThriving in Relationships with OCD (with Ethan Smith and Rev. Katie O’Dunne) | Ep. 346 Kimberley: My tummy already hurts from laughing too much. I’m so excited to have you guys on. Today, we are talking about thriving in relationships with OCD and we have Rev. Katie O’Dunne and Ethan Smith. I’d love for you both to do a quick intro. Katie, will you go first? Katie: Yeah, absolutely. My name is Reverend Katie O’Dunne. I always like to tell folks that I always have Reverend in my title because I want individuals to know that ordained mi...2023-07-2154 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 319: How to Remove Stigma in Kids with OCDWhen kids feel stigma attached to their OCD they are less likely to want to discuss it or receive treatment. One of the first steps we can do to help kids with OCD is to help remove the stigma society has placed on this disorder.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about the importance of removing stigma around OCD and concrete ways to do that.Resources:Crushing OCD Course for Kids and TeensChild Mind Institute’s You Got This campaignUnstuck: An O...2023-06-2044 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 315: Turning OCD Pain into Passion | Shaun FloresShaun Flores had been suffering from OCD for years without knowing it. He hopped from OCD theme to OCD theme, listening to OCD’s lies and searching for certainty with each new worry. It wasn’t until 2022, when he finally met the right therapist, that he learned that all of his fears had one explanation, OCD.Shaun has turned his OCD pain into a passion to advocate. Since his diagnosis he has added a new face to the OCD advocacy scene. A face that was desperately underrepresented. As a black man, he is helpi...2023-05-2343 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 310: My Top 5 Podcasts & Youtube Videos for When Your Child is Just Diagnosed with OCD.I am often asked by parents just starting out on this journey, “Where do I start?” I have so many podcasts and Youtube videos on OCD it can be a bit overwhelming.That is why when a member of my community suggested I do my top 5 podcasts and youtube videos for those newly starting this journey, I jumped on the idea!Here are the top 5 podcast episodes I would listen to if you are new to helping your child or teen with OCD.Top 5 Podcast Episodes for OCD:Si...2023-04-1837 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 307: Moving from OCD Treatment to Living with OCDDealing with OCD isn’t like dealing with a cold. It isn’t cured and then we move on. It can help to shift our perspective to focus on how to live and, more importantly, thrive with OCD. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about how to shift our kids from a victim to an empowerment mentality (and us as well)! We also dive into how to create a lifestyle that acknowledges and works on OCD organically within the home environment.To learn about the OCD Workshop series click here.2023-03-2835 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionThe Emotional Toll of OCD | Ep. 327 In this episode, we are talking about the emotional toll of OCD. Kim: Welcome back, everybody. This week is going to include three of some of my most favorite people on this entire planet. We have the amazing Chris Trondsen, Alegra Kastens, and Jessica Serber—all dear friends of mine—on the podcast. This is the first time I’ve done an episode with more than one guest. Now, this was actually a presentation that the four of us did at multiple IOCDF conferences...2023-03-1052 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 304: Teaching Our Kids Not to Engage with OCDOCD wants us to take its threats seriously. It wants us to debate with it, argue, and come up with solutions to circumvent the issues it presents. Afraid of germs - let’s think of ways you can avoid it.Afraid you’ll turn into something you aren’t - let’s remind yourself that you are a good person.Afraid you forgot something - let’s develop ways you can remember.All of these solutions are created based on the validity of what OCD is saying. When we lea...2023-03-0735 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionOCD TREATMENT OPTIONS: Do I need a higher level of care? | Ep. 326 OCD TREATMENT OPTIONS Today, we have Elizabeth McIngvale and we are talking all about different OCD treatment options. Elizabeth (Liz) McIngvale is the Director of the McLean OCDI Houston. She has an active clinical and research and leadership role there. McLean OCDI is a treatment center for people with OCD and she talks extensively about different OCD treatment options in this episode. She’s the perfect one to talk to in this episode about knowing when you need a higher level of care, particularly related to O...2023-03-0345 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 300: Reducing Chaos Anxiety or OCD Bring to the FamilySign up for the FREE series: Self-Care for Parents Raising Kids with Anxiety or OCD here.Supplemental podcasts related to this topic:Partner related issues:What to Do When Your Partner Triggers Your Child’s Anxiety or OCDHow to Deal with a Partner Who Doesn’t Believe in Anxiety DisordersThe Impact of Child Anxiety or OCD on MarriagesSibling related issues:Raising Multiple Kids with Anxiety or OCDHelping the Siblings of a Child with Anxiety or OCD2023-02-0759 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionHow to effectively include family members in OCD treatment (with Krista Reed) | Ep. 315 SUMMARY: How to include family members in ocd treatment Supporting siblings during ocd treatment