James Donaldson on Mental Health - Treating Anxiety in Kids by Working With Parents

Reducing accommodations IN SPACE, the clinician guides the parents to reduce those accommodations step by step as they move from being their child’s rescuer to a more supportive role.

The parents are asked to pick one accommodation to work on reducing first.

“Usually, the parents want to focus on the biggest one, but that can be too hard,” says Dr.

“So, I always suggest picking an easy one, one that they think will be easier to accept for them and the kids.” Accommodations can be reduced incrementally.

For instance, if your child calls you every day right after school, you can wait five minutes before you return that call.

“And you can tell the child that from now on, I will return your call a little late.

This is not because I don’t love you, this is not because I want to punish you — it’s because I want you to practice your ability to tolerate me not picking up your call, and I believe that you can tolerate these five minutes!” Dr.

One reason to start with something easy is that there may be resistance.

Kids may initially express more anxiety, and some will lash out and accuse their parents of abandoning them.

“Sometimes they will be angry, like, ‘Why are you doing this to me?