About Anxiety & OCD
Exposure and Response Prevention
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If you or your child have experienced anxiety or OCD, you understand how challenging and overwhelming it can be for you and for others in your life. Anxiety and OCD become even more difficult when the instinctive response, to avoid feared situations or thoughts, only serves to worsen the symptoms over time. This cycle can lead to feeling constantly overwhelmed, trying to control every possible outcome, and ultimately to feelings of hopelessness as these efforts don’t bring the relief you seek.
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If this sounds familiar, please know that you are not alone. In the United States, 40 million adults are currently struggling with anxiety disorders, and 31.9% of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 are affected by them. OCD impacts 2.5 million adults, representing 1.2% of the U.S. population (link to source). While effective treatments for anxiety are well-established, only 43.2% of those suffering receive the help they need.
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It is crucial to receive the right kind of care. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is the gold standard for treating OCD. Research shows that ERP helps approximately 80% of patients experience significant improvement. Working with a therapist trained in ERP can help you or your child build the skills needed to manage anxiety and OCD symptoms for the long term.
SPACE Treatment
SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a specialized, parent-based treatment program developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center. It focuses on helping children and adolescents manage anxiety and OCD by empowering parents to create supportive, structured changes in their responses to their child's behaviors. Importantly, the treatment works entirely through the parents, meaning children do not need to attend sessions directly.
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The core components of SPACE involve:
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Increased Parental Support: Teaching parents how to validate their child's feelings and provide encouragement without reinforcing anxious behaviors.
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Reduction of Accommodations: Helping parents recognize and reduce behaviors that inadvertently maintain or worsen their child's anxiety or OCD symptoms.
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SPACE has been shown to be effective through clinical trials and offers a collaborative path to improving a child's functioning and reducing family stress.
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For further information and resources about SPACE, you can visit the official website: spacetreatment.net​.
