Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a parent-focused intervention developed by Eli Lebowitz, PhD. What is interesting about SPACE is that it treats child anxiety, but can be implemented with parents only. Parenting an anxious child can be quite challenging and SPACE can help parents develop tools and techniques that help children overcome anxiety and learn to tolerate distress. Sometimes parents might be having a hard time knowing how to respond to a child’s anxiety or maybe a parent recognizes anxiety is getting in the way, but the child is not open to working with a therapist. In these instances, SPACE may be a particularly good fit. SPACE can also be utilized alongside child intervention, but it has been shown to be effective when delivered to parents only, which makes it pretty unique.
What is SPACE?
SPACE is an evidence-based intervention for anxiety and OCD among children and adolescents. SPACE was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center and has been evaluated in research. Parents attend regular sessions and in many instances, the child or adolescent does not need to attend. SPACE is designed to provide parents with skills and strategies to help their child overcome anxiety. SPACE focuses on increasing support, while reducing accommodation. Accommodation refers to actions that parents take or don’t take because of their child’s anxiety. For example, a parent may speak for a child that feels too anxious, provide lots of reassurance, or decide not to go out because a child is too nervous to be left with a babysitter. It is important to acknowledge that parents are not to blame for their child’s anxiety! Accommodation often happens naturally and over time as parents try to comfort their child. Unfortunately, this accommodation does not help children overcome anxiety in the long-term.
Who is SPACE most helpful for?
SPACE is helpful for parents of children or teens with separation anxiety, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and OCD. It can be helpful for a range of families, but may be a particularly good fit when children or teens are not willing to engage in therapy or when parents have identified accommodation is a problem, but are unsure how to get out of the cycle. Still, parents don’t have to have recognized accommodation as SPACE can assist with that process. SPACE can be implemented with just parents. It can also be delivered alongside child-focused intervention. Parents who are unsure if SPACE is right for them can discuss treatment options with a mental health provider trained in both SPACE and child-focused evidence-based interventions (e.g., CBT, ERP).
Professional support is available
Brave Minds Psychology Center for Child Anxiety offers evidence-based therapy to support children, teens, young adults, and parents in learning to manage anxiety in order to thrive. SPACE, CBT, and ERP are available for children and teens with anxiety or OCD. Based in Southern California, telehealth services are available for residents across the states of California and Illinois. In-person services are available in Temecula, CA. Contact us for a free consultation.
Resources
**The information provided in this post is intended for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is essential to consult with a qualified mental health professional for any specific concerns or needs.
