SPACE

I am trained in SPACE, which stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. “SPACE” is a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, and other related problems. SPACE can be done alongside individual CBT with the child or as a standalone treatment.

Even though parents/caregivers are the main participants in the SPACE program, the focus of treatment is the child’s anxiety disorder and related symptoms, like temper tantrums or extreme avoidance. The goal of SPACE is to improve the child’s ability to cope with anxiety and related emotional experiences and to reduce the control anxiety has over the entire family. SPACE does this by teaching parents ways to change their own behavior so that they support their child’s ability to cope with anxiety situations while reducing ways they “accommodate” for their child’s anxiety, like participating in an anxiety-driven checking routine or facilitating avoidance of social situations.

SPACE was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz, Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center, and has a growing body of research to support its efficacy for treating anxiety and related disorders in children and adolescents. To learn more about SPACE, watch the video of Dr. Lebowitz discussing the treatment program, or visit spacetreatment.net.