SPACE program for parents
Calmer days for anxious kids, starting with you.
SPACE is a parent-based approach to childhood anxiety and OCD. After an evaluation with you and your child, most of the work happens with parents, so things can start changing at home even when your child is reluctant to come to therapy.
What is SPACE?
SPACE stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. It was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center.
When a child is anxious, loving parents naturally step in to help: offering reassurance, changing plans, avoiding situations that feel scary. Over time, these well-meaning accommodations can keep anxiety going. SPACE helps you respond in a new way, showing your child both acceptance of how they feel and confidence that they can cope.
Because the work happens through you, SPACE can help even when a child isn't ready or willing to come to therapy.
Is SPACE right for your family?
SPACE may be a good fit if any of these sound familiar.
Your child avoids school, activities, or time with friends because of worry
Rituals, rules, or routines have to be done "just right"
They need constant reassurance, or ask the same questions again and again
Family plans and routines now bend around your child's fears
Bedtime, separation, or sleeping alone has become a nightly struggle
Your child refuses therapy, and you're not sure how to help
What to expect
01
Free parent consultation
We talk about your child, your family, and whether SPACE is the right fit.
02
Family evaluation
An assessment with you and your child to understand how anxiety shows up at home and how the family has adapted around it.
03
Building your plan
You learn supportive responses and choose one or two accommodations to gently change.
04
Practice and support
Over about 12 weekly parent sessions, we troubleshoot together and celebrate progress, with check-ins with your child as needed.
YOUR SPACE CLINICIAN
Leny V. Bolivar, MS, LCSW
Leny is trained in SPACE and brings over 20 years of experience supporting children, parents, and families. She offers SPACE in English and Spanish, with deep sensitivity to the cultural and family contexts that shape how anxiety is experienced at home.
Research has found SPACE to be as effective as individual cognitive behavioral therapy for children with anxiety.
Common questions
Does my child need to attend?
We begin with an evaluation that includes both you and your child, so we can understand the full picture. From there, SPACE sessions focus on parents, and your child may be seen again as needed.
Can both parents or caregivers join?
Yes, and it's encouraged. SPACE can also work with one parent if that's what fits your family.
Are sessions in person or virtual?
Both. Meet us in Midtown Manhattan or virtually anywhere in New York and California.
What does it cost? Do you take insurance?
Our fees range from $175-300 for 45 minute sessions. We’re out of network providers, so we don’t directly take insurance, but we can give you receipts to submit for potential reimbursement if you have out of network benefits.
Let's find a calmer way forward, together.
Book a free parent consultation to learn whether SPACE is right for your family.