If your child struggles with anxiety, OCD, panic, or related fears, there’s a good chance you’ve already tried everything: calm-down jars and sensory tools, deep breathing, grounding exercises, ice packs, mantras, and endless talks at the end of the day.

Many of these strategies can be helpful for mild anxiety. But for moderate to severe anxiety, parents often find that the relief is short-lived, and the fear quickly comes roaring back. That’s because these tools don’t address the deeper cycle that keeps anxiety going.

That’s where SPACE treatment comes in.

What is SPACE?

SPACE stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. It is an evidence-based approach was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at Yale University and is a structured treatment for childhood anxiety and OCD.

Unlike traditional therapy models, SPACE works primarily with parents, not the child.

Your child does not need to attend sessions.
Your child does not need to be motivated for treatment.
Your child is not asked to change their behavior at all.

Instead, SPACE focuses on changing how parents respond to anxiety.

And that change alone can lead to meaningful, lasting improvement in your child’s symptoms.

Why a parent-based approach?

Anxiety in children does not exist in isolation—it exists in relationship.

When kids are anxious, they naturally turn to their parents for safety and certainty:

“Are you sure this food won’t make me sick?”

“Can you check the lock again?”

“Stay with me until I fall asleep.”

“Text me back right now—I’m panicking at school.”

Parents, acting out of deep love and concern, often respond by:

Providing reassurance

Modifying routines

Avoiding triggers

Staying close

Stepping in to fix the problem for your child immediately

Over time, these accommodations—though completely understandable—can unintentionally teach anxiety that it needsparental involvement to survive.

Before you know it:

Bedtime stretches longer and longer

Kids are back in parents’ beds

Mornings are filled with meltdowns and avoidance

School days include panicked texts or calls

Parents feel tense, exhausted, and like they’re walking on eggshells

SPACE targets this cycle directly through intensive, focused parent work.

What SPACE is (and what it’s not)

SPACE is not about forcing your child to face fears when they don’t feel ready.
SPACE is not about telling your child to “just calm down.”
SPACE is not about taking comfort away.

Instead, SPACE helps parents:

Reduce accommodations gradually and thoughtfully

Maintain warmth, empathy, and connection

Communicate a clear message of confidence

“I know this is hard—and I believe you can handle it.”

That belief, consistently communicated through your actions, becomes the most powerful intervention.

What treatment looks like

SPACE is a short-term, structured treatment designed to be efficient and impactful.

In sessions, parents learn:

How anxiety functions in families

How accommodations maintain anxiety

How to respond supportively without reinforcing fear

How to create a personalized, step-by-step plan to reduce accommodations

How to deliver clear, compassionate messages of confidence

Each session is practical and focused, with:

Concrete tools and scripts

Clear strategies

Homework that helps you practice changes in real life

What changes parents often see

As accommodations decrease and confidence increases, many families notice:

Children sleeping back in their own beds

Shorter, calmer bedtime routines

Less avoidance and fewer rituals

Smoother mornings and evenings

Fewer panicked texts or calls from school

Parents feeling calmer

Children feeling more confident

Most importantly, children begin to reclaim independence—not because they were pushed too hard against their, but because the environment around them changed until they started to learn that they could handle more than they ever thought!

How SPACE is different from coping-skills-only approaches

Coping skills still have a place. We can absolutely use them when they make sense.

But SPACE does not center on what your child should do.

It centers on how you, as the parent, can:

Talk back to anxiety, OCD, and panic on your child’s behalf

Model calm confidence instead of urgency

Step out of the role of “personal safety blanket”

Show through your actions that you trust your child’s ability to handle hard things

When parents feel empowered and confident, that confidence is passed directly to the child.

Is SPACE right for your family?

SPACE may be a good fit if:

Your child has moderate to severe anxiety or OCD

Reassurance and accommodations have slowly taken over family life

Your child resists or refuses therapy

You feel stuck, exhausted, or unsure how to help anymore

You want a clear, evidence-based plan that doesn’t rely on your child’s participation

You don’t have to keep managing your child’s anxiety alone.

SPACE offers a new path—one that starts with you.