Hey Reader- Most people think contamination OCD is about germs, chemicals, or bodily fluids. But what happens when your child feels like a thought, memory, word, person, or experience has become contaminated? In this episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, Natasha Daniels explores mental contamination OCD—a lesser-known but surprisingly common form of OCD that can leave children feeling like something is dirty, ruined, tainted, or unsafe, even though nothing has physically changed....

Hey Reader- In this episode, I talk with Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Chyllia Dixon about the emotional impact of growing up with a chronic illness and the unique mental health challenges children and families can face along the way. Drawing from both her professional experience and her own childhood experience with Juvenile Myositis, Chyllia shares insight into what chronically ill kids may be carrying emotionally, the importance of helping children stay connected to the...

Hey Reader- It can be hard to tell whether OCD treatment is helping, especially when compulsions haven’t noticeably decreased, distress seems higher, or new themes suddenly appear. But progress is not always measured by how quiet OCD looks on the outside. Sometimes treatment is preventing OCD from getting worse. Sometimes a therapist is building trust and readiness before beginning ERP. And sometimes increased distress is a sign that your child is learning to face discomfort instead of...