How to Find the Right Help for Your Child with OCD
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & AnxietyShow Notes
When parents start looking for help for a child with OCD, the process can feel confusing, overwhelming, and high-stakes. Between therapy options, medication questions, and different levels of care, it’s hard to know what actually matters — and what doesn’t.
In this episode, I break down what parents really need to know when seeking treatment for OCD. We talk about why the therapist’s training matters more than their degree, and what specific approaches are most effective for OCD. I explain the importance of evidence-based modalities like CBT with ERP, ACT, and why family involvement is essential, especially for kids and teens. I also walk through the different levels of care, from outpatient therapy to intensive and residential programs, and how to know when a higher level of support may be appropriate.
For parents considering more intensive treatment, I share key questions to ask programs so you can better understand whether the environment is truly appropriate for a child with anxiety or OCD, including how much individual therapy is provided, the mix of diagnoses in the program, and the overall level of safety and stability. Finally, I touch on several well-known OCD treatment programs parents often hear about, and how to think through these options thoughtfully. This episode is designed to help parents feel more informed, more grounded, and more confident as they navigate treatment decisions, because finding the right support can make a meaningful difference in your child’s recovery. If you are new to this OCD journey, take my free OCD webinar, 5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know When Helping Their Child with OCD. *** This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting
This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.
Parents, do you need more support?
🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️
Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD: https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com
Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD): https://atparentingcommunity.com
Take one of my FREE webinars: www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars
Check out my books: www.Natashadaniels.com/books
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More from AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety
Parenting kids with OCD can be tough. Especially since much of how to navigate OCD is counterintuitive. After over two decades supporting parents raising kids, teens and young adults with OCD, I have consistently seen a pattern in what parents get wrong about OCD. In this episode I break down the six most common things parents get wrong, that delay long-term progress and keep families stuck.
Parenting a child with OCD can feel lonely in ways people don’t always understand. Even when you know what OCD is, know what you’re supposed to do, and are doing everything you can to help, there are parts of this experience that can feel overwhelming, confusing, and incredibly hard to talk about. In this episode, I’m getting into some of the parenting struggles that often happen behind closed doors when your child has OCD — the parts that don’t always make it into books, treatment plans, or conversations with other parents. If raising a child with OCD has ever left you thinking, “Surely I’m not the only parent dealing with this,” this episode will help you feel a lot less alone.
Sometimes doing the right thing for your child’s OCD can feel completely wrong.
Maybe they can go to school, visit friends, or function fairly well outside the house, but the second they get home, OCD seems to take over. That can leave parents wondering why the rules, avoidance, contamination fears, or compulsions seem so much stronger in one environment than another. In this episode, I explain some of the reasons OCD can look different at home, including why home may become a “safer” place for compulsions, how contamination chains can build up over time, and why certain family members or spaces can become incorporated into OCD’s rules. I also talk about what can happen when families start believing that changing locations will solve the problem—and why OCD often finds a way to come along for the ride. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why is their OCD so much worse here?” this episode will help you understand what may be going on beneath the surface and what to do about it.
If your child seems to have big reactions to sounds, textures, clothing, food, transitions, or everyday experiences, sensory processing may be playing a bigger role than you realize. In this episode, I’m joined by occupational therapist Laura Petix, from The OT Butterfly and author of The Sensory Code. We talk about how parents can better understand their child’s unique sensory needs, recognize what may be happening underneath challenging behavior and big emotions, and respond with more empathy and less frustration. Laura also shares practical ways we as parents can help accommodate our child’s sensory issues while empowering them to help themselves.