AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety

When our child is anxious or stuck in OCD, everything can feel urgent. The questions, the reassurance seeking, the distress, the pressure to fix it right away. As parents, our instinct is often to respond quickly so we can calm things down. But sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is pause.
In this episode, I talk about the power of the pause and why slowing down our response can actually help our kids build resilience and break the anxiety and OCD cycle. A pause gives us space to respond intentionally instead of reacting out of stress, fear, or urgency. It also models for our kids that discomfort doesn’t have to be solved immediately.
If you are a parent who feels pulled to jump in quickly when your child is anxious, asks for reassurance, or gets stuck in OCD loops, this episode will help you see how a small pause can create big shifts in how you support your child.
🧡 Register for my free series Survival Tools for Parents Raising Kids with Anxiety or OCD
Links mentioned in podcast:

OCD Reassurance video
Podcast: How to Use Reassurance Cards
Podcast: How to Create an Effective Incentive Plan
Podcast: How to Help Kids with Perfectionism

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This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parents often hear the same questions from their child again and again, and it can be hard to know if answering is helping or making things worse. In this episode, I break down the important difference between anxiety reassurance and OCD reassurance.
While they can look similar on the surface, they serve very different purposes. Anxiety reassurance often comes from a child not trusting their ability to cope, while OCD reassurance acts as a compulsion that keeps the OCD cycle going. Knowing the difference can change how you respond.
If you are a parent who feels stuck answering the same worries, fears, or “what if” questions, this episode will help you understand when reassurance supports your child and when it unintentionally grows anxiety and OCD.

Links discussed during episode:
Get the PDF handout for this episode here
Free series: Survival Tools for Parents Raising Kids with Anxiety or OCD
The SPACE Study Guide Course
Video: How Reassurance is a Compulsion
Podcast: How to Use Reassurance Cards
Podcast: How to Create an Effective Incentive Plan
***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ARFID can look like OCD, anxiety, extreme picky eating, or even a traditional eating disorder, which is why so many parents feel confused about what they are actually dealing with.
In this episode, I break down the five types of ARFID, avoidant, aversive, restrictive, mixed, and ARFID plus, and explain how each one presents differently.
We also talk about how ARFID overlaps with OCD and anxiety, when exposure and response prevention is the right fit, and when a feeding therapist or occupational therapist may be the better route. Understanding what is driving your child’s food restriction is the key to getting the right help.
If you are a parent trying to figure out whether your child’s eating struggles are fear based, sensory based, or something else entirely, this episode will give you clarity and direction.
Resources mentioned in episode:
PANDAS Network
Aspire
Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta - Dr. Megan Faye
Psypact map
Equip ARFID Program
The Emily Program
Kate Farm’s Protein Shakes
Boost Very high Calorie Drink
Free upcoming series: Survival Tools for Parents Raising Kids with Anxiety or OCD
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***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most parents think they know what their child’s OCD looks like. They see the washing. The checking. The obvious behaviors.
But what they’re usually seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.

OCD isn’t only handwashing or checking. It’s mental reviewing, silent debating, internal checking, trying to “neutralize” a thought, confessing, reassurance seeking, avoidance, symmetry rituals, and that constant need for things to feel just right. Many of the most powerful compulsions happen completely inside your child’s mind, which means you will never see all of them.

In this episode, we’re talking about how OCD really works, why you can’t be the OCD police, and how to shift from trying to catch compulsions to teaching your child the skills to delay and resist them. Because empowerment, not surveillance, is what actually builds long term resilience.

If you want detailed guidance on how to teach your child to handle OCD at home, you can learn more at www.natashadaniels.com/parentcourse.
If you are a parent who feels like you’re missing something but can’t quite see what OCD is doing behind the scenes, this episode is for you.
Get this week’s PDF handout at www.natashadaniels.com/handout

***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harm OCD is one of the most frightening and misunderstood themes of OCD, especially when it shows up in children. Intrusive thoughts about hurting oneself or someone else can feel shocking, confusing, and deeply distressing for both kids and parents. These thoughts often clash with a child’s true values, which is exactly why they feel so intense.
In this episode, we gently unpack what harm OCD really is and what it is not. We talk about the difference between intrusive thoughts and intent, and why fear can so easily be mistaken for danger. When parents understand the OCD cycle and how it attaches to what matters most, they are better equipped to respond with clarity instead of panic.
If you are a parent who has ever felt your heart drop after hearing your child share a scary thought, or if your child has ever been terrified of their own mind, this episode is for you.

Resources Discussed in Episode:
-Handout of this episode

-Videos on Harm OCD:
https://youtu.be/qQgTkIfUFDM?si=0c9wIFghIctn4BCT
https://youtu.be/XR0anBw_NIY?si=ggHSaxbhkdlkvOjF
https://youtu.be/hPOJW3iXRwU?si=lFAcTY7qMX7DMiXh

-SPACE Study Course

***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.