8-week virtual group for parents of children with big worries, anxiety, and OCD in grades JK-12
Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, starting on October 15!
SPACE stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions and is a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, and related problems. Developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at Yale University, SPACE has been rigorously tested and found to be highly effective in randomized control clinical trials. Researchers have found that supporting caregivers of anxious children using SPACE is just as effective as one-on-one treatment of the children themselves.
What is SPACE treatment?
Who is SPACE for?
SPACE aims to treat children and adolescents with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (whether diagnosed or not) by working directly with their parents. Although children do not attend SPACE sessions, they are crucial part of the treatment participants as well! When SPACE treatment is successful, children feel less anxious and function better following treatment.
Some of the main anxiety problems treated with SPACE include:
- Separation anxiety
- Social anxiety
- Generalized anxiety
- Fears and phobias
- Panic disorder and agoraphobia
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- School Refusal
SPACE may not be the best fit for children and youth dealing with ongoing suicidal ideation or significant attachment issues. These situations require more intensive and consistent treatment, where a mental health professional can follow the family more closely on a one-to-one basis.
What happens in SPACE group?
Parents or other caregivers who participate in SPACE learn skills and tools to help their children overcome anxiety, OCD, or related problems. The treatment focuses on the changes that parents can make to their own behavior; they do not need to make their child change (and they don’t need to battle with their child anymore!).
The two main changes that parents learn to make in SPACE treatment are:
- To respond more supportively to their anxious child; and
- To reduce the accommodations they have been making for their child’s anxiety or OCD symptoms.
Fall-Winter 2024 Group
Registration Open Now! Limited Space for up to 8 Families.
Session Details:
Virtual sessions will be held every Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, starting October 15, for 8 consecutive weeks. The sessions will be conducted on a secure platform compliant with PHIPA.
Fee:
$120 per family or parent pair, regardless of whether one or two parents attend. Most group benefits include coverage for group therapy and psychoeducational programs like SPACE.
Additional Support:
You’ll also have the option to meet with our SPACE therapist, Veronica Valladares, MSW, RSW, in person for additional family support throughout the group duration (separate from the group sessions).
How to Register:
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to reserve their spot by filling out the online registration form. Click the button below to get started!
Meet Your SPACE Therapist
Veronica Valladares, MSW, RSW
Veronica Valladares, MSW, RSW (she/her), is an experienced child and family therapist who brings a wealth of knowledge and compassion to her practice. Trained in person by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at Yale University in New Haven, CT, Veronica specializes in facilitating SPACE groups and enjoys working closely with parents to support their children's mental health and family dynamics.
