TELL ME IT WILL BE OK
Episodes
How do I get my anxious child to sleep alone?
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we talk about child anxiety and how it can make it hard for some anxious kids to fall asleep (and stay asleep) on their own. I also mention ...
Why doesn't encouragement help my anxious child?
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It may seem counterintuitive but encouragment doesn't always help an anxious child. Learn the two reasons why this is so on this week's episode of The...
How do I motivate my anxious child to deal with their anxiety?
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we discuss why we need to shift our focus from motivating our anxious child and where we need to shift it to make a real difference in our p...
How do I co-parent my anxious child with someone who causes more problems with the anxiety?
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is a topic I get asked about a lot and was finally inspired to record it after receiving a long submission from a listener that included this: ...
If anxiety treatment should include parents, what about treatment for ADHD or autism?
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This question came up after I did a reel on instagram and TikTok where I was talking about the research behind child anxiety treatment and someone ask...
How do I teach my anxious child coping skills?
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We talk about coping skills -- what does that mean? what are those skills? how do we teach them to our kids? -- and explore what research has to say a...
How do I support the siblings of my anxious child?
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anxious kids can take up a lot of the family's bandwidth. We talk about how to support siblings while also supporting our anxious child and discuss th...
What can I do about my anxious child's temper?
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whew -- a tough question that comes up a lot. I'm not sure you're going to like the answer but I hope it helps you understand why anxiety treatment is...
How do I stop getting angry with my anxious child?
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to The Child Anxiety FAQ here in the new year! This is such a terrific question to start out and I am so proud of the person who asked be...
Update Episode
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the last podcast of 2022 and I share what I'll be focusing on for our relaunch in 2023. You can also learn a little bit more about what inspir...
Why isn't therapy working for my anxious child?
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are lots of reasons why your anxious child's anxiety might not be improving with therapy. We talk about them on this week's episode. While I mak...
What if my child's anxiety is rooted in real fear?
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's a difference between appropriate anxiety -- when there is real danger -- and dysfunctional anxiety -- when anxiety is not serving its purpose....
Why do kids love to play about things that scare them?
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I love talking about children's play and this episode gives me the opportunity to do that. Play is a great way for kids -- especially anxious kids -- ...
Is it better to make my anxious child sleep on their own?
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we talked about whether or not co-sleeping causes separation anxiety and concluded that no, it's more complicated than that and this week's ...
Does co-sleeping make separation anxiety worse?
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of those parenting decisions that I don’t think you can take out of context of the family functioning and say it is GOOD or BAD. It’s ...
What causes child anxiety and how do you fix it?
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I chose this big broad question on purpose so I could give you a big broad answer. I mention two other practitioners in this episode and here are the ...
Why does my child's anxiety make my anxiety worse?
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we talk about the three reasons we get anxious around our anxious child: first because it's catching, second because we share their worry...
What should we do about our anxious child's negative self talk?
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's common for anxious children to say mean things about themselves like, "I'm stupid. I'm a failure. I can't do anything right." Today we talk about...
Why do parents get blamed for their child's anxiety?
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast and website represents the opinions of me, Dawn Friedman MSEd. The content here should not be taken as clinical advice. The content here ...
Am I being protective or over protective?
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's a simple question but not a simple answer. This week we talk about how to check in and see if we're being appropriately protective or being over ...
Is my child really anxious or are they being manipulative?
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I explain why I think the word "manipulative" isn't helpful when we're talking about child anxiety and why anxious kids might display behaviors that a...
Is it ok if I miss school because of anxiety?
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's question comes from an anonymous submission at my podcast page, which you can find here. The short answer is that no missing school due to...
Is failure to launch caused by anxiety?
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we talk about "failure to launch" specifically in the context of anxiety. I also mention the SPACE (supportive parenting for anxious childhood e...
How do you distinguish between ADHD and anxiety in children?
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety and ADD/ADHD share some symptoms and to make things even more complicated, at least one third of all children and teens who are diagnosed with...
What are some causes of separation anxiety disorder?
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're talking about the ways that anxiety can begin or be perpetuated in the context of social anxiety (but also debunking the idea that there n...
What's the most important thing parents of anxious kids need to know?
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today I introduced my Bill of Rights for Anxious Kids, which was inspired by Ross Greene's Bill of Rights for Behaviorally Challenged Kids. You can do...
How do I make a decision about anxiety medication for my child?
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A very brief overview of what to consider when you're making a decision about whether or not to seek medication support for your anxious child or teen...
How do I help a child with separation anxiety go to sleep?
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We talk about the importance of planning when we're working on sleep in the context of child anxiety especially because it's likely to get worse befor...
Is social anxiety disorder caused by trauma and bullying?
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In order to answer this question we talk about social anxiety -- what it is, what it looks like -- as well as why it might show up. I also share some ...
How can I be more patient with my anxious child?
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We consider two ways parents can get impatient with an anxious child -- in the moment and in the big picture relationship. Also here is a direct...
Why doesn't validating my anxious child work? Part 2
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I wanted to talk more about validation and anxiety and specifically how to validate and why to validate in that particular way. Thanks to my son, Noah...
Why doesn't validating my anxious child work?
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The episode answers a listener submitted question which was much longer: “I’ve been following your instagram and listening to your podcast f...
Why is it that most gifted children tend to have an anxiety disorder?
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We examine our assumptions about giftedness and anxiety, look at the research, and discuss the ways that anxiety and giftedness may overlap. I r...
What do parents get wrong about child anxiety counseling?
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we talk about what parents need to understand when they bring their child to counseling to address anxiety. This podcast and website represe...
Does reassuring my anxious child help?
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Anxious children and teens often demand repeated reassurances from their parents. In this episode we talk about whether or not giving them that reassu...
What can you do with a 4-year old who might have anxiety?
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I take the opportunity to use this very specific question to speak more generally about temperament and how we can mistake a child with a high withdra...
How can I find a therapist to help my anxious child?
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's hard to find a therapist who works with children and teens. Here are some tips to help make your search a little easier. This podcast and website...
How is OCD different from generalized anxiety?
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode offers a rundown of what OCD actually is (hint: it's not being super neat and clean), how it shows up in kids, what parents can do about ...
You Are Not Your Mother Episode 7
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk about the concept of Rest and the idea of doing Generative Work with Erin Upchurch MSSA LISW-S (she/her). Erin wears many many...
You Are Not Your Mother Episode 6
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Harriet and I talk about her book, Shadow Daughter: A Memoir of Estrangement and discuss our own experiences of estrangement from our moms. We share t...
You Are Not Your Mother: Update
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In which I explain my absence, some big changes, some things that won't change and what's next.Mentioned in this episode:Sign up for Resiliency Sprint...
You Are Not Your Mother Episode 5
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Risser, a counselor specializing in perinatal mental health and a coach who works with moms who are therapists at JoyfulHappyMom.com, sits do...
You Are Not Your Mother Episode 4
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I had a great time talking to Deidre A. Prewitt MS LPCC of ReconnectingColumbus.com about the ways that our relationship with our parents helps shape...
You Are Not Your Mother Episode 3
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This year has been traumatic for ourselves and our kids but there are things we can do to help our children grow through it. I sit down to talk with D...
You Are Not Your Mother Episode 2
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I sit down with Macall Gordon MA, a sleep coach at LittleLivewires.com, who specializes in supporting parents with temperamentally intense kids. We ta...
You Are Not Your Mother Episode 1
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I talk to Eve Hermann a licensed massage therapist and somatic experience practitioner about the concept of Presence. Eve and I discuss what presence ...