Parenting Anxiety: Breaking the Cycle of Worry and Raising Resilient Kids

A timely, practical, and innovative look at the reflexive relationship between parent and child anxiety, with actionable strategies to help parents break the cycle--from a clinical psychologist with expertise in treating anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and in parents.

How do you raise resilient kids in this age of uncertainty? How do you parent your kids if you yourself are anxious? How do you make sense of the avalanche of parenting advice and best support your child’s mental health...or at the very least, how do you not make things worse?

Parents who struggle with anxiety themselves, or who have anxious children, are looking for guidance. Influencers with a range of credibility have responded with an explosion of content, which is awash in cultural narratives around what makes a ＂good＂ parent. But much of this guidance encourages parents to act in ways that actually increase the risk of child anxiety in the long term. And ironically, the hyper-availability of this content, delivered as one-size-fits-all solutions, can contribute to even more confusion and anxiety for the parent seeking clarity. Today’s parents are truly stuck between a rock and a hard place: the problem of anxiety is overwhelming, and many proposed solutions are confusing at best and harmful at worst.

In Parenting Anxiety, clinical child psychologist and Harvard Medical School faculty, Dr. Meredith Elkins, demystifies anxiety and anxiety disorders and empowers parents to rethink ＂negative＂ emotions like anxiety, sadness, and guilt. A parent herself, Dr. Elkins argues that modern parenting pressures are major contributors to the current state of parent and child anxiety, and helps parents to clarify their own values. A resource for families experiencing normal levels of anxiety, and for those coping with anxiety disorders, Parenting Anxiety provides readers with an accessible roadmap for understanding and addressing anxiety in children and parents and promotes adaptability and resilience across all stages of development.

Dr. Meredith Elkins is a clinical psychologist specializing in the research and treatment of anxiety and related disorders in children and families. She is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the co-program director at the anxiety mastery program at McLean Hospital, an intensive outpatient program for youth with anxiety disorders. She has been featured in such media outlets as The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Parents, and Harvard Gazette.