
 Ben 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 remove the stigma attached to OCD, especially for men who all too often do not find help and strength complimentary words.

 

PSP 337: Ben Ellis’ Journey with OCD

The truth is we are all surviving parenting one day at a time. Add child anxiety or childhood OCD and it can be overwhelming! On The AT Parenting Survival Podcast your host Natasha Daniels will ride the Parental roller coaster with you. She will teach you parenting approaches to help child anxiety and OCD, she’ll give you a new perspective on common parenting problems and will re-invigorate your sparkle for parenting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Our parenting style directly impacts how we approach our child’s anxiety or OCD. How do you feel about setting boundaries? What emotions do you feel when your child is in distress? How do you feel when you pull back your accommodations around anxiety or OCD?
Our parenting style plays a role in these questions. 
Your parenting style wasn’t developed out of thin air. We are a mix of our childhood experiences, our feelings around how we were parented and our hopes for our own kids.
In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I help you take a deeper dive into your parenting style, where it came from and how it plays a role in your child’s anxiety or OCD journey.


PSP 364: How Our Parenting Styles Impact the Anxiety & OCD Journey

The 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 to self or others. Even though Eve properly identified her struggles as OCD, it still took several therapists to find a qualified one that would help her make progress. Her father wasn’t so lucky. He had the same OCD themes in college and had little success from a general therapist, never knowing it was OCD until his daughter had the same theme. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I talk to Eve and her father Jon, as they share their struggles, their journey to find the right therapist and their bond through it all.


PSP 363: The Importance of Finding the Right Therapy for OCD | One Family’s Journey

It 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 anxiety and OCD. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’ll discuss the many helpful uses to add the creative approach of storytelling to help kids with anxiety or OCD. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’ll discuss the many helpful uses to add the creative approach of storytelling to help kids with anxiety or OCD. 

PSP 362: The Use of Storytelling in Anxiety and OCD

Raising a child with Emetophobia, the fear of throw up, can be an isolating experience. It brings with it all sorts of fears. What if they can’t overcome their struggles? What if they can’t go to school? What if they stop eating entirely?
It is important that parents don’t feel alone on this journey. That is why I was so thrilled when Lauren, a parent in my AT Parenting Community, reached out and asked to be on my podcast. She was so excited about seeing her daughter’s progress that she wanted to share her story with others.
In this week’s episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I sat down with Lauren as we both discussed our experiences as moms to kids with Emetophobia. We explore what worked, what didn’t and how we try to manage our own anxiety around it all.
Resources: AT Parenting Community ATparentingsurvivalschool.com Dr. David Russ and Anna Christie: emetophobia.net Emetophobia: Understanding and Treating Fear of Vomit in Children and Adults  by Dr. David Russ Emetophobia! The Ultimate Kids’ Guide by Dr. David Russ Facing Mighty Fears About Throw Up by Dawn Huebner
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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?  


PSP 361: A Parenting Journey Raising a Child with Emetophobia

Your child is paralyzed with fear. They are nauseous. They are faint. They are immobilized. It is hard to watch as a parent. For many of us it can trigger our own panicky response.  When our kids are spiraling out of control it can be so easy for us to spiral with them. It often takes a concerted effort to remain calm and be the anchor our child so desperately needs. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast I’ll explore some techniques to reduce your own anxiety while your child is panicking. 

PSP 337: Ben Ellis’ Journey with OCD

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