323: Recognizing OCD and Anxiety Patterns in Childhood - with Natasha Daniels, Anxiety and OCD Therapist

Natasha Daniels has been an anxiety & OCD therapist for over two decades. She combines both her clinical expertise with her lived experience, raising her own three kids with anxiety and OCD. She is the creator of the website, Child OCD Therapist. She gives in-depth support to parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD through her books, courses in the AT Parenting Survival Online School and in her online membership AT Parenting Community. Her latest books include Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids and her memoir, Out of My Shell: Overcoming Social Anxiety from Childhood to Adulthood.

In this episode, we talk about how OCD and anxiety may present in children, including behaviors that can sometimes be misunderstood as personality traits or "difficult" behavior. We explore the emotional experience of parenting a child who is struggling, including feelings of responsibility, guilt, comparison, and uncertainty.

We discuss how parents can support their child’s wellbeing while being mindful of not unintentionally reinforcing OCD patterns, as well as the importance of parents receiving support themselves.

We also acknowledge grief that can arise for adults who are diagnosed later in life and begin to recognize OCD patterns that may have been present in childhood.

This episode aims to increase awareness, while providing compassion and reducing shame for parents and children navigating OCD and/or anxiety.

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WEBSITE: www.atparentingcommunity.com
BOOKS

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