Your Anxious Child

David Gottsegen, M.D.. is a pediatrician who uses hypnosis and mediation to help children with discomfort and fears about headaches, stomachaches, bedwetting, sleep issues, anxiety and many other common pediatric disorders. His recently published book is  Mending the  Body with the Mind: Harnessing Kids' Superpowers to Stay Healthy He is a strong advocate for helping children use their natural imaginative skills to deal with many challenging health related issues.  In this interview he shows us how he does it and for the sceptic there are 70 pages of references!

Kristen Cook, M.D. is a pediatrician who has just published Parenting REDEFINED: A Guide To Understanding and Nurturing Your Child's Behavior To Help Them Thrive. She also has a podcast MomDocTalk https://www.kristencookmd.com/podcast
Whenever there is a problem with your child, the first recommendation is often to consult with your pediatrician. They have a unique vantage point of being familiar with every stage of child development and have often seen the same child from infancy to college graduations. So as think about how to help our anxious children, the perspective of a pediatrician is an extremely valuable contribution. In  Dr Cook book and podcast, she provides very clear and concise information on a wide range of issues. Today we focused on vaccines, medical trauma and how parents and pediatricians can collaborate effectively together. I

Dr Mari Swingle was one of the first people to warn us about the dangers of screen based technology. Her book i-Minds: How and Why Constant Connectivity is Rewiring our Brains and What to Do About It was first published in 2019. This well researched book provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and promises this new technology poses for us. I found her explanation about why children have such difficulty getting off or dismounting from their technology compelling. Her intriguing phrase is that it involves vestibular system lock-in. Listen to the interview to hear her explanation for what is an all frequent occurrence in many households.
For more information about Dr. Swingle
https://swingleclinic.com/about/our-staff/dr-mari-k-swingle
http://www.drmariswingle.com/about-dr-mari/

The first edition of Freeing Your Child From Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Tamar E. Chanksky, PhD was published 25 years and now there is  a revised and updated edition (2025) . This book has remained the standard reference book for parents who are trying navigate the complex territory of parenting a child with OCD. The book has  stood the test of time. Children as David Elkind, PhD once explained are "cognitive aliens" in that they think about the world quite differently from adults. Fortunately, Dr Chansky is remarkable in her ability to articulate a program of action in child friendly language with a mixture of humor and compassion. This one of the things that makes her so special. 
For more information about Dr Tamar Chansky https://tamarchansky.com/

When a child engages in hair pulling, skin picking and other body focused repetitive behaviors, it can be very alarming for