Libsyn Directory

PSP 117: Helping Kids with Selective Mutism

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

Release Date: 05/06/2019

PSP 135: The Difference Between Picky Eating and Extreme Picky Eating

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

Dealing with extreme picky eating can be a lonely journey. Barely anyone gets it. People will tell you all sorts of things. Some to lift you up and some to tear you down, but neither wind up being helpful. He won’t starve to death You should force him to eat (as if it was just that easy!) If he was my child… (that’s never a good sentence) Aren’t all kids kind of picky? You let her eat just that?! Ugh. I could go on and on. But it brings back too many bad memories. Kids have extreme picky eating for a variety of reasons. They can have sensory issues, fears of...

PSP 134: Helping Kids Who Have a Fear of Bad Guys

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

Hands down the number one fear I deal with as a child therapist is the fear of bad guys. It isn’t surprising. I remember being a child myself, sitting in my bed, blanket up to my neck, wondering not if, but when would I be attacked. The fear is often dealt with platitudes like: I’m right here Who is going to hurt you Nothing has ever happened to you Why do you worry so much In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I explore why those platitudes aren’t helpful and what to do and say instead. *** to get on waitlist for the Sleep Class go to: to get a free PDF...

PSP 133: How to Help a Child with Nightmares

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

If the brain can imagine it, nightmares can create it. That can be hard for a child whose brain is constantly coming up with the worst-case scenarios for every situation. And when a child with nightmares, especially an anxious child, has them often – they can start to fear sleep altogether. So how do you help your child with nightmares? Well, we can’t control whether they have them or not, but we can stack the deck in their favor. We can also teach them what to do afterwards, so they can get themselves back to sleep more easily. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast...

PSP 132: What to Do When the Stress of Raising a Child with Anxiety or OCD is too Much

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

You are done. You can’t take it anymore. When will things get better? How long is this going to last? Will things ever change? Raising a child with anxiety or OCD can be beyond exhausting. You are not alone. Many of us have been there. We know what it is like to want to hit the escape button. We know what it is like to go to bed ridden with your own feelings of anxiety and hopelessness. All the What If’s and catastrophic thinking are hard to shut off. There is hope. When all the light is gone and all you see is darkness, it can be hard to feel hopeful. This week...

PSP 131: Sensorimotor OCD | When Kids Get too Focused on Breathing, Blinking, Swallowing and Peeing

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

We all do many things without a conscious thought. Our heart beats. Our food is digested. Our breath goes in and then goes out. Our eyes lids go up and then they go down. Our bladder constantly fills. But what happens when your attention constantly goes to these automatic behaviors? Welcome to the torturous world of Sensorimotor OCD. OCD isn’t often understood by most, but Sensorimotor OCD is even less understood. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I am helping parents navigate the confusing world of Sensorimotor OCD. We talk about what it is and what to do about...

PSP 130: Why Our Child’s Anxiety, OCD or Behaviors are Worse for Us

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

“We don’t see it, he’s great for us.” “Nope, we don’t have any issues with her.” “Anxiety? Are you sure?” “OCD? I never see him wash his hands.” (eye roll to that one) “He is a perfect angel when he is with me.” Ugh. These types of comments can make you doubt all that you know and see. Is it me? Am I causing her anxiety? Am I causing this behavior? Do I make his OCD worse? You are not alone. Parents everywhere are having these thoughts. They toss and turn before they go to sleep. They have pangs of doubt, guilt and anger when their child...

PSP 129: Putting the Spotlight on Childhood Moral & Harm OCD with Aaron Harvey

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

This podcast is for educational purposes only and should not replace medical advice. * To learn more about the great work Aaron Harvey is doing, visit and * To read the show notes go to * Interested in my AT Parenting Community Membership? Click below to join us! http://www.atparentingcommunity.com Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: To sign up for my online class on How to Crush Social Anxiety (for Adults & Kids 10 and Up): http://anxioustoddlers.teachable.com/p/crush-social-anxiety To sign up for my online class: Parenting Kids with OCD To sign up for...

PSP 128: Learn How Hormones Can Play a Role in Parental Anxiety

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

Do you suffer from some parental anxiety? Have you gotten more anxious as you’ve gotten older? Do you attribute it to the chaos and stress you experience raising kids with anxiety or OCD? Well, you might be missing one key culprit…hormones! As women we start to have hormonal changes as early as our mid-thirties. And with those changes can come, fatigue, weight gain, irritability and….you guessed it, anxiety. This topic is not in my wheelhouse, so I invited Hilary Rank, a Health and Wellness Coach and the creator of the Balance Effect Method, to break it down for us. She talks about how...

PSP 127: How to Help a Child with Lockdown Drills

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

The kids are huddled in the corner of the room. It is dark. It is quiet. They are told not to talk. They are told to hide behind objects and lock the classroom door. Some kids are shaking. Some kids have wide eyes. This is not an emergency situation. These are lockdown drills. This can be very unnerving for any child, but for anxious children this has the potential to cause ongoing fear and panic. So what should parents do? Many of us avoid the topic unless our kids bring it up. But with at least 32 states requiring monthly lockdown drills, many of our kids are exposed to these...

PSP 126: Child Anxiety from a Father’s Perspective

AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family

We all see anxiety differently. We bring our own baggage, or own history and our own issues along for the ride. Often moms and dads see anxiety differently. Sometimes it can be the source of disagreements and hurt feelings. And sometimes it can open our eyes to a new way of looking at things. This week I invited Jason from Dad University to have a chat on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast and talk to me about anxiety from a father’s perspective. We talked about his own struggles with anxiety growing up and how that impacted his own parenting. Check out Dad University at...

More Episodes

Selective Mutism can hide behind labels like “shy” and often gets missed by parents, educators and even therapists.

I had the pleasure of talking to Patsy Butterworth, a State Coordinator for Selective Mutism.org and a mom to a child with Selective Mutism.

Patsy has been a huge advocate for her son through his journey. She now supports other parents, connecting them to resources and spreading knowledge about Selective Mutism.

In my interview with Patsy, she helps us understand what Selective Mutism is and what it is not. She also talks about how to advocate for your child, get a proper diagnosis and how parents can help their child with Selective Mutism.

To listen to our interview click below:

Resources for Parents Raising Kids with Selective Mutism:

https://www.selectivemutism.org/

Find a Treating Professional

https://www.selectivemutism.org/find-help/find-a-treating-professional/

Find a state/international coordinator

https://www.selectivemutism.org/find-help/find-a-state-coordinator/

Resources from the selective mutism and anxiety research and treatment center

https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/

Support groups by state

https://www.selectivemutism.org/find-help/smg-support-groups-by-state/

Here's a link to the Child Mind Institute's selective mustim page

https://childmind.org/topics/disorders/selective-mutism/

Here's a video from Dr. Annie Simpson. She condensed a lot of information and practical tools into a one hour video. It's my favorite one to share with teachers and providers.

https://www.anxietycanada.com/resources/video/selective-mutism-giving-kids-voice-dr-annie-simpson

https://duluth.citymomsblog.com/mom/hear-me-roar-selective-mutism/

https://anxietycanada.com

Books on Selective Mutism:

Selective Mutism Assessment Guide

https://amzn.to/2DSj7Hc

Overcoming Selective Mutism: Parents Field Guide

https://amzn.to/2Yc81Vb

Children’s Books:

Lola’s Voice Disappeared

https://amzn.to/2Ves9cj

Lola’s Voice Disappeared Activity Book and Journal