Helping Kids with Just Right OCD
AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety
Natasha Daniels: Child Therapist, Child Anxiety and OCD Expert, Parenting Coach and Parent
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 12 May 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
“Just right” OCD can be one of the most confusing forms of OCD for parents, because it doesn’t look like fear.
In this episode, we’re unpacking what it means when OCD is driven by a feeling instead of a specific fear. That internal sense that something is off, incomplete, or not quite right can keep kids stuck in loops that are hard to explain and even harder to stop.
You’ll learn how “just right” OCD can show up across daily life, from words and writing to clothes, shoes, grooming, and even how they move through their environment. We’ll also clarify common misconceptions, including why this isn’t perfectionism, how it differs from sensory processing challenges, and where Tourettic OCD fits into the picture.
Most importantly, we’ll walk through how to start helping your child break free from these patterns using evidence-based approaches like ERP, including practicing things “not just right,” delaying compulsions, and resisting the urge to complete the loop for them. We’ll also touch on how parents can use a SPACE-informed approach to reduce accommodation and support their child more effectively.
If your child gets stuck needing things to feel right before they can move on, this episode will help you understand what’s really going on and how to begin supporting them in a way that builds long-term resilience.
Resources for this Episode:
Get the PDF Handout for this episode:
www.natashadaniels.com/handouts
Youtube video: How to Handle Just Right OCD
Youtube video: Just Right OCD and Clothes
Youtube video: Just Right OCD and Your Words
Youtube video: When OCD Isn’t About a Fear, But a Feeling
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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.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, where you get help and guidance through the chaos of parenting a child with anxiety or OCD. |
| 0:12.0 | This show is for educational purposes and is not intended to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. |
| 0:18.0 | Here's your host, child therapist, Natasha Daniels. |
| 0:23.4 | Well, hello there, and welcome to another episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast. |
| 0:29.5 | Today we're going to dive deep into just right OCD. |
| 0:33.3 | And I'm really a big proponent of parents understanding all OCD themes because OCD can show up |
| 0:41.5 | in so many different disguises. And when you're not well versed in the multitude of ways OCD can show |
| 0:49.0 | up, you're much more likely to miss it. And just right OCD is one of those topics. It's one of those themes |
| 0:55.6 | that is often missed. And surprisingly, I went to go link a podcast on Just Right OCD because I'm doing my |
| 1:04.9 | free series right now, which I'm recording this April 20th. So you're listening to this in the future |
| 1:10.0 | while the series is over. |
| 1:12.1 | But I was like, wait a minute, I haven't done an episode on this since episode 44. |
| 1:19.9 | This is episode 470. So it's been a minute. And I want to do a full episode on how Just Right OCD shows up, how it is |
| 1:30.9 | different, and most importantly, how we can help our kids through it. But before we get started, |
| 1:37.4 | I do want to thank No CD for sponsoring this episode. NoCD offers affordable, effective, |
| 1:42.9 | convenient therapy, and they're available in the U.S. |
| 1:45.7 | and outside the U.S. |
| 1:47.1 | You can schedule your free 15-minute consultation to see if no CD is a right fit for you and your child. |
| 1:53.9 | Just go to treat myocd.com. |
| 1:56.4 | That's treat myoced.com. |
| 1:58.6 | I'll leave a link in the show notes as well. |
| 2:03.8 | So it's important to preface this episode with OCD is OCD, no matter what disguise, no matter what form. OCD is the disorder, not just |
... |
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