SPACE Therapy: Helping Kids Overcome Anxiety by Supporting Parents
For children struggling with anxiety, there’s an effective approach that focuses not on the child, but on the parents. It’s called SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), and it helps by guiding parents to change how they respond to their child’s anxious behaviors. Read more to learn how SPACE works and how it can support your family.
What You’ll Learn:
What is SPACE therapy?
Space parenting techniques
What kind of accommodations do parents make to help their child’s anxiety?
When kids struggle with anxiety, parents play a huge role in helping them cope. But did you know there’s a special kind of therapy where the therapist works only with parents to help their anxious child?
It’s called SPACE—Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. It was created by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center, and research shows it works just as well as traditional therapy where kids work directly with a therapist!
How does SPACE work?
Kids naturally turn to their parents when they feel scared or overwhelmed. And parents, of course, want to help! So when a child says, “Can I sleep in your bed?” or “I don’t want to go to school today,” parents often step in to make things feel safer. They might say, “Okay, I’ll sit with you until you fall asleep” or “You don’t have to go to school today.” This is called accommodation—it helps in the moment, but over time, it teaches kids that they can’t handle their fears on their own.
Instead, SPACE helps parents shift their approach. Instead of rescuing kids from anxiety, parents learn to show confidence: "I know this is hard, but I also know you can handle it." When kids see that their parents believe in them, they start to believe in themselves. With practice, anxiety fades, and kids grow stronger.
Who is SPACE for?
SPACE is especially great for younger kids or kids who aren’t willing to participate in therapy themselves. It’s also helpful for parents who find themselves doing a lot to accommodate their child’s anxiety—like staying home from work or avoiding certain places to prevent their child from feeling anxious.
What does SPACE look like?
SPACE is usually done over 12 weekly sessions with a therapist. The initial step is to establish rapport with parents and explain the principles of SPACE. It's important for parents to recognize how accommodations can prevent children from overcoming their fears. Parents then make a list of the ways they accommodate their child’s anxiety—both things they do (like texting their child constantly when they’re apart) and things they avoid (like skipping vacations because their child is afraid to fly).
Then, step by step, parents reduce these accommodations in a way that’s manageable for both them and their child. For example, if a child calls their parent right after school every day, the parent might start waiting five extra minutes before answering. The message is: "I love you, and I believe you can handle this."
At first, kids may get upset—they might even get angry or say things like, “Why are you doing this to me?” But parents learn how to respond calmly and confidently, without giving in to the anxiety. Over time, this helps kids gain independence and feel more in control of their fears.
Ensure parental alignment
One challenge with SPACE is that parents don’t always agree on how to handle their child’s anxiety. One parent might say, “They need to tough it out!” while the other worries, “I don’t think they can handle it.” If one parent does all the accommodating, kids quickly learn who to turn to when they feel anxious. That’s why it’s important for parents to work together and respond in the same way.
What if the anxiety is severe?
For kids with severe anxiety, SPACE can be combined with other therapies like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or ERP (exposure and response prevention). In some cases, medication (like an SSRI) can also help.
If a child is also struggling with depression or self-harm, parents may learn SPACE techniques but wait to put them into action until their child is feeling more stable. It’s important to treat the depression first and keep safety the top priority.
SPACE Treatment in Tampa
SPACE helps parents go from being their child’s rescuer to their child’s coach. Instead of removing anxiety, parents learn to support their child through it, helping them grow stronger, braver, and more confident over time.
At Tampa Pediatric Psychology, our licensed child psychologists and therapists specialize in SPACE treatment, guiding parents every step of the way. If you’re interested in learning more about our SPACE services, feel free to contact us, we’re here to help.