Now offering the evidence-based

SPACE Anxiety Treatment



Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
is a short term parent-based intervention designed to treat a range of anxiety disorders in youth.

Treatment focuses on helping caregivers to a) respond supportively to their child’s anxiety with a combination of validation and confidence, and b) reduce reinforcing or accommodating their child’s anxiety. By exclusively focusing on changing parental behavior instead of youth behavior, SPACE reduces the escalation families often experience when trying to force youth to change course and empowers parents to take action to support their youth.

As a parent-based intervention, youth involvement is not required for any portion of treatment, making it an ideal option for caregivers of youth who are unwilling or unable to engage in their own treatment. SPACE is also a great adjunct for caregivers when their youth is engaged in individual treatment, as SPACE solely focuses on caregiver behavior.

We have found SPACE is often a necessary first step as ongoing parental accommodation regularly interferes with youth being motivated for change on their own.  While the target of treatment is the youth’s anxiety, most parents find SPACE improves their own well-being and sense of competence in navigating their child’s anxiety. 

​From this treatment, you will learn specific strategies to help you get your child through their anxious emotions and behaviors.

By the end of our sessions, you can expect to:

  • have a clear understanding of what can cause, maintain, and reduce your child's anxious feelings and behavior

  • know what to say (and not say) when your child is worrying, expressing fears, or refusing to do something because they are too anxious or nervous

  • know what to do (and not do) to help them increase their bravery, independence, and self-efficacy

  • feel confident in your ability to set limits and boundaries that fit the needs of your whole family

Our focus on your behavior as a parent does not mean that you are to blame for your child's anxiety. You are not the problem here, however you can be an important part of the solution. Anxiety disorders make it difficult for children to function independently. They tend to rely heavily upon their parents to help them cope rather than learning to cope on their own.

We offer SPACE individually as well as in group workshops. Our SPACE groups consists of 8, one-hour virtual sessions made up of caregivers of anxious youth under 18. The group covers all of the same material that would be delivered individually, while also allowing caregivers to learn from and support each other. Groups include written materials, didactic discussions, coping skills practice, and group-based processing. Spots in our SPACE group are limited in order to ensure individualized attention in the group setting. For caregivers seeking additional guidance, one-on-one consultation hours during or after the completion of the SPACE group are available for an additional fee.

My child’s anxiety seems so complicated, how could it possibly be addressed in a group setting?

The goal of the SPACE group is to learn the core fundamentals of responding effectively to child anxiety. While the exact features of anxiety may vary slightly from person to person, the building blocks of the disorder and how it impacts interactions between caregivers and youth is remarkably similar between families. In the SPACE group, caregivers will receive individualized feedback on core aspects of delivering SPACE and group activities will focus on applying the general principles to your individual youth. By learning the core principles of SPACE first, caregivers decrease the likelihood of getting lost in the weeds of their youth’s specific details and are better able to see the broader patterns of anxiety. If, upon completion of the group, the family is in need of further support, individual SPACE consultation may be sought and be both more effective and efficient as it can build on the core skills learned in the SPACE group.

SPACE has been proven to be effective with some of the most common anxiety issues children face including:

Separation Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety
Fears and Phobias
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Emetophobia

 To read more about SPACE and how it works visit www.spacetreatment.net

Join our next group.

To learn more about the next SPACE group, please inquire below.