AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety

Many OCD themes are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or completely overlooked because they don’t match the stereotypes most people associate with OCD. In this episode, I dive into the OCD themes that often fly under the radar, including Moral OCD, Harm OCD, POCD, SOCD, ROCD, disgust based OCD, symmetry OCD, and Just Right OCD.

I talk about how these themes can present in children and teens, why they are often mistaken for anxiety, behavioral issues, personality traits, or even hidden desires, and how shame and mental compulsions can keep kids struggling silently for years.

You’ll also learn why OCD is not always driven by fear. Some themes are fueled by disgust, discomfort, uncertainty, or an overwhelming feeling that something is “off” or incomplete. I break down how OCD can lead to reassurance seeking, confession, avoidance, mental reviewing, and hidden rituals that many parents and even therapists may miss.

I also discuss what parents can do if they suspect OCD is being overlooked, including how to educate themselves on OCD themes, help their child understand what OCD is doing, trust their gut, and seek out proper OCD specific support and ERP therapy.

If your child has ever struggled with intrusive thoughts, shame around certain thoughts or feelings, hidden compulsions, or behaviors that never fully made sense through a traditional anxiety lens, this episode will help you better understand what may really be happening beneath the surface.

Resources Discussed in Episode:
Join our FREE series: How to Be an Effective Anchor for Your Kids with OCD
Get your PDF handout of today’s episode here.
OCD Therapy through NOCD
OCD Therapist Directory
Kids and Teen Course on OCD
FREE Therapist Workshop on OCD
Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids
Chloe and The Bossy Cloud OCD Picture Book
BTTI OCD Training
Texas OCD Institute

***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the fear of throwing up begins to take over a child’s daily life, it can quietly shrink their world. School, eating, travel, social events, exercise, sleepovers, restaurants, and even ordinary conversations can suddenly feel unsafe.

In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I’m talking all about emetophobia, the intense fear of vomiting, and how it can show up as both anxiety and OCD.
We’ll explore the hidden compulsions that often fuel this disorder, including reassurance seeking, body checking, food restriction, avoidance, hyperfixation on nausea, and the constant need to prevent getting sick.

I’ll also discuss:
• Why emetophobia is not caused by trauma, even though a traumatic illness experience can trigger it
• How avoidance quietly strengthens the fear over time
• Why reassurance rarely helps long term
• The difference between empowering your child versus protecting the disorder
• How to identify the core fear driving the emetophobia
• What exposures can look like for vomiting fears
• How ERP therapy can help kids reclaim their lives
If your child’s fear of throwing up is beginning to control daily life, this episode will help you better understand what is happening beneath the surface and how to support recovery in a compassionate, therapeutic way.

Resources from this episode:
Get the PDF Handout for this episode

Emetophobia Videos:
https://youtu.be/mvQlW3iSU5U?si=b-UBrQdNR7ze0gKx
https://youtu.be/cclkHTOX0co?si=tuSIySbvUlVdzBui
https://youtu.be/oShDAdBugJ0?si=MfdwLU2xx1xocR9c
https://youtu.be/KvhjJqSXDRw?si=aJiOJKyJn1LYUdGZ

Books Mentioned:
Anxiety Sucks: A Teen Survival Guide by Natasha Daniels
Overcoming Emetophobia Exposure Workbook by Natasha Daniels
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Facing Mighty Fears About Throwing Up by Dawn Huebner

***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Defiance can be one of the most misunderstood signs of OCD in children and teens.
When kids refuse to touch certain things, avoid everyday tasks, struggle with homework, take excessive time completing routines, or seem resistant to basic expectations, it can easily look like oppositional behavior. But underneath that behavior may be intrusive fears, avoidance compulsions, contamination concerns, or “just right” OCD driving their actions.
In this episode, I explore how hidden OCD symptoms are often mistaken for defiance, difficult behavior, or laziness, leading parents, teachers, and even therapists to respond in ways that may unintentionally worsen the cycle. I break down common household, school, and daily life behaviors that may actually be rooted in OCD, and explain how parents can better identify the true source of the struggle.
You’ll learn how to dig deeper beneath the behavior, ask more effective questions, and determine whether your child needs discipline, boundaries, or therapeutic support through exposure and response prevention (ERP).
If you are a parent who has ever wondered whether your child’s “bad behavior” may actually be part of their OCD, this episode will help you better understand what may really be happening beneath the surface.
To get this episode’s PDF handout go to www.natashadaniels.com/handouts
Get the course: How to Handle Difficult Behavior Caused by Anxiety or OCD

***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Contamination OCD is often much more complex than many parents realize. It is not always about germs, handwashing, or obvious fears of illness. For many kids, contamination OCD can center around chemicals, certain people, objects, or even an intense feeling of disgust rather than fear.

In this episode, Natasha breaks down the subtle ways contamination OCD can be missed, misunderstood, or accidentally reinforced. Parents often focus on visible avoidance without recognizing the true “ground zero” of contamination, the original trigger or core fear driving the OCD cycle. Understanding that core fear or disgust response is essential for effective support.

Parents will also learn why appeasing OCD or rationalizing with it can unintentionally strengthen the cycle.
If your child struggles with contamination fears, disgust triggers, or confusing avoidance behaviors, this episode will help you better understand what may really be happening and how to respond more effectively.

Resources Talked About in Episode:
OCD Treatment:
NOCD virtual OCD Therapy

IOCDF Provider Directory

Videos on Contamination OCD:

How to Handle Contamination OCD

Trying to Beat Contamination OCD? OCD Doesn’t Play Fair

Understanding Ground Zero in Contamination OCD

Disgust Based Contamination OCD

Offense vs Defense for OCD

Handouts and Courses:
OCD Themes PDF

How to find the Core Fear Workshop

SPACE Study Guide

***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watching our kids struggle with OCD can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and emotionally draining. When we understand OCD and begin recognizing compulsions more clearly, many of us naturally shift from accommodating behaviors… to hyper-focusing on every compulsion, reassurance loop, and avoidance pattern.
This is what I call becoming the “OCD police.”
In this episode, I explore how parents can unintentionally move from helping to over-monitoring, constantly pointing out compulsions, questioning behaviors, and trying to control OCD at every turn. While this often comes from a place of deep love and fear, hypervigilance can damage trust, increase shame, and create communication breakdowns.
I discuss why becoming the OCD police can backfire, how it may cause kids to hide symptoms or shut down, and why managing OCD isn’t about catching every compulsion.
Most importantly, I break down what to do instead.
You’ll learn how to shift from policing to coaching, how to prioritize the compulsions that involve you, when to push, when to pause, and how to build skills without sacrificing connection.
If you are a parent who feels stuck between accommodating and over-correcting, this episode will help you find the middle ground that truly supports healing.

Resources Discussed on Episode:
When to Push and When to Pause
www.childocdtherapist.com/power-of-the-pause/
SPACE Study Course
www.atparentingsurvivalseries.com/space/
AT Parenting Community
www.atparentingcommunity.com
Pulling Back OCD Accommodations
www.childocdtherapist.com/pulling-back-ocd-accommodations/
Trust and Communication
www.childocdtherapist.com/trust-and-communication/
How to Help Kids with Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors
www.childocdtherapist.com/how-to-address-picking-and-pulling-behaviors/
***
This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to
https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️

Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD:
https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):
https://atparentingcommunity.com

Take one of my FREE webinars:
www.Natashadaniels.com/webinars

Check out my books:
www.Natashadaniels.com/books

🌸 Other social places I hang out:

http://www.facebook.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.pinterest.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.instagram.com/ATparentingSurvival
http://www.twitter.com/Parentingsurvival
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.