Episode Details

What's one supportive sentence you can say to an anxious or OCD child that helps them feel both understood and capable?

When children are caught in anxiety or OCD, parents often feel desperate to fix it, reassure them, or make the distress stop. But in this episode, psychotherapists Demetra Brege and Will Sessions explain why some of these very natural responses can accidentally keep anxiety going.

Together, they introduce a simple but powerful idea from the SPACE parenting framework (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions): the "mac and cheese" response. A two-part statement that combines validation with confidence.

We explore why anxiety works like a smoke alarm, how children look to parents to understand whether they are safe, and why parents do not cause their child's anxiety — even though their responses can make a meaningful difference over time.

Demetra and Will explain the difference between validating distress and agreeing with danger, and why children need to hear both: "I know this feels hard" and "I believe you can handle it." We also discuss the SPACE approach developed by Eli Lebowitz and his book Breaking Free of Childhood Anxiety and OCD.

This episode is full of compassionate, practical guidance for parents supporting children with anxiety, OCD, school worries, separation anxiety, and overwhelming fears.