SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, and/or related symptoms or challenges. Although SPACE treats anxiety in youth, the protocol is designed solely for parents or caregivers, meaning that children do not need to participate in sessions.
Parents who participate in this treatment learn strategies they can use to make changes to their own behaviors, and by doing so, help their child overcome anxiety. Treatment focuses on increasing caregiver support for their child while simultaneously helping caregivers reduce accommodations (i.e., things they do or don’t do to minimize their child’s distress in the moment, often leading to prolonged anxiety over time) made in response to the child’s anxiety.
SPACE treatment occurs over a minimum of eight sessions. It can be delivered to parents individually or in a group format. By completion of treatment, caregivers feel more confident in responding to their child’s anxiety effectively, children feel less anxious and can function more independently, and the whole family system is able to operate without disruptions from anxiety.