Overcoming Parental Anxiety: Rewire Your Brain to Worry Less and Enjoy Parenting More

(Paperback)

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Be the calm and collected parent you aspire to be with this powerful, neuroscience-based guide.

Do you worry about your child all the time Maybe they are behind on certain milestones, struggling in school, having difficulty making friends, or heading off to college and away from home for the first time. Their problems or struggles become your own, and you end up feeling so anxious that you forget what it's like to just enjoy being their parent. The good news is that you can rewire your "parent brain" to respond differently to these challenges. This book will show you how to replace parental anxiety with parental effectiveness.

In Overcoming Parental Anxiety, three anxiety specialists team up to help you change your anxious brain using the core principles of neuroscience and exercises from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness. You'll learn how to overcome worry by identifying your parental values, paying attention to the moment, and cultivating self-compassion. Most importantly, you'll find targeted exercises to help minimize parenting related worry and anxiety, so you can live more fully and enjoy the shared experiences you have with your children.

Thanks to the brain's lifelong ability to create new neural connections, you can achieve that coveted and elusive sense of calm that seems to come so easily to some parents. And by practicing the simple neuroscience-based skills in this book, you can overcome your parental anxiety, stress less, and be more present with your kids. Why not get started now

Reviews

"Overcoming Parental Anxiety is a book that should be given to every parent! It provides essential information to help you understand why parenting is so often anxiety-provoking. More importantly, it provides really helpful ways to get unhooked from anxiety and accept the realities of being an imperfect parent. This book will help you get back to enjoying being a parent."
--Kimberly Morrow, LCSW, co-owner of Anxiety Training, and coauthor of CBT for Anxiety--Kimberly Morrow, LCSW
"Overcoming Parental Anxiety provides parents with practical tools for coping with children's anxiety. It also addresses the critical issue of helping parents manage their own anxiety. Parents are helped to reduce unrealistic expectations and identify unproductive catastrophic and perfectionistic thinking. Ultimately, the book guides parents toward more flexible, resilient, and relaxed parenting. This book will become a treasured resource for parents yearning to create a better emotional climate for their families."
--Judith Davis, PhD, retired clinical psychologist with forty years' experience treating families--Judith Davis, PhD
"Parenting in the modern age can be perilous, but it need not be ridden with anxiety. This formative text, which provides practical guidance based on current evidence, is a must-read for anxious parents!"
--David H. Rosmarin, PhD, ABPP, founder of the Center for Anxiety, and associate professor at Harvard Medical School--David H. Rosmarin, PhD, ABPP
"The guidebook today's stressed parents need to transform themselves and their families. Based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and grounded in research, this book will give you step-by-step instructions so you can rewire your brain as you become confident parents and enjoy your children and your life."
--Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, LCSW-C, clinical social worker, and coauthor of CBT for Anxiety--Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, LCSW-C
"This is the perfect book for the anxious family. Helping your children manage their own anxiety begins with you learning how to deal with yours. This book not only offers tools and strategies to reduce your own worries, but it gives practical advice to help you parent your anxious children. The guidance is easy to follow and is based on research for the best treatment for anxiety."
--Ken Goodman, LCSW, member of the board of directors for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and author of The Anxiety Solution Series and The Emetophobia Manual--Ken Goodman, LCSW
"Timely and practical, Overcoming Parental Anxiety is truly essential for all parents. This book will show you how to tame the anxiety that is so often present in parenting, and instead find joy, compassion, and connection with your child. Well written and full of useful tools, the authors use a brain-based approach to teach you to rewire your brain to be a calmer, more present, and more effective parent. Highly recommended!"
--Kevin L. Gyoerkoe, PsyD, director of The Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center in Charlotte, NC; and coauthor of 10 Simple Solutions to Worry and The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook--Kevin L. Gyoerkoe, PsyD

Author Bio

Debra Kissen, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, and CEO of Light On Anxiety CBT Treatment Center. Kissen specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and related disorders, and is coauthor of The Panic Workbook for Teens, Rewire Your Anxious Brain for Teens, and Break Free from Intrusive Thoughts. Kissen also has a special interest in the principles of mindfulness and their application for anxiety disorders, and has presented her research on CBT and mindfulness-based treatments for anxiety and related disorders at regional and national conferences.

Kissen is cochair of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Public Education Committee, and was recipient of the 2020 Gratitude for Giving Spirit Award and the 2018 ADAA Member of Distinction Award. Kissen often serves as a media psychologist, and strives to further the dissemination of empirically supported treatment information by offering simple-to-understand, practical tips and solutions to help mental health consumers move past stress and anxiety.

Micah Ioffe, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders across the life span, with a particular interest and specialized training in the treatment of selective mutism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). Ioffe is a member of the ADAA, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and the Selective Mutism Association. She is coauthor of Rewire Your Anxious Brains for Teens and Break Free from Intrusive Thoughts.

Ioffe utilizes empirically supported approaches in her work with clients, including CBT, exposure and response prevention (ERP), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Ioffe has authored multiple research publications, and presented her research on parent-adolescent communication and its influences on anxiety and related disorders at regional and national conferences.

Hannah Romain, LCSW, is a therapist and clinical supervisor in Chicago, IL; specializing in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders across the life span. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and a member of the ADAA and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

Romain specializes in the use of evidence-based practices, including CBT and ERP, for the treatment of anxiety and related disorders--including OCD, panic, specific phobias, and BFRBs. In her practice, she works to harness clients' innate abilities with empirically supported treatments to promote empowered and authentic living.

Foreword writer Karen L. Cassiday, PhD, is owner and clinical director of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago, the upper Midwest's longest-running exposure-based treatment center for anxiety disorders. She has served as president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and is clinical assistant professor in the department of clinical psychology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences.