TPP 475: Dr. Tamar Chansky on Freeing Your Child from OCD

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Debbie Reber

Education, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today we’re unpacking a topic that so many families struggle to understand—Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD—especially when it shows up in children. My guest is Dr. Tamar Chansky, a clinical psychologist and author of the newly updated and revised edition of her seminal book Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In our conversation, Tamar and I talk about how our understanding of OCD has evolved over the past 25 years, what intrusive thoughts really are, and how parents can recognize and respond to them with compassion and clarity. Tamar walks us through her five-step approach for helping kids manage OCD effectively, and she offers a message of hope—reminding us that with the right support, children can learn to take charge of their thoughts and lead full, joyful lives. About Tamar E. Chansky, Ph.D. Tamar E. Chansky, Ph.D., founder of the Children’s and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety, has helped thousands of children overcome fears and gripping mental compulsions. She is also the author of Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking, Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Freeing Yourself from Anxiety. Things you'll learn from this episode How OCD can deeply impact family life and why awareness and understanding make such a difference Why recognizing the difference between typical anxiety and OCD is key to getting the right support How intrusive thoughts are more common than many realize—and can be effectively managed with treatment Why parents play a central role in helping children navigate OCD using structured, behavior-focused approaches How the five-step model empowers families to support change without reinforcing compulsions Why education, support, and understanding can ease parental fears and lead to better outcomes for kids Resources mentioned Dr. Tamar Chansky’s website Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Powerful, Practical Program for Parents of Children and Adolescents (Updated in 2025) by Dr. Tamar Chansky Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking: Powerful, Practical Strategies to Build a Lifetime of Resilience, Flexibility, and Happiness by Dr. Tamar Chansky Freeing Yourself from Anxiety: Practical Strategies to Overcome Fears, Worries, and Phobias and Be Prepared for Life–from Toddlers to Teens by Dr. Tamar Chansky Children’s and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety in Plymouth Meeting, PA Dr. Tamar Chansky on How to Free Children from Negative Thinking (Full-Tilt Parenting podcast) Tamar on Instagram Natasha Daniels on Helping Kids Crush OCD (Full-Tilt Parenting podcast) Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids: 50 Fun Activities to Overcome OCD With CBT and Exposures by Natasha Daniels Filmmaker Chris Baier Helps Families Get Unstuck from OCD (Tilt Parenting Podcast) UNSTUCK: An OCD Kids Movie (Available with Spanish, French, Russian, Greek, Portuguese subtitles and an audio description) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Winter break is coming, and if you're already feeling that mix of excitement and dread, I've got something that will help.
0:06.8	I'm offering my winter break survival workshop as a self-study this year.
0:11.3	It's a practical 90-minute walkthrough where you'll build your personalized plan for managing expectations,
0:17.8	easing meltdowns, shifting the energy, and creating a calmer, more joyful break
0:22.8	with your neurodivergent kids. And right now, it's 75% off through November 30th. Just use the code
0:29.6	November to grab it for only $9. You can get all the details at tiltparenting.com slash winter.
0:36.7	Let's make this winter holiday break feel a whole lot more
0:39.8	doable. I'm Debbie Reber and you're listening to Full Tilt Parenting. Today we're unpacking a topic
0:48.4	that I know a lot of families struggle to understand, obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD,
0:56.2	especially when it shows up in kids.
1:02.1	My guest is Dr. Tamar Chansky, a clinical psychologist and the founder of the Children's and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety. Tamar has helped thousands of children and families learn
1:08.0	to manage fears and compulsions, and she's just released the newly updated
1:12.6	and revised edition of her seminal book, Freeing Your Child from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
1:18.2	She's also the author of Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking and Freeing Yourself
1:22.1	from Anxiety.
1:23.3	This is tomorrow's second time on the show, the first time we talked about kids and
1:27.2	negative thinking. But today we're going to be talking about how our understanding of OCD This is Tamara's second time on the show, the first time we talked about kids and negative
1:27.5	thinking. But today we're going to be talking about how our understanding of OCD has evolved
1:32.4	over the past 25 years. We'll be talking about what intrusive thoughts really are and how
1:37.8	parents can recognize and respond to them with compassion and clarity. Tomorrow is also going to walk
1:43.0	us through her five-step approach for
1:44.8	helping kids manage OCD effectively, and she offers a message of hope. With the right support,
	...

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