**Important book for parents with children who suffer from OCD and Anxiety** If you have not heard of Dr. Eli Lebowitz and the SPACE program, today is your day. I am not associated with this book, but have found the SPACE program to be groundbreaking in helping parents. Many of you have loved…
Read MoreKids listen. They hear things and interpret things in ways we may not as adults. This week my sweet son let me know he was not opening his stocking on Christmas. I waited until he felt like telling me why and it came out that he was afraid that Santa was going to give…
Read MoreAs our children head back to school, there’s a range of emotions for both the children and us as parents. While we expect some feelings of nervousness, uncertainty and fear, the question we often hear is “what’s normal?”. Approximately 40% of our patient load is pediatric: we have children entering elementary school in Newport Beach…
Read MoreDoes your son or daughter have an anxiety disorder? Usually if this is the case, their anxiety may affect their experiences in school. The question then becomes, how can the school and I work together to help my child? Talk to the Teacher The first steps most parents take is to talk to their child’s…
Read MoreIt is normal to feel a wide array of emotions: scared, happy, nervous, sad, disappointed, mad. As empathetic human beings, a helpful goal is to meet people in their emotional experience rather than try to take away what they’re feeling. A developmental theorist, Robert Kegan, wrote about how parents have the opportunity to respond to…
Read MoreGetting through school refusal
With the beginning of a new school year, the OC Anxiety Center has seen more children with school refusal come in through our doors. “School refusal” is a general term with a myriad of causes. Is it a fear of embarrassing oneself in front of others, a dislike of academics, a bully at school, or panic disorder? These are just a few possible causes for …
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