Ep. 213: Dr. Steve O'Brien — Helping Anxious Kids Build Resilience Through Empathic Empowering

My guest this week is Dr. Steve O’Brien, author of the excellent new book, The Essential Guide to Treating Child and Adolescent Anxiety (affiliate link).

Topics we discussed included:

• The ongoing epidemic of anxiety among young people
• Greater anxiety responses to smaller triggers
• Falling levels of resilience
• Overstimulation of kids’ bodies and minds
• The overload of information through social media
• The critical trio for basic health: sleep, nutrition, exercise
• Less obvious signs of anxiety in children
• Recognizing and respecting the challenges that come with parenting
• Kids’ deep need to feel understood
• Using a developmental systems lens
• Why we fall in love with therapists
• What to tell parents who blame themselves for their child’s struggles
• Overestimating the effects of parenting
• Inherent brain and temperamental differences between kids
• The bidirectional influences between children and parents
• Offering support while also encouraging kids to face their anxiety (empathic empowering)
• Slowing down our reactions

Steve O’Brien, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in Tampa Bay, Florida, with over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families.

He specializes in the treatment of childhood anxiety, depression, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders.

Steve utilizes an integrative, developmental-systems model and relies heavily on psychoeducation, cognitive behavioral methods, interpersonal and client-centered approaches.

A national speaker, on-air mental health reporter, and trusted media psychologist, Steve also developed the first-of-its-kind app for obtaining a child’s perception of family life (psychtouch.com). He is the author of The Essential Guide to Treating Child and Adolescent Anxiety (PESI Publishing, 2023).

Find Steve online at his website.

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