Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (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. At Brave Minds Psychology Center, parents can discuss whether SPACE is the right approach for them. You can also read more about SPACE in our blog.