What Is SPACE Therapy for Child Anxiety?

If your child struggles with anxiety, OCD, or school refusal, you may have heard about SPACE therapy—but what exactly is it?

SPACE stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. It is an evidence-based treatment developed at Yale University to help families manage childhood anxiety. Unlike traditional therapy, SPACE Therapy for child anxiety focuses on parents as change agents instead of the child.

How SPACE Therapy for Child Anxiety Works

• Parents meet with an expert psychologist to learn SPACE Therapy strategies for understanding and managing child anxiety.

• Sessions focus on helping parents understand how anxiety works and identifying “accommodations”—ways parents may be adjusting routines to ease their child’s anxiety (such as letting them sleep in your bed or avoid social events).

• Parents learn a therapeutic method for engaging in step-by-step change to reduce accommodations gradually while still showing warmth, confidence in their abilities, and support.
  

Why Families Choose SPACE Therapy

• Children don’t need to attend sessions, which can be helpful when children are resistant to therapy or cannot attend for another reason (e.g., scheduling difficulties, parents disagree about child participating in therapy in cases of divorce). SPACE Therapy for child anxiety is designed for parents. The skills parents learn will directly help their child.

• Parents gain tools to help their child long after therapy ends.

• Research shows SPACE Therapy for child anxiety is as effective as traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for child anxiety.
  

If your family has been struggling with anxiety, SPACE Therapy for child anxiety in Naples, FL may be a strong option. At Naples Behavioral Pediatric Therapy, Dr. Sonya Bhatia is proud to offer this treatment to help families reduce stress and build resilience.

Learn more about our SPACE Therapy in Naples, Florida and how it can help your family. Naples Behavioral Pediatric Therapy also offers SPACE Therapy online via telehealth in PSYPACT States. Call Naples Behavioral Pediatric Therapy at 239-922-1440 or visit www.napleschildpsychology.com to learn more and schedule.