Hey Reader- Many OCD themes are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or completely overlooked because they don’t match the stereotypes most people associate with OCD. In this episode, I dive into the OCD themes that often fly under the radar, including Moral OCD, Harm OCD, POCD, SOCD, ROCD, disgust based OCD, symmetry OCD, and Just Right OCD. I talk about how these themes can present in children and teens, why they are often mistaken for anxiety, behavioral issues, personality traits, or...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader- When the fear of throwing up begins to take over a child’s daily life, it can quietly shrink their world. School, eating, travel, social events, exercise, sleepovers, restaurants, and even ordinary conversations can suddenly feel unsafe. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I’m talking all about emetophobia, the intense fear of vomiting, and how it can show up as both anxiety and OCD. We’ll explore the hidden compulsions that often fuel this disorder, including...
20 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader- Raising a child with anxiety or OCD can bring so much doubt and exhaustion. It can also bring so much instability for the whole family. It can impact your other children and it can put a strain on your relationships with other family members. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When you are surrounded by other people who get your struggles, you feel heard. When you are in the company of people who have been where you are, you get answers. When other parents have your back, you...
26 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader- There is nothing worse than seeing your child suffer with anxiety or OCD while you struggle with how to help them. Luckily, that is all about to change. The AT Parenting Community addresses all your struggles 🟤 Get clinical guidance from an anxiety and OCD child therapist with two decades of experience when you are feeling overwhelmed. 🟤 Soak up skills through weekly live classes and get free access to over $700 worth of courses so you can be skilled to coach your child and spot a...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader- Contamination OCD is often much more complex than many parents realize. It is not always about germs, handwashing, or obvious fears of illness. For many kids, contamination OCD can center around chemicals, certain people, objects, or even an intense feeling of disgust rather than fear. In my latest podcast episode, I breaks down the subtle ways contamination OCD can be missed, misunderstood, or accidentally reinforced. Parents often focus on visible avoidance without recognizing...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader- Watching your child struggle with OCD is exhausting — and once you start recognizing compulsions, it's easy to swing too far in the other direction. That's what I call becoming the "OCD police." In this podcast episode, I explore how parents can unintentionally shift from helping to over-monitoring, constantly pointing out compulsions, questioning behaviors, and trying to control OCD at every turn. It comes from love, but hypervigilance can damage trust, increase shame, and cause...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
“Just right” OCD can be one of the most confusing forms of OCD for parents, because it doesn’t look like fear. In this week's podcast episode, we’re unpacking what it means when OCD is driven by a feeling instead of a specific fear. That internal sense that something is off, incomplete, or not quite right can keep kids stuck in loops that are hard to explain and even harder to stop. You’ll learn how “just right” OCD can show up across daily life, from words and writing to clothes, shoes,...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
It feels so natural to explain, reassure, and try to calm your child down when OCD is loud. After all, that’s how we solve problems in real life. But OCD doesn’t play by those rules. When we try to reason with OCD, we often get pulled deeper into its loop, answering more questions, giving more explanations, and still watching our child struggle. In this episode, I talk about why reasoning and reassurance can quietly fuel OCD, what’s actually happening in your child’s brain in those moments,...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader- There is nothing more powerful than having all the knowledge to spot a good anxiety or OCD therapist a mile away, because you are that skilled. Get empowered to help your child or teen directly There is nothing more empowering than having a group of hundreds of parents give you advice when you have a meeting with the school, therapist or doctor. There is nothing more rewarding than finding out exactly where to start and how to respond to your child’s anxiety or OCD struggles. Want...
2 months ago • 1 min read