When Progress Makes OCD Panic: Why Symptoms Spike Right Before They Get Better
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
🗓️ 17 February 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, we talk about one of the most confusing and discouraging moments for parents raising a child with OCD, when things seem to get worse right as you start doing the right things.
Many parents interpret a sudden spike in distress, anger, or compulsions as a sign that therapy is not working. But often, this increase in symptoms is actually a sign that OCD feels threatened. When OCD accommodations are reduced or exposures begin, OCD does not quietly step aside, it escalates. This episode explains why that happens and what it means for your child’s recovery.
You will learn what an extinction burst looks like in real life, how to tell the difference between a true setback and a growth spike, and why your child may appear more dysregulated even though they are building resilience. We also talk about the most common mistakes parents make during this phase, like backing off boundaries too quickly or returning to reassurance out of fear, and how those well-intended responses can accidentally strengthen OCD.
Most importantly, this episode focuses on how to stay grounded as a parent when your child is struggling more. We cover what supportive responses sound like, how to emotionally hold your child without feeding OCD, and how to keep your long-term goals in mind when short-term distress shows up.
If you have ever thought, “We were doing better, why is this suddenly worse?” this episode will help you understand what is really happening and how to stay the course with confidence and compassion.
Video: OCD is Like an Octopus
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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. Well, hello there, |
| 0:23.7 | and welcome to another episode of the AT Parenting Survival Podcast. Today we're going to be |
| 0:29.1 | talking about something that happens often, but parents aren't warned about it enough. And I often, |
| 0:35.0 | when I'm talking to therapists, I'll say it's really important that we let |
| 0:38.9 | parents know that when kids start working on OCD, and that means whether you as the parent |
| 0:44.8 | are starting to work on OCD with your child independently or they're with good treatment, |
| 0:52.4 | sometimes things get worse before they get better. And that is really confusing |
| 0:57.1 | to parents. I always tell therapists, it's important to give a parent a heads up because that's |
| 1:03.5 | one of the big questions that I get from parents inside the AT parenting community is we're starting |
| 1:10.3 | to do the things that the therapist is telling us to do |
| 1:12.8 | and things are getting worse. Do we have the wrong therapist? And a lot of times when they have |
| 1:18.0 | the right therapist, it's because of the things we're going to talk about today in this episode. |
| 1:22.8 | And so it's not necessarily an indication that you have the wrong therapist, especially if you have a |
| 1:27.2 | therapist that, well, in the AT parenting community that I help you find, or that I, that's a |
| 1:33.3 | colleague of mine, that's trained in OCD, that is doing exposure response prevention, which is the |
| 1:39.2 | type of therapy we're looking for. When things like that are happening, it's not necessarily the therapist. |
| 1:45.9 | So we're going to break down and demystify what that looks like, why that happens, |
| 1:50.7 | and how you as the parent can support your child through that. |
| 1:54.6 | But before we jump in, I do want to thank NoCD for sponsoring this episode. |
| 1:58.6 | NoCD offers affordable, effective, convenient therapy, and they're available in the U.S. |
... |
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