How to apply the “be seen” model Ocd family therapy: including siblings as “assistant coaches” Developing empathy during ocd treatment Links To Things I Talk About: ERP School https://peaceofmind.com/for-siblings/ OCD Stories (with Jessica Serber) 2022-12-1639 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionThe 6 Most Important Turning Points Of OCD Recovery (With Micah Howe) | Ep. 314 SUMMARY: In this podcast, Micah Howe addressed his expereince with intensive OCD treatment and the 6 most important turning points of OCD Recovery Compulsions keep OCD going, I can control my reaction to OCD Worrying is a false sense of control and is not productive Anxiety does not mean something needs solving Find an OCD community Self-compassion helps manage uncertainty Mi...2022-12-0941 minYour Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionThriving in Relationships When You Have OCD (with Amy Mariaskin PhD) | Ep. 312 In This Episode: Amy Mariaskin, PhD shares her new book, Thriving in relationships when you have ocd What is Family accommodation and how does it apply to ocd Ocd family accommodation vs family support, What is OCD reassurance and how it can creep into one’s relationship Relationship ocd, also known as rOCD Relationship issues with ocd and how to manage them Sexual orientation OCD, Gender related OCD, and...2022-11-2542 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 309: What if I Don’t Fit into a Typical OCD Subtype? SUMMARY: Not having a subtype makes it hard to get diagnosed with OCD Not fitting into a subtype can make you doubt having OCD. When you don’t see other examples, you can feel like an outsider in the OCD community. All the subtypes seem to have their “people.” The doubt can make you feel that it really is about the content, not OCD. What if I don't fit into a typical OC...2022-11-0428 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 278: Helping Kids with OCD Know They are Not AloneHaving OCD can be a lonely experience. Kids can feel like there is no one else out there who gets their struggles. And really, who can blame them? The media (and even worse social media) often spend their time talking about OCD like it’s a meme or an adjective.But feeling alone does more than impact the mood and self-esteem. It can stand in the way of progress and impact our child’s long term success.In this week’s episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast...2022-09-0634 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP: 271 Fighting OCD is Often Not What Kids ThinkYou’ll often hear the word “fight your OCD.” In fact, one of my favorite books about OCD is called Talking Back to OCD, by John March. But sometimes kids misunderstand what this means (and parents too). When we talk about fighting OCD we are usually talking about a counterintuitive way to push back. A way to approach OCD that may not seem like traditional “fighting” at all.In this week’s podcast I talk about the counterintuitive way to “fight” OCD and why we need to clarify this with our kids.I’m cooking up an OC...2022-07-1925 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP: 270 Getting Kids to Own Their Journey with Anxiety or OCDMany of us learn how to help our kids with anxiety or OCD, but are we doing enough to help them help themselves? Helping our kids own their journey is key to their long term success.It is similar to that old proverb: If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.If we are the ones telling our kids what to do and how to do it, will they know how to do it for...2022-07-121h 03AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP: 262 The Wait-and-See Approach to Anxiety or OCDHow often do we hear from family, friends and even doctors that we should “wait and see” if it gets worse. We should wait and see if the anxiety or OCD grows bigger. We should wait and see if anxiety or OCD becomes debilitating. We should wait and see if it is truly an issue.It is like watching a tornado slowly approach your home and waiting to see if you really need to go seek shelter.When we proactively help our kids with any anxiety or OCD issue we help them long term...2022-05-1742 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 222 Getting Real about OCD Recovery (with Lora Dudek)SUMMARY: This week’s episode is incredibly inspiring, with Lora Dudek talking all about getting real about OCD recovery. Lora shares her experience of having harm obsessions and harm OCD and how she managed being a mom during ERP. Lora also shared some wonderful ERP activities she did to help her keep track of her exposures. In This Episode: What OCD Recovery looks like for Lora Her experience with Harm OCD What kind of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Lora used for harm OCD How she used ERP and recovery to decide what her val...2022-02-1839 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 213 Treating Children with OCD and Phobias (with Natasha Daniels)SUMMARY: Today we have Natasha Daniels, an OCD specialist, talking all about how to help children and teens with OCD and phobias. In this conversation, we talk all about how to motivate our children and teens to manage their OCD, phobias, and anxiety using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and other treatments such as self-compassion, mindfulness, and ACT. We also address what OCD treatment for children entails and what changes need to be made in OCD treatment for teens. In this episode, Natasha and Kimberley share their experiences of parenting children with phobias a...2021-12-0332 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 229: Can my Child Catch Other Anxiety or OCD Themes?Parents will often ask me, “Can my child catch other anxiety or OCD themes?” What if they read a book on OCD or anxiety and it makes it worse? What if they watch a documentary or participate in a support group with tons of other themes discussed? Won’t their anxiety or OCD just get more ideas?In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I go into if and how anxiety and OCD themes can be “caught” and if that is something parents should even worry about.***This podcast ep...2021-09-2842 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 228: Teaching Our Kids with OCD and Anxiety Self-Compassion with Kimberley QuinlanAnxiety and OCD can bring with it distress, fear and discomfort. But it can also bring self-loathing, shame, guilt and negative self-talk. When our kids are hard on themselves, their issues can compound, making it difficult for them to use their tools to address anxiety or OCD. In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I invited Kimberley Quinlan on to talk about how self-compassion plays a large role in the journey of anxiety and OCD. She talks about why it can be difficult to have self-compassion and the ways in which we...2021-09-2143 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 227: Why We Can’t Make Our Child’s Anxiety or OCD Go AwayNone of us like to see our kids suffer. That’s why it’s so hard to see our kids struggle with anxiety or OCD. It can consume their life and ours and that’s heartbreaking. But no matter how badly we would like to take their anxiety or OCD away from them, we just don’t have the power to do so.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I talk about how we often try to make our children’s anxiety or OCD go away, and why it doesn’t work - and some...2021-09-1456 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 226: Helping Kids with Sports Anxiety & OCDAnxiety and OCD love to glom onto everything our children love, including sports. It can make your child anxious, sick and panicky before a game, meet or competition. OCD can go one step further and create compulsions around the sport.I invited Cali Werner, Anxiety and OCD Clinician, athlete and author of Anxious Annie, to come on to the AT Parenting Survival Podcast and talk to us about how to handle sports related anxiety and OCD struggles.You can find Cali’s book Anxious Annie here.***This po...2021-09-0746 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 224: How to Handle When You and Your Child Both have Anxiety or OCDAnxiety and OCD are both highly genetic, so it’s not surprising that many parents find themselves raising kids with similar issues. Often though, many of us back burner our own help to focus on our children’s needs.But what if focusing on your needs also helps your child’s struggles?In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk to Nathan Peterson, an anxiety and OCD therapist, a YouTuber and a course creator. We talk about how our children’s issues can overlap with our own, and what...2021-08-2446 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 220: How to Use a Strength Based Approach for Anxiety & OCDCan we build self-esteem and self-determination, while helping our kids with anxiety or OCD? Yes! In fact, it is crucial to learn how to do that within the context of our child’s anxiety OCD.In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about how to take a strength based approach towards anxiety and OCD. I will talk about what parental approaches will build on your child’s strengths and foster them to tackle their issues.Resources discussed during the podcast:Youtube video on Superpowers of AnxietyYo...2021-07-2735 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 219: How to Help a Child with Both Autism and OCDMany parents who are raising children with both Autism and OCD find themselves in a no man’s land of sorts. Professionals treating Autism don’t always understand OCD and those treating OCD don’t always understand Autism. Ugh. What a struggle.That is why talking to Dr. Rebecca Sachs is like talking to a rare unicorn. Her practice, CBT Spectrum specializes in both and her knowledge runs deep! I invited her on to the AT Parenting Survival Podcast to answer the most common questions I get from parents who are navigating both these w...2021-07-2042 minAT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 217: Helping Kids Who Struggle to Eat with ARFID and OCDOCD is scary enough, but when it starves your child it is alarming. That is how it feels when OCD goes for the one thing your child can’t live without - food. In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk about ARFID and OCD. ARFID stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and OCD likes to partner with it. I open up about my son’s ongoing struggle with restrictive eating, our journey and what steps we have taken to help him.This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD...2021-07-0657 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 216: Helping Kids with Anxiety or OCD Develop Self-CompassionKids with anxiety and OCD often struggle with self-love and self-compassion. It is developmentally common for all kids to struggle with self-compassion, but when you have anxiety and OCD it can be even harder.In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk with Madina Alam, a Clinical Advisor with NOCD about how we, as parents, can help our kids develop more self-compassion. When kids have more self-compassion, they are also more empowered to work on their issues! So working on this can be powerful.This podcast episode is sponsored by...2021-06-2936 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 212: How Understanding Anxiety & OCD Themes Can Help Your ChildAnxiety and OCD come in many flavors. Often we even name these flavors with various titles like symmetry OCD, Harm OCD, Separation Anxiety, Emetophobia etc. Does it really matter what theme of anxiety or OCD my child has?Yes and no. There are pitfalls to wearing blinders and only focusing on your child’s anxiety or OCD theme. However there are also incredible benefits to understanding the various ways anxiety and OCD can show up.In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast I wil...2021-06-0138 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 210: How to Help Kids with Anxiety or OCD When They are AngryKids with anxiety or OCD aren’t just fearful, often they are angry. Anxiety and OCD can cause kids to rage, meltdown and talk back. It can make them dig their heels in and be oppositional. But when parents react to those behaviors in “typical” ways, they often hit a brick wall. Why? Because often anxiety and OCD is the undercurrent driving those emotions. So if you don’t address the undercurrent, you're missing a crucial piece of the puzzle.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I tal...2021-05-1139 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 206: How Self-Esteem Plays a Role in Kids with Anxiety or OCDAnxiety and OCD will often take a swing at our child’s self-esteem. It can do that with the anxious or intrusive thoughts it bombards them with. It can do that by paralyzing them with fear, as they watch their peers not struggle. It can also be present alongside anxiety or OCD. It can help pick their anxiety or OCD themes. Social anxiety, perfectionism and Moral OCD all use self-esteem in their arsenal of weapons. In this podcast, I explore how self-esteem dances with anxiety and OCD. I will highlight what areas to look...2021-04-1335 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 205: Helping Kids with Anxiety or OCD Cope with Grief or TraumaIt’s hard enough to have anxiety or OCD, but what happens when your child is hit with grief or trauma? It can feel like a muddy, chaotic mess. Unfortunately life happens and so do tragedies. Our kids are not immune to life happening to them, I wish they were. Anxiety and OCD are opportunistic. It will feed off the grief and trauma by trying to grow new themes and new compulsions.Our family has suffered an unthinkable and sudden loss. My children are grieving the loss of their father. That...2021-04-0630 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp.179: 8 Tips to Fast Track Your OCD TreatmentWelcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Today I want to focus a bit on OCD treatment. I want to share with you all 8 tips that I think will really help to fast-track your OCD treatment. The first tip is to get support. That may people from people in your life or it may be from social media, organizations in the OCD community, or online support groups. The second tip is to pace yourself. Find a pace that works well for you, not too fast, not too slow. The third tip is to give yourse...2021-03-0517 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 203: How Online Support Can Be A Game Changer for Parents Raising Kids with Anxiety or OCDThere are common stories among parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD. Stories of struggling to find a well trained anxiety or OCD child therapist. Stories of feeling isolated and alone. Stories of friends, family or the school not fully getting the depths of their child’s struggles.These are stories that don’t have to continue. There is plenty of support out there. Support that can reach every corner of the globe - you just need to know where to find it.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk with J...2021-02-0145 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 202: Why Mental Health Professionals are Missing Signs of OCD and The Damage it CausesWhen you get assessed by a mental health professional you assume that they would be well versed in all possible diagnoses. You assume they will identify, diagnose and treat any possible mental health struggle. Unfortunately that assumption is not only wrong, but dangerous.OCD seems to be the step-child of mental health education and training. Which is mind boggling considering, according to the International OCD Foundation, 1 out of 100 adults have OCD and 1 out of 200 children and teens do as well. Think about that for a moment. The same amount of children have OCD a...2021-01-2559 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 201: How to Motivate Our Kids to Work on Anxiety or OCDOne of the biggest challenges parents face when raising a child with anxiety or OCD is...motivation. How do we motivate our kids to face their fears? How do we motivate our kids to sit in discomfort? How do we motivate them to even talk about their struggles.That can feel like an uphill battle.And yet, if you don’t have buy-in, it will be like trying to drive while someone has their foot firmly on the brake.Our children’s struggles are their struggles, not ours. And only they...2021-01-1948 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 172: OCD Mindfulness Tools with Jon Hershfield Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Today I am so happy to have Jon Hershfield on with us. Jon is an author and the Director of the Center for OCD and Anxiety at Sheppard Pratt. The second edition of his book, The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD, has just been released and his new book, The Mindfulness Workbook for Teens, is scheduled for release in March. We had a great conversation about both books and Jon shares many of the OCD mindfulness tools that he describes in his books that...2021-01-1548 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 200: How to Tell When It’s Difficult Behavior or When It’s Anxiety or OCDYour child is refusing to clean their room, go to bed or go to school. They are digging their heels in and it doesn’t look like they are going to budge. What are you supposed to do?Well if your child has anxiety or OCD, you might want to take an extra step and ask yourself, “Is this behavior caused by their anxiety or OCD?”Why does this matter? Does it mean you are going to give them a complete pass on both their behavior and the task at hand?Not...2021-01-1243 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 197: How to Not Accommodate Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD with Eli LebowitzAnxiety and OCD is a family affair. The anxiety and OCD will hook you in, talk to you and get you to grow it. Learning how to identify how you are accommodating your child’s anxiety or OCD is key to their long-term success.I’m honored to have Dr. Eli Lebowitz on as a guest in this week’s episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast. He is a pioneer in anxiety and OCD treatment and the creator of the SPACE Program. An innovative therapeutic approach that focuses solely on what the parent can do to imp...2020-12-2136 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 196: How to Help Your Child with Anxiety or OCD Advocate for ThemselvesAs much as we want to protect our child from anything and everything, it is important that we teach them how to advocate for themselves. This is especially true when our kids have anxiety or OCD. They need to know how to articulate how they feel and what they need. This is true in both the school environment and even to some extent in the home environment.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I talk about how we can teach our kids the skills to advocate for themselves. A gift we can give them th...2020-12-1534 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 195: How to Help Your Child Maintain Progress with Anxiety or OCDSo your child has just crushed their anxiety or OCD. You are feeling on top of the world and so are they. Now what? This is often when the ball is dropped. It is often when the seeds of the next infestation of weeds are left to grow, unchecked and unmanaged.But it doesn’t have to be that way. Maintaining progress is just as important, if not more important. It is developing those life long skills and habits that will make anxiety and OCD manageable throughout their life. So what does the mai...2020-12-0843 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 162: OCD and Scrupulosity w/ Mimi Cole Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Today on the podcast we have a wonderful interview with OCD and mental health advocate Mimi Cole. Mimi is currently working on her graduate degree in counseling and she is here to talk with us today about her lived experience with OCD, scrupulosity, and an eating disorder. Mimi so beautifully states that she wants to share her story in order to increase awareness, education and resources while decreasing the shame and misconceptions surrounding OCD. Mimi s...2020-10-2934 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 190: When OCD isn’t a Fear But Rather a Feeling of DisgustUnfortunately many people believe, including some mental health professionals, that in order to have OCD you must have a core fear. Sadly, many people get misdiagnosed because people are searching up, down and all around for a fear. But OCD doesn’t have to be an intrusive thought, it can also be an intrusive feeling.Many people with OCD will have an overwhelming feeling of disgust or grossness. This feeling causes so much discomfort that they will do everything in their power to avoid it. That is why they often develop compulsions and extreme avoidance. In this week’s episode of th...2020-10-2625 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 188: Red Flags to Watch for When Working with an Anxiety or OCD TherapistNot all therapy is the same. Not all therapists are the same. And when it comes to anxiety and OCD you really want to get it right the first time. But many parents don’t know what to look for and some don’t even realize warning bells should be going off.I invited some of my favorite Anxiety & Ocd therapists to come on to the AT Parenting Survival Podcast for our first ever Therapist Corner segment. In Therapist corner segments, Dr. Allison Solomon, Michelle Massi and I will discuss various topics that impact parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD...2020-10-1255 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 187: Empowering Our Kids with Anxiety or OCD to Help ThemselvesWe want the best for our kids. We want our kids to blossom and live a happy fulfilling life. But when our kids start to struggle with anxiety or OCD we might think that rosy picture is gone forever. We might think we have to “cure” anxiety or OCD for them to be well again. But that’s the wrong way to look at it. We don’t need to “cure” them, because that’s actually an impossibility, we need to train them. Kids with anxiety or OCD can have a beautifully productive and happy life, but they need the right tools and...2020-10-0533 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 186: Helping Teens with OCD with Lisa CoyneMost teens don’t want people to tell them what to do, especially their parents. So what are parents supposed to do when they desperately want to help their teen with OCD? Sometimes that can be tricky. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I invited Lisa Coyne, the co-author of the book, Stuff That’s Loud and the founder and senior clinical consultant of the McLean OCD Institute for Children and Adolescents. She offers us some great guidance and a new perspective on how to help our teens through their OCD struggles. To get the book, Stuff That’s Loud cli...2020-09-2943 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 185: New OCD Graphic Novel for Teens | Interview with Jason Adam KatzensteinJason Adam Katzenstein gets it. He gets the struggle of what it feels like to have OCD and he gets the fear that comes along with trying to crush it. Luckily for the OCD community, Jason is a popular and gifted cartoonist who decided to take his personal and vulnerable story and turn it into a graphic novel for the rest of the world to see.Through images and words, he is able to encapsulate the struggles of OCD and the feeling of triumph when you start to push back. I had the pleasure of talking with Jason about his li...2020-09-2127 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 179: Understanding Magical Thinking in OCDOCD symptoms and behaviors can look vastly different in each person. You might have a child who has compulsions centered around contamination while another person might have a child with compulsions around magical thinking. You might have a child with both!I always tell parents that you want to be well versed in all the many ways OCD can pop up. OCD is whack-a-mole and it often changes themes and compulsions over time. The best proactive action you can take to help your child with OCD is knowledge.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I explain what OCD ma...2020-08-1026 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 168: How to Spot OCD Symptoms in TeensMost kids with OCD go into adulthood without a diagnosis. This means years of feeling different. Years of feeling ashamed. And years of little to no support. If parents and therapists can learn how to spot OCD symptoms in teens, we could help them save years of unnecessary pain and suffering.OCD requires a very specific therapeutic approach called Exposure Response Prevention (ERP). If a teen’s OCD symptoms are missed, they are also missing the help they so desperately need and deserve.Sadly teens with OCD who go undiagnosed have a higher likelihood of suffering from depression and ongoing sy...2020-05-2624 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 167: What is Emotional Contamination OCD?OCD can wreak havoc in any family. But one sub-type of OCD that can be particularly painful is emotional contamination OCD. Emotional contamination issues can hurt family relationships and confuse parents.Sadly most people, even mental health professionals, understand very little about how OCD can manifest. OCD isn’t just about germs and constant cleaning. OCD has many themes and sub-types. It is so important for families raising kids with OCD to educate themselves on the various ways OCD can show up. The best defense against OCD is to recognize it’s many disguises.In this week’s AT Parenting Surviv...2020-05-1923 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 163: Three of the Most Commonly Missed Compulsions in Childhood OCDOCD loves to hide. It loves to go undetected. We often think that compulsions are obvious behaviors, like over washing or over straightening. Things that we can see. Things we can measure.But compulsions are often so much more complicated than that. They can be subtle. They can hide in plain sight.In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I reveal the three most commonly missed compulsions in childhood OCD. If your child has OCD, it is highly likely that they are doing at least one of these.Links to kids youtube videos:Ocd loop: https://youtu.be/SjoNAKgt2yQ...2020-04-2136 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 146: An Interview with Stuart Ralph from The OCD StoriesIf you really want to learn about OCD, one of the best ways to do it is by listening to the OCD Stories. The OCD Stories is a podcast, created and hosted by Stuart Ralph. He has interviewed hundreds of people with OCD and has brought a face and a narrative to what it is like to have a full life with OCD. He has also had conversations with some of the most inspiring treatment providers and researchers to get their view on best practices and innovations in OCD treatment.I thoroughly enjoy Stuart Ralph’s podcast and it was fu...2019-12-1056 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 139: Did You Know it is OCD Awareness Week? What that Means for You and Your ChildI know there are a bazillion awareness weeks and months. Every cause, issue or disease has a color or a month. But I wanted to talk to you about why OCD Awareness Week is so important and how you can take part with even the smallest of gestures.OCD is one of the most misunderstood disorders. Which is sad considering it can be one of the most debilitating conditions a person can experience. Part of the reason OCD is so debilitating is due to the lack of understanding OCD. Kids are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all.Stereotypes perpetuate shame...2019-10-1528 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 138: How to Use ACT to Help Kids with OCD with Dr. Patricia Zurita OnaOne of the biggest struggles parents have is motivating their child to work on OCD. Who can blame them? Working on OCD can be extremely difficult and overwhelming. But, there is a tool in the toolbox that many parents haven’t explored – that’s ACT. In this week’s episode on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I invited Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (Dr. Z) on to talk to us about how we can use ACT to help kids with OCD.She offers fun, creative ways to incorporate ACT principles into our exposures.Dr. Z is the author of the new book, Th...2019-10-0854 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 97: The Emotional Stages of Recovery - Rebuilding Life After OCD (with Chris Trondsen) Chris Trondsen Talks Rebuilding Life After OCD Do you ever wonder what life will look like after OCD Treatment? If so, this is the podcast episode for you! We are talking all about the common emotions involved with the recovery process from mental illnesses such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, and depression in today’s episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Many of you have asked for more episodes about the emotional side of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, Depression, Eating Dis...2019-04-1938 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 94: Doing the “hard thing” is worth it! Life after OCD with Shawnté Johnson Life after OCD with Shawnté Johnson Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast! Today, we talk about life after OCD. So often, my clients in my private practice have questions about what recovery for anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder looks like. Clients and social media followers are often asking me what “recovery” means and how can they get there. Understanding recovery is a crucial part of taking those first steps towards fear. Today, I am...2019-03-2945 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 85: Harm OCD with Jon Hershfield Overcoming Harm OCD with Jon Hershfield Welcome back to another episode of Your Anxiety Toolkit Podcast. Today we have a special guest, Jon Hershfield, LMFT. Jon has been on the show already and is a favorite among the CBT School-ers. Today, Jon and I talk about how to manage specific obsessions related to violence and physical harm. In OCD terms, we call it Harm Obsessions or Harm OCD (if you meet the requirements for a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD).2019-01-251h 00
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEp. 53: How Advocacy "Keeps Me Well": Interview with Ethan Smith OCD Advocate.How Advocacy "Keeps Me Well": Interview with Ethan Smith OCD Advocate Do you ever wish you had someone to inspire you and give you hope about your recovery? Maybe you wish there was a story about OCD or anxiety or mental health that looks similar to yours and you wish you knew how the story turns out? Well, today I give you Ethan Smith OCD Advocate. Ethan Smith (OCD Advocate) was the keynote speaker at the 2014 Annual International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (IOCDF.org) Conference, the International OCD Foundation National Ambassador, a writer, director, producer and OCD Advocate. Amongst th...2018-06-151h 01
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 055: What Helped My OCD: A 12-Year-Old Talks About Her ExperienceHaving OCD is hard enough, but being a kid or teenager with OCD is even harder. Many children with OCD think they are the only ones suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. They don’t realize that OCD in kids is much more common than they think! They struggle alone and many wonder how on earth they are supposed to beat OCD. ***This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.Visit my website at www.ATparentingSurvival.comInterested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us!http://ww...2018-02-1239 min
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyPSP 050: Explaining OCD to People Who Don’t Get it: Helping Siblings, Family & Friends Understand OCDDo you know what is almost worse than having a child with OCD? Seeing your child be surrounded by people who just don’t get OCD. Siblings who tease their brother or sister for their “strange” behavior. Partners who tell your child to “just stop!” Relatives who think they are being helpful when they tell you “they’ll grow out of it.” And teachers who don’t understand how your child can have OCD when they just don’t see it. Explaining OCD to people who just don’t get it can be daunting. OCD can be complicated even for parents to understand...2018-01-1629 min
Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & DepressionEpisode #16: Guilt, Shame and being "SO OCD" with CBT ROCKSTAR Shala Nicely GUILT, SHAME and being “SO OCD” with Shala Nicely I am honored to share with you a recent interview I did with OCD ROCKSTAR and dear friend, Shala Nicely. Shala is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Atlanta and treats OCD and OCD Spectrum Disorders using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I briefly outlined the conversation and left all the links discussed during the podcast. Enjoy! Shala recently wrote an awesome blog post article about a top women’s magazine that posted an article encouraging readers to “be a little OCD!” Shala declared enough was enough and got writin...2017-07-2036 min