Question:
My child was recently diagnosed with OCD. I am trying to support her and love her very much but am struggling to understanding why everything is so difficult for her. It is emotionally exhausting to see how anxious she gets about small things such as her routine changing, her stuff not in order, etc. I am at the point where it is easier for me to just do what she asks of me instead of battling with her. What can I do to help her?
Light On Anxiety Answer:
Parenting a child struggling with OCD can be challenging, to put it mildly. Parents are biologically hard wired to make their children’s lives as rewarding as possible. But when it comes to OCD, and it’s endless desire to be comfortable, certain and in control, effective parenting entails challenging your child to take that next step forward, into temporary discomfort in the service of long term life satisfaction. It is critical to be actively involved in your child’s CBT/ERP treatment, so you can serve as an OCD coach in your child’s life. It is all too natural to find yourself accommodating your child’s OCD in order to limit tantrums and out of control behavior. An effective OCD therapist should be able to assist you in identifying ways you are accommodating OCD and to create a treatment plan, with your child’s input, which outlines the process you will follow to slowly but surely eliminate all of these accommodations.
If you have a similar questions or concern, please schedule a call with Light On Anxiety to explore effective treatment for your anxiety or related conditions.