SPACE Treatment for Childhood Anxiety
Parent-Based Anxiety Treatment in Saskatchewan & Ontario
You've tried reassuring your child, preparing them for difficult situations, and finding ways to make things easier. But somehow, their anxiety seems to be taking up more and more space in your family's life.
Maybe mornings revolve around whether your child will make it to school. Maybe they can't fall asleep without you nearby, need constant reassurance, or avoid situations that other children seem to manage with ease. You want to help them feel safe, but you're beginning to wonder whether the things you're doing to help are actually keeping the anxiety going.
SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is an evidence-based, parent-based treatment that helps you change how you respond to your child's anxiety. Rather than requiring your child to attend therapy, we work together to help you provide support while gradually reducing the accommodations that can unintentionally reinforce anxious patterns.
I'm Rhonda Nielsen, MSW, RSW, a Registered Social Worker with nearly 20 years of experience supporting children and families. I offer SPACE treatment through virtual parent sessions across Saskatchewan and Ontario.
When Your Child's Anxiety Starts Running Family Life
It often starts with small adjustments. You stay a little longer at bedtime because your child is scared to be alone. You answer the same worried question several times because reassurance seems to help. You change plans, avoid certain situations, or rearrange your morning because getting your child to school has become a daily struggle.
These decisions come from love. When your child is distressed, your instinct is to make things easier. And sometimes, those adjustments really are necessary. But over time, you may notice that your child needs more reassurance, more help avoiding uncomfortable situations, or more involvement from you to manage things they once handled independently.
In SPACE treatment, we call some of these patterns family accommodation. This happens when parents change their own behaviour to reduce their child's anxiety. Although accommodations can bring immediate relief, certain patterns can also unintentionally maintain anxiety over time.
The goal isn't to stop comforting your child or force them into situations they're not ready to handle. It's to help you respond in ways that communicate two important messages:
I understand that this is hard for you, and I believe you can handle difficult feelings.