Podcast Episodes

Struggle is a vital part of learning, growing and mastery. As the new school year begins, Lynn and Ed discuss the movement from awkward and uncomfortable beginnings toward mastery, a process that is repeated throughout life. ...

Is your child heading off to college this fall? If it’s their first year, then the roommate uncertainty may be dominating your household. Sparked by a compelling listener question, we tackle the perks and the problems of room...

Here comes school…which means it’s time for reminders and a chance for a reset. From morning routines to screens, from the language of uncertainty to using less language in general, we cover it all. So, go for a walk with Lyn...

In this In Session episode, Lynn talks with Sarah about her 11-year-old daughter who has become increasingly insistent about her bedtime ritual of ruminating and catastrophizing. Sarah gets pulled in, trying to “talk through”...

Parents are encouraged to provide “consistency” with their anxious children. But the type of consistency that’s often prescribed is the opposite of what Lynn teaches families. In this episode, Lynn goes after the “consistency...

Sam and Vincent are struggling with the rigidity and bossiness of their six-year-old daughter, Jody. They’ve made great strides with her separation anxiety, but during playdates (and many other times, as well) Jody needs thin...

What happens when children are the absolute focus of a family? Marriages suffer, says Michele Weiner-Davis, a renowned relationship expert who pulls couples back from the brink. We asked Michele to bust some couples myths and...

Do your kids bicker? Teaching kids how to manage conflict both with friends and siblings is important…and exhausting! In this episode, Lynn describes how to determine when to step in and when to let them problem solve. Here a...

Pediatricians and family physicians are on the front lines of our children’s mental health needs. In fact, they are reporting more and more that it’s the most common (and often most challenging) issue they are addressing with...

Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting. It’s powerful and can take over a family in dramatic fashion. In this episode, Lynn talks throwing up: how families accommodate, how it can be viewed through an OCD lens, what parents can ...

This episode tackles the question we hear most often from our new listeners: how do I support my anxious child? Lynn lays out the three keys for parents: information about how anxiety works, owning family patterns, and moving...

Being a new parent brings up every emotion…including anxiety. Does it show up differently in moms and dads? (Yes.) Are there ways to make it less powerful? (Yes.) Are all those parenting apps helping? (Lynn has thoughts.) Whe...

As we dive into summer, Lynn zips through three recent research findings that are great reminders about prevention, exercise, labels and warmth. (And not summer warmth. A different kind.) Here is the link to Michael Yapko's t...

We talk with the hosts of the This is So Awkward podacst about how communication shifts with kids as they become tweens and teens. We tackle all things pubescent with Vanessa Kroll Bennett and Dr. Cara Natterson. Puberty is s...

Lynn often says that the hardest people to work with in her practice are the ones that don’t own their own stuff. In this recast of a popular Season 6 episode, we talk about owning patterns in your marriage. Both Robin and Ly...

Unfortunately, childhood anxiety often leads to depression. But not always! Certain patterns increase the likelihood and make the path smoother. Knowing these patterns and risk factors—and how to interrupt them—is how we best...

A listener has concerns about her daughter’s bedtime ritual. Once simply seen as cute, the words needing to be spoken in a certain way each evening are causing some concern. Is this a problem? Or a harmless, sweet routine? Also, Lynn also addresses a little known fact but common occurrence: anxious…

A little known fact about Lynn: she uses pediatric hypnosis and even wrote a clinical text on the subject. The term hypnosis carries a lot of baggage, so we’re going to set the record straight. Lynn talks about how she uses i...

In this episode, a mother is struggling with her daughter’s demand for certainty. At 17, she’s convinced she has cancer, won’t attend therapy, and is holding the family hostage. What can a parent do when a teen is refusing he...

After decades of seeing families, Lynn quickly spots the obstacles that undermine or even derail therapy. From inconsistency to too many cooks in the therapy kitchen, Lynn runs through her list. WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EP...

Of course we want to get rid of worry, our own and our kids’, but trying to eliminate the thoughts and feelings and sensations of anxiety is a trap. Nonetheless, the use of what Lynn calls “elimination strategies” continues. ...

As we reflect on the fifth anniversary of COVID this month, Lynn and Ed discuss its impact on kids’ social interactions. Have adults stopped modeling and teaching social norms? Are we allowing our children to avoid social, in...

Anxiety messes with sleep and lack of sleep messes with most everything. So, it's not surprising that it’s one of the most frequent and urgent problems parents want to address. In this episode, Lynn lays out the steps she tea...

What happens when you try to get your family members or friends to join you in shifting away from anxious parenting patterns? One listener tried, and got the cold shoulder from other moms. In this episode, Ed, Lynn and Robin ...