Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) We're here to help

Empowering parents to help children overcome anxiety and related challenges.

SPACE is an innovative, parent-based treatment program designed for children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and related difficulties. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on changing the child’s behavior, SPACE equips parents with practical tools and strategies to support their child’s recovery—without requiring the child to participate in therapy sessions.

Why SPACE Works

Children with anxiety or OCD often rely on their parents for reassurance or accommodations that help them avoid distress. While these accommodations may reduce anxiety in the short term, they can unintentionally reinforce symptoms over time. SPACE helps parents break this cycle by teaching them how to respond in ways that promote resilience and independence.

What Parents Learn in SPACE

The program focuses on two key changes parents can make:

• Responding Supportively: Learn how to communicate understanding and confidence in your child’s ability to cope, without reinforcing anxious behaviors.
• Reducing Accommodations: Gradually decrease behaviors that accommodate anxiety (such as avoiding certain situations or providing constant reassurance), helping your child build coping skills and confidence.

Through structured sessions, parents gain skills to:

• Support their child without enabling anxiety
• Foster independence and emotional regulation
• Reduce family stress and improve overall functioning

Who Can Benefit from SPACE?

SPACE is ideal for families with children or teens experiencing:

• Generalized anxiety
• Separation anxiety
• Social anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Related anxiety-driven behaviors