Podcasts · Kids & Family · Health & Fitness

AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety

Natasha Daniels: Child Therapist, Child Anxiety and Child OCD Expert

300 episodes

If you’re raising a child or teen with OCD or anxiety, you’re in the right place.

More about the show

Parenting a child with OCD can feel confusing, exhausting, and isolating, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. Each week, therapist Natasha Daniels shares practical, evidence-based strategies to help you understand how OCD and anxiety really work, respond in ways that support recovery, and feel more confident as a parent.

Whether your child struggles with contamination OCD, intrusive thoughts, reassurance seeking, perfectionism, moral OCD, social anxiety, panic, school refusal, or other anxiety-related challenges, you’ll learn realistic tools you can use at home right away.

Drawing from more than 20 years of clinical experience and her own journey parenting children with OCD and anxiety, Natasha breaks down complex topics into clear, compassionate guidance that parents can actually apply. Episodes cover OCD treatment, ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), reducing family accommodation, managing meltdowns, supporting therapy, and navigating everyday challenges with confidence.

Whether you’re newly discovering that your child’s anxiety may actually be OCD, searching for better ways to help, or simply looking for reassurance that you’re not alone, this podcast is here to support you every step of the way.

Welcome to AT Parenting Survival: Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety.

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Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Moral OCD: What to Do When Your Child Keeps Confessing

    · 51 min

    When a child with moral OCD keeps confessing, even small or uncertain things can start to feel like evidence that they’ve done something wrong. They may feel driven to tell a parent every detail, ask whether they’re a…

  2. What Most Parents Get Wrong About OCD

    · 42 min

    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…

  3. Six Parenting Struggles No One Talks About When Your Child Has OCD

    · 51 min

    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…

  4. Why Doing the Right Thing for Your Child’s OCD Can Feel So Wrong

    · 42 min

    Sometimes doing the right thing for your child’s OCD can feel completely wrong. When you start pulling back accommodations, your child may actually become more distressed, irritable, or angry. That can leave you…

  5. Why is My Child’s OCD So Much Worse at Home?!

    · 34 min

    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…

  6. Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Needs with Laura Petix

    · 51 min

    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…

  7. How Parents Can Cope While Raising a Child With Anxiety or OCD with Janine Halloran

    · 52 min

    When you’re raising a child with anxiety or OCD, so much of your energy can go toward helping them cope that it’s easy to forget that you need coping skills too. In this episode, I’m joined by Janine Halloran, author…

  8. The Three Skills I Wish Everyone With OCD Knew

    · 44 min

    If I could sit down with every person who has OCD and teach them just three skills, these are the ones I would choose. In this episode, I’m sharing the three skills I come back to again and again when helping people…

  9. How Much Should Parents Be Involved in OCD Treatment?

    · 43 min

    When your child has OCD, treatment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. OCD comes home with them. It impacts routines, relationships, school, behavior, and often the way the entire family functions. So why are parents…

  10. When Your Child Won’t Tell You What Their OCD Is About

    · 46 min

    One of the hardest parts of parenting a child with OCD is not knowing what’s actually going on. Your child insists they’re “fine,” avoids your questions, or simply can’t explain what they’re experiencing. It can leave…

  11. When OCD Makes Your Child’s Thoughts Feel Contaminated

    · 38 min

    Most people think contamination OCD is about germs, chemicals, or bodily fluids. But what happens when your child feels like a thought, memory, word, person, or experience has become contaminated? In this episode of…

  12. How Chronic Illness Impacts a Child’s Mental Health with Chyllia Dixon

    · 44 min

    In this episode, I talk with Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Chyllia Dixon about the emotional impact of growing up with a chronic illness and the unique mental health challenges children and families can…

  13. What Parents Get Wrong When Deciding Whether OCD Treatment Is Working

    · 42 min

    It can be hard to tell whether OCD treatment is helping, especially when compulsions haven’t noticeably decreased, distress seems higher, or new themes suddenly appear. But progress is not always measured by how quiet…

  14. What Parents Get Wrong About OCD Intrusive Thoughts

    · 47 min

    If your child has OCD, you’ve probably spent countless hours trying to make their intrusive thoughts go away. It’s an understandable instinct, but it’s also one of the biggest misconceptions about OCD. In this…

  15. The 7 Parenting Traps That Quietly Keep OCD in Charge

    · 44 min

    As parents, we naturally want to comfort, protect, and help our children. But when OCD enters the picture, some of our most loving instincts can unintentionally keep the OCD cycle going. In this episode, I walk…

  16. Growing Up with OCD: Izzy’s Story of Courage and Determination

    · 36 min

    Growing up with OCD isn’t easy, especially when it tries to convince you to give up the things you love. In this episode, I sit down with Izzy, a child in The AT Parenting Community kids support group, as she shares…

  17. Learning to Parent the Child You Have, Not the Child You Expected

    · 52 min

    Every parent begins their journey with hopes and expectations. We imagine what family life will look like, what milestones our children will reach, and the experiences we’ll share together. But when anxiety, OCD,…

  18. 8 Signs You Don’t Fully Understand Your Child’s OCD

    · 45 min

    Even the most dedicated parents can unintentionally miss what OCD is really doing. If you’ve ever wondered why your child’s OCD keeps changing, why the same strategies don’t seem to work anymore, or why treatment…

  19. When OCD Recovery Feels Worse Before It Feels Better

    · 48 min

    Starting treatment for OCD can be one of the most hopeful steps a family takes, but it can also be one of the most confusing. Many parents expect that once their child begins therapy, exposures, or a new approach at…

  20. Common OCD Themes Even Therapists Sometimes Miss

    · 55 min

    Many OCD themes are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or completely overlooked because they don’t match the stereotypes most people associate with OCD. In this episode, I dive into the OCD themes that often fly…

  21. How to Help Kids When the Fear of Throwing Up Takes Over

    · 47 min

    When the fear of throwing up begins to take over a child’s daily life, it can quietly shrink their world. School, eating, travel, social events, exercise, sleepovers, restaurants, and even ordinary conversations can…

  22. Is Your Child’s “Defiance” Actually Caused by OCD?

    · 52 min

    Defiance can be one of the most misunderstood signs of OCD in children and teens. When kids refuse to touch certain things, avoid everyday tasks, struggle with homework, take excessive time completing routines, or…

  23. Things Parents Often Miss in Kids with Contamination OCD

    · 48 min

    Contamination OCD is often much more complex than many parents realize. It is not always about germs, handwashing, or obvious fears of illness. For many kids, contamination OCD can center around chemicals, certain…

  24. When Parents Become the “OCD Police” (And What to Do Instead)

    · 49 min

    Watching our kids struggle with OCD can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and emotionally draining. When we understand OCD and begin recognizing compulsions more clearly, many of us naturally shift from accommodating…

  25. Helping Kids with Just Right OCD

    · 39 min

    “Just right” OCD can be one of the most confusing forms of OCD for parents, because it doesn’t look like fear. In this episode, we’re unpacking what it means when OCD is driven by a feeling instead of a specific fear.…

  26. Why Trying to “Reason” With Your Child’s OCD Backfires

    · 40 min

    It feels so natural to explain, reassure, and try to calm your child down when OCD is loud. After all, that’s how we solve problems in real life. But OCD doesn’t play by those rules. When we try to reason with OCD, we…

  27. The 3 Stages Parents Go Through When Learning to Handle OCD (and Where You Might Be Stuck)

    · 48 min

    Most parents think the hardest part of raising a child with anxiety or OCD is figuring out what to do. But the truth is, learning the skills is just the beginning. In this episode, I walk you through the three stages…

  28. Why Adjusting Expectations Matters When Parenting a Child with Anxiety or OCD

    · 47 min

    When you’re parenting a child with anxiety or OCD, it’s easy to get caught in a constant push to fix, improve, and move things forward. But when our expectations don’t match where our child actually is, it can quietly…

  29. What Good Communication Actually Looks Like with Anxiety and OCD

    · 54 min

    Good communication can feel like the missing piece when you’re raising a child with anxiety or OCD. You’re talking, explaining, reassuring, and trying to help, but somehow the conversations still feel stuck, tense, or…

  30. The Power of the Pause in Your Child’s Anxiety and OCD

    · 45 min

    When our child is anxious or stuck in OCD, everything can feel urgent. The questions, the reassurance seeking, the distress, the pressure to fix it right away. As parents, our instinct is often to respond quickly so we…

  31. An Important Difference Between Anxiety vs OCD Reassurance

    · 41 min

    Parents often hear the same questions from their child again and again, and it can be hard to know if answering is helping or making things worse. In this episode, I break down the important difference between anxiety…

  32. ARFID: Is It OCD, Anxiety, or an Eating Disorder?

    · 59 min

    ARFID can look like OCD, anxiety, extreme picky eating, or even a traditional eating disorder, which is why so many parents feel confused about what they are actually dealing with. In this episode, I break down the…

  33. OCD Compulsions Parents Don’t See

    · 39 min

    Most parents think they know what their child’s OCD looks like. They see the washing. The checking. The obvious behaviors. But what they’re usually seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. OCD isn’t only handwashing or…

  34. Harm OCD in Children: The Fear of Harming Yourself or Others

    · 42 min

    Harm OCD is one of the most frightening and misunderstood themes of OCD, especially when it shows up in children. Intrusive thoughts about hurting oneself or someone else can feel shocking, confusing, and deeply…

  35. How to Tell When Your Child’s OCD Is Involving You

    · 32 min

    OCD rarely stays contained inside your child’s mind. It often pulls parents directly into the cycle through reassurance questions, confessing, repeated checking, cleaning rituals, avoidance rules, or even scripting…

  36. How to Tell the Difference Between Anxiety, OCD, and “Just Kid Worries”

    · 49 min

    How do you know if your child is just worried, anxious, or dealing with OCD? Kids worry. That’s normal. But sometimes fear sticks around longer than it should and starts to take over daily life. In this episode, I…

  37. When Progress Makes OCD Panic: Why Symptoms Spike Right Before They Get Better

    · 41 min

    In this episode, we talk about one of the most confusing and discouraging moments for parents raising a child with OCD, when things seem to get worse right as you start doing the right things. Many parents interpret a…

  38. Why Rationalizing With Your Child’s OCD Makes It Worse

    · 45 min

    In this episode, I break down why logical explanations, reassurance, and “talking it through” so often backfire when your child has OCD. While rationalizing may feel supportive and calming in the moment, it actually…

  39. Interview with Mia Mason, Author of Worry’s Whispers a Graphic Novel About OCD and Anxiety

    · 36 min

    In this heartfelt and insightful episode, I sit down with Mia Mason, the creative force behind Worry’s Whispers, a beautifully illustrated collection of poems that gives voice to anxiety, fear, and the quiet corners of…

  40. How to Find the Right Help for Your Child with OCD

    · 44 min

    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…

  41. Do You Have Enough Support Helping Your Child with OCD?

    · 43 min

    Parenting a child with OCD can feel incredibly isolating. Your child is on their own journey with anxiety or OCD, but that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to navigate it alone. In this episode, I talk about one of the…

  42. What Progress Actually Looks Like for Kids with Anxiety or OCD

    · 52 min

    When you’re raising a child with anxiety or OCD, progress can feel confusing, inconsistent, or even invisible at times. In this episode, we explore how your mindset around progress directly impacts the energy,…

  43. The Hidden Cost of Parenting Your Child’s Anxiety or OCD from Fear

    · 49 min

    When your child is struggling with anxiety or OCD, fear can quietly take over your parenting. Fear of making things worse. Fear of missing something. Fear of what the future might hold. In this episode, I explore the…

  44. Are You Talking to Your Child or Your Child’s OCD?!

    · 58 min

    One of the hardest parts of raising a child with OCD is figuring out who you’re actually talking to. Is it your child… or is it their OCD pulling you into another loop? In this episode, we talk about the different…

  45. Building Trust When Your Child Has OCD

    · 36 min

    In this episode, we explore why trust is the foundation for helping a child with OCD. When trust is missing, kids shut down, hide their struggles, and resist therapeutic strategies. I share simple, practical ways to…

  46. Helping Your Child Survive the Holidays with OCD and Anxiety

    · 35 min

    The holidays can be magical — but for kids with OCD and anxiety, they can also be overwhelming. In this episode, Natasha helps parents prepare for the unique challenges that come with travel, family gatherings,…

  47. Staying Present When Your Child’s OCD Is Loud

    · 43 min

    When your child’s OCD gets loud, it’s so easy to get swept into the panic, the questions, the intensity. But the calmer and more grounded you stay, the faster they can settle. In today’s episode I’m breaking down how…

  48. When Professionals Get Your Child’s OCD Wrong

    · 46 min

    What happens when the professionals you trust to help your child’s OCD, actually make things worse? Too many parents of kids with OCD are told to “reassure them,” “avoid the triggers,” or “help them relax.” Even…

  49. Why We Miss New OCD Symptoms in Our Child

    · 51 min

    When OCD symptoms fade, it’s natural to feel relief — maybe even believe it’s finally gone. But sometimes, that relief can make us miss the signs of OCD returning in new and surprising ways. In this episode, I’ll talk…

  50. Understanding Your Role: What You Can and Can’t Do When Your Child Has OCD

    · 42 min

    As parents, we want to rescue our kids from anxiety and OCD—but the truth is, some things are not within our control. And when we spend our energy trying to fix what isn’t ours to fix, we burn out, lose connection with…

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