Season 6

Adults often wonder why the “plan” they have in place for their anxious child doesn’t work. In this episode, Lynn explains why this happens (your goals and hopes aren’t enough) and what to do instead (it’s all about the skill...

Lynn often refers to anxiety as a cult leader: powerful, demanding compliance, and full of rigid rules. What happens when one family member wants out? Or when a long generational pattern of worry resists any change? In this e...

Lately listeners have been asking about performance anxiety, particularly when it shows up in sports. Should we push our child to compete? What if they love to practice but don’t perform during games? The truth is that very f...

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 couple myths and ...

Dating and doubt go together like peanut butter and jelly. Anxiety and worry love to invade, looking for certainty in every text, post, and conversation. And what about parenting teens through this stage? Teens are (developme...

Seeking therapy for you or your child can feel like a big step for many reasons. Combined with busy schedules and long waiting lists, and affordability getting help can be unobtainable. In this episode, we talk about how to o...

Categories and labels are appealing because they help us make sense of a complex world. And there are definitely times when a label can help. But labels can also be limiting. When we label our kids—and when teens label themse...

In this recast of a popular episode, we talk about the parenting phrases we love, how they help with emotional management, and why you need to have a few of these in your back pocket, ready to use when needed. These help for ...

In this recast of a popular Season 5 episode, we discuss how positive connection is the goal... but is there such a thing as too connected? Yup, and it’s called enmeshment. In this episode, Lynn and Robin talk privacy, autono...

Are you afraid of your anxious child’s outbursts? Are you allowing those big tantrums to rule the house and dictate your parenting? Sparked by a listener question, this episode dives into a common problem: how do we change th...

Two (really) stressed gals show up for this episode to talk about injecting fun and playfulness into holiday events. Robin and Lynn share lots of ideas wrapped up in a little encouragement, and by the end, they both feel bett...

Not disappointing others seems like a good thing, right? But when make it your global goal, you will decrease your credibility and increase your own feelings of resentment. In this mini episode we talk about the benefits of k...

In this not-to-be missed episode, Lynn and Robin talk to the expert Lynn values most, Dr. Michael Yapko. Dr. Yapko is one of the world’s foremost experts on depression, how it moves through families, and what parents need to ...

Many parents struggle with the question of how to help a child who feels overwhelmed in an unfamiliar situation, by loud noises, or the start of a new activity. When do we gently push them forward, when do we let them avoid, ...

Families will often avoid game night or other family competitions if a child has difficulty losing. Or they require the game to be “fixed” so the bad loser doesn’t lose. Games (and winning and losing) offer great opportunitie...

In this recast of a popular episode from last year, we tackle the statements our friends and families use when they're staying stuck in their anxiety patterns. If you hear them or use them, listen up. We have responses ready ...

Although the holidays can be special, the patterns that show up in people are predictable, even if it is Thanksgiving or Christmas. Critical parent? Passive aggressive sibling? Catastrophic you? In this episode, we talk about...

Anxiety is about “what if,” but with the reality of violence and war, we are now living with “what is.” As parents, How do we process the ongoing news and graphic images of terror in our world? How do we help our children and...

Robin is up to her eyeballs in the college application process, so we pulled in two great people to help her and you: a school counselor on the front lines, and Jill Shulman, college admissions coach, author and sane person w...

Knowing when you need professional help and when to let your child “grow out of it” is a tricky question…sometimes. In this episode, Lynn and Robin talk about when to allow some time and space (imaginary nephews) and when to ...

Helping people recognize and shift their own patterns is a key component of Lynn’s approach to emotional management. But there are three patterns that can really add discord in our personal relationships. Do you resist the ur...

In this two-part In Session episode, Lynn talks to Marie, a mom from New Zealand whose very imaginative and worried daughter has dramatic fears which can be frustrating for the whole family. Marie has done a great job talking...

Smart phones are here to stay. And so are the questions we parents have about social media, screen time, group chats…it’s overwhelming. In this episode, we speak with social media expert Devorah Heitner, author of the new boo...

Getting a worried child into school can be exhausting, but once there, we want them to stay! In this episode, we talk about keeping anxious kids in school, the need for a team approach that includes the school nurse, the dang...