This week we talk about how child anxiety is always a family systems issue and how we can shift the system by shifting our own behavior whether or not our child is motivated to change.

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

It can be difficult to understand the differences between a shy child, an introverted child, and a socially anxious child especially when those things overlap. In this week's episode we look at ways to determine whether a child's reluctance to be social is their natural way of functioning or if it might be cause for concern. 

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

Today we explore the difference between accommodations and support using the definition from the study cited below, which is "changes in parents’ behavior in attempts to prevent or reduce child distress." 

Johanna Thompson-Hollands, Caroline E. Kerns, Donna B. Pincus, Jonathan S. Comer, Parental accommodation of child anxiety and related symptoms: Range, impact, and correlates, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Volume 28, Issue 8, 2014, Pages 765-773, ISSN 0887-6185,

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

This week we discuss what mindfulness is, how it works, how it helps child anxiety, and how to do it. I also invite you to get my free 7-day Get Yourself Grounded email course by taking the Parenting Pitfalls quiz at http://ChildAnxietySupport.com/quiz

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

This week I talk about anxiety in the context of a post traumatic stress disorder diagnosis and discuss how it should be addressed. I mention EMDRIA.org in the podcast and wanted to be sure to include a link. 

You can also read more about the other treatments I mention here:

• TF-CBT (this links to a PDF published by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• What is PCIT? (a definition and explainer about Parent-Child Interaction Therapy from PCIT international)
• Child-Parent Psychotherapy Research overview 

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

This episode is a response to a listener having a tough time and I hope they hear it and find comfort in the answer. And if you, too, are needing support right now, I hope it speaks to you and makes your way a little easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

This week’s question is meant to address the concerns of parents who contact me and say they’ve tried to get their child help and it isn’t working or it hasn’t worked and they’re asking me what to do next. So I’m squishing all of these questions together into one to talk about the things that get in the way of child anxiety treatment. 

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

The short answer is yes, social media absolutely can cause teen anxiety so I use this episode to talk about what parents can -- and should -- do about it. I mention the report: The Common Sense Census published by the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University, which you can download as a PDF here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/common-sense-parent-census_whitepaper_new-for-web.pdf

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

While the answer to this question is out of my professional scope of practice, I was able to find information in a literature review specifically about the member's question in regards to vitamin D, which you can find here: The Influence of Vitamin D Intake and Status on Mental Health in Children: A Systematic Review

We talk about that and also use this episode to discuss the importance of taking a multipronged approach to the treatment of child anxiety and why that's important.

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)

This week I explain why we need to reframe the question "How do I explain to my anxious child that they don't need to be scared" to "How do I help my anxious child cope with their fear when they are scared?"

Mentioned in this episode:

TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice

I invite you to check out TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice, a guided reflective journaling podcast for parents raising anxious kids in a worried world. This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. This is not a bunch of one size fits all parenting advice. This is a place to remember what you already know. (And to learn some new stuff along the way.)