Being a parent comes with many challenges. You understand how fragile yet resilient your child is. You know there will be growing pains as they get older. Expecting challenges, triumphs, and everything in between is par for the course when raising children. As much as you may want to help them through every difficulty and struggle, in some cases, these...[ read more ]

Fear and worry are typical for people of all ages. In the case of children, these emotions can be helpful. They teach us about being cautious when necessary and how to develop coping skills. Ideally, they also teach us how to identify a false fear. In other words, a fearful child is nothing to be concerned about — until it...[ read more ]

As a parent, you don't want to see your child deal with issues we most commonly associate with adulthood, especially when those issues are anxiety or depression. We often think about the childhood years as being completely carefree. If only that were the case. Children, unfortunately, also deal with anxiety, worries, and stress. Childhood anxiety most often stems from three...[ read more ]

It's heartbreaking to hear that children can experience mental health disorders. It can also be surprising or hard to believe for many adults. After all, we often associate these disorders with something that only adults experience. Children are often at the crossroads of two common mental health disorders. Anxiety and ADHD both commonly start in childhood or the teenage years....[ read more ]

What Is Emetophobia and How Does It Develop? Emetophobia is classified as a specific phobia of vomiting and involves significant fear/anxiety related to vomiting-related cues, such as feeling nauseous, seeing or hearing others vomit, and the experience of vomiting. The fear associated with emetophobia is persistent and must last for at least six months in order to be diagnosed as...[ read more ]

Even though it seems rare, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is pretty common in both adults and children. Like many other mental health concerns, it can sometimes feel taboo to talk about, making it seem as if not many people suffer from it. It might be surprising to hear that children can also develop OCD. In children, OCD symptoms can sometimes...[ read more ]

Anxiety is not often something we associate with childhood. Childhood is often seen as a magical time by adults who are either raising children or who are family members. In many ways, it is a magical time. The more time passes, the harder it gets for adults to remember how challenging childhood can be. It's especially hard to connect the...[ read more ]

Overview of the Program The SPACE Program (Leibowitz and Omer) was created to address an essential area in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders among children and adolescents.  At the OCD & Anxiety Center we incorporate SPACE into most of our work with children, teens and young adults, and especially when kids, teens, and young adults are resistant...[ read more ]

Frequently Asked Questions About Childhood Anxiety Disorders and Treatment Diagnosing Anxiety Disorders Q: What are anxiety disorders? A: Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions characterized by worries and fears that are persistent and excessive. The worries are out of proportion to the stressor and/or may be inappropriate for the person’s developmental level. The majority of anxiety disorders require a duration...[ read more ]

School anxiety and school refusal are experienced by around 28% of children and can negatively impact both academic and social functioning. As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the incidence rates of school refusal have increased within the last few years and prevalence rates of school-related anxieties surged once students were able to resume in-person learning. Our school and mental...[ read more ]