Yshai Boussi, LPC is a licensed professional counselor who works with teens and families. Polyvagal theory developed by Steven Porges is a perspective that many clinicians have found very useful. Yshai Boussi has presented this theory in very practical terms that can help parents become more attuned to their teenager and remain more connected to them. To learn more about Yshai Boussi and view his blog https://portlandfamilycounseling.com/about-us/yshai-boussi-lpc/

Lenore Skenazy is the author of Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow and is President of Let Grow, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting play and independence in children and adolesecence. Ms Skenazy created quite a sensation after her article "Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone" and got labeled "America's Worst Mom". This lead her to start Let Grow which is an invaluable resource for helping schools and parents promote healthy growth...

Linda K. Murphy is a speech language pathologist who has written two books, Declarative Language Handbook and Co-Regulation Handbook. I found her books wonderful in clarifying how language can either turn the volume up or down on anxiety. Imperative language, those questions or comments that demand a response can create stress or anxiety. In contrast, declarative or descriptive language can help your child achieve a more regulated and open state. In this conversation, we talk about the power...

Regine Galanti, PhD has just published Parenting Anxious Kids: Understanding Anxiety in Children by Age and Stage. She is the author of several other books aimed at helping children with anxiety such as Anxiety Relief for Teens.  She is the founder of Long Island Behavioral Psychology and can be found at https://www.longislandbehavioral.com/team In this interview we have a chance to explore her new book which contains invaluable advice for parents of anxious children at each stage of their...

Dr Jame Gregory is a clinical psychologist and researcher based at the University of Oxford. She has written with Adeel Ahmod a very helpful book on Misophonia that clinicians, those with misophonia and significant others will truly benefit by. She helps clarify why misophonia often gets attached to a significant person and details a program of therapy that can lessen the severity of this condition. It is really a must read for anyone concerned with this condition, but first listen to the...

It was a pleasure to have Natasha Daniels as a return guest on this podcast to talk about her new book Crushing OCD: Workbook Kids.  This book is going to be an excellent resource for families and therapists trying to help children with OCD. One of strengths of this book is that it lays out in very digestible units the sequence of steps needed in order to "crush OCD". It is also no small feat the language in this book is very child friendly but always respectful.  ...

Stephen P. H. Whiteside, PhD is a clinical psychologist, Professor of Psychology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and Director of the Pediatric Anxiety Disorders Prgram at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  His new book will be out in April in which he  outlines parent-coached exposure therapy. Unlike other therapy experiences, where children meet alone with a therapist, Dr Whiteside focuses on teaching parents how to help children work on their anxiety or OCD at home. In...

I had the opportunity to talk with Aimee Kotrba, PhD on the occasion of the release of the second edition of Selective Mutism: An Assessment and Intervention Guide for Therapists, Educators and Parents co-authored with Katelyn Reed, M.S. She is an international expert on the topic of selective mutism and I have used her material frequently with children struggling with selective mutism. Listen to this informative and fun talk with Aimee Kotrba, PhD. Dr Aimee Kotrba,  is the owner of Thriving...

Emily Edlynn, PhD is a clinical psychologist who has just published Autonomy-Supportive Parenting: Reduce Parental Burnout & Raise Competent, Confident Children. As Emily Edlynn explains "This book gives parents a roadmap to move away from hovering and over-helping (burning us out and undermining our kids competence and confidence) to raising self-sufficent children ready for the world. We can all shift from "full service" to "self-service" in our homes by focusing on three fundamental...

      In this episode, I talk with Suzanne Mouton-Odum, PhD and Ruth Goldfinger Golomb about their recent book with Charles S Mansueto.  These authors have done some of most important work in developing effective treatment for BFRBs. We discuss   the key elements  ComB model for the treatment of hair pulling and skin picking. Since sensory issues are often very important in the treatment of BFRB, we also talk about Suzanne Mouton-Odum and Ruth Golomb other books on sensory...

The brain changes that happen as a result of pregnancy is a fascinating topic. Dr Pawluski is one of the leading authorities on this topic. We talk about her book Mommy Brain in which she discusses how the brain changes as a result of pregnancy and how the transition to parenthood does not get the recognition that it deserves. She also sets the record straight about what actually happens to a mother's memory during pregnancy. Most importantly she highlights the amazing ways the brain adapts...

https://www.drdonnahenderson.com/   In this interview I talk with Donna Henderson about autism and anxiety. Dr Henderson and Sarah Wayland with Jamell White have written two books about autism: Is This Autism: A Guide for Clinicans and Everyone Else and Is This Autism: A Companion Guide for Diagnosing.  Dr Henderson talks about how understanding some of the nonobvious ways in which autism can present itself and the unique features of anxiety in this population. 

Camilo Ortiz is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the director of clinical training at Long Island University-Post as well as maintaining a private practice. Dr Ortiz is developing a novel approach to treating childhood anxiety by providing children with opportunties to practice being independent. Everyday acts of doing things independent of adults essentially exercise the same psychological muscles that a child need to deal with anxiety. His approach has the potential to be a...

Chelsea Conaboy is a  journalist specializing in personal and public health. Her recent book, Mother Brain, is now available in paperback. Her book is a thoughtful and well researched discussion of the emerging neuroscience about the brain changes that occur as a result of becoming a parent. In addition, she offers an incise critique about the concept of "Maternal Instinct" and how it is fundamentally flawed and...

https://cc.au.dk/en/recreational-fear-lab The question of why we would be drawn to movies and other material such as haunted houses is what Mathias Clasen and Marc Andersen investigate at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University. The negative effects of children watching movies that are inappropriate for their age has received substantial attention. However, Clasen and Andersen note how all ages are drawn in different ways to scary material, and in their work they demonstrate some of...

We are born with a set of primitive reflexes that are necessary for our survival but over the course of the first year should be gradually inhibited or integrated with higher cortical functions over time. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons primitive reflexes do not always get integrated as higher cotrical functions get online. Sonia Story is a leading expert on the role of primitive reflexes in contributing to a variety of mental health issues. It is an exciting area that provides a new...

In this interview we talk about needle phobia and pediatric pain with Dr Jody Thomas who is the Founder and Director of the Meg Foundation. The Meg Foundation is one of the primary resources to help children deal with needle phobia and pediatric pain. It is so important for parents and childen to know that something can be done to make the experience  vaccinations and blood draws less scary and painful. Dr Thomas and the Meg Foundation are the go to resource for helping parents and children...

  Bethany Saltman has written a compelling book about the science of attachment. It is a memoir of her journey into the science of attachment, a summary of what is known about attachment and the process of how this important theory was established. In this interview we talk about some of the basic features of attachment. The relationship an infant forms with their caregiver puts down a psychological foundation that biases development in certain directions. For the purpose of this podcast, we...

Dr Zucker is a licensed psychologist in Washington D.C. She has published several books on the treatment of anxiety disorders. In this interview , I talk with her about her two most recent books: A Perfectionist's Guide to Not Being Perfect and How to Manage Your Social Power in Middle School. The two books deal with separate but related challenges of the middle school years. The middle school years can pour jet fuel on any tendencies towards perfectionism. And it has been said of middle...

  Anxious Nation is a provocatively intelligent look into the global crisis of anxiety and mental health as it affects Americans, especially it crippling impact on children and adolescents. In this podcast I talk with Laura Morton about her new film which opens on May 3 with livestream event. For more information go to anxiousnation.com  

If you have a child with OCD, Natasha Daniels is a resource you want to know about. She has a variety of online course such as "How to Teach Your Kids to Crush OCD" and "Crushing OCD Classs for Kids & Teens" and actually much more.  She can be found at natashadaniels.com

Judith Warner is author of AND THEN THEY STOPPED TALKING TO ME: Making Sense of Middle School which is the topic of this podcast. It is a time period most of us remember all too well and a time when many anxiety disorders become quite evident. She has also written New York Times best sellers: Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety and We've Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication. She has been a frequent contributor to The New York Times and is a senior fellow at...

To talk about reading on a podcast concerning anxious children may seem a little far a field. However, reading is an essential skill in which if you struggle with it, school  becomes a very stressful and anxiety provoking environment. Reading also helps in many different ways in dealing with anxiety. Unfortunately, we are in bit of a reading crisis, where recent surveys have shown the 2/3 of 4th graders are not proficient readings. Claire N. Rubman, PhD is a psychologist who specializes in...

David Carbonell, PhD is a clinical psychologist who has specialized in the treatment of anxiety disorder since 1985. He is the author of several books on anxiety: Panic Attacks Workbook, The Worry Trick, Fear of Flying Workbook, Outsmarting Your Anxious Brain The Intrusive Thoughts Toolkit (coauthored)and he has a very helpful website anxietycoach.com In this interview we talk about some of the basic in the treatment of anxiety disorders and how he has found it helpful to conceptualize...