SPACE

Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions

SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a parent- focused treatment program for children and adolescents dealing with anxiety, OCD, and other related issues. It was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center and has been tested and proven effective in various clinical trials.

Key Features of SPACE treatment:

  • Parent-Focused Approach: Unlike traditional treatments where the child is the main focus, SPACE centers on training and empowering parents to alter their behavior in ways that help manage and reduce their child's anxiety.

  • Structured Format: Treatment is short term. Parents learn to understand their child’s anxiety and how they can provide the right type of support. Therapy often involves role-playing, problem-solving, and developing personalized strategies tailored to each family's needs.

  • Reducing Parental Accommodations: A key component of the SPACE treatment is reducing parental accommodations. By stopping these accommodations, parents help their child confront anxiety in a healthier way.

  • Supportive Parenting Strategies: SPACE teaches parents to adopt supportive behaviors like:

    • Setting clear, firm limits.

    • Encouraging the child to face feared situations with gradual exposure.

    • Providing praise for efforts to manage anxiety, rather than for avoiding situations.

  • Proven Effectiveness: Extensive clinical research has shown that SPACE Treatment is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and OCD in children and adolescents.

SPACE is a powerful, evidence-based intervention designed to reduce childhood anxiety and OCD symptoms by empowering parents. Parents learn to modify their own behaviors and provide appropriate support so their child can face and manage anxiety more effectively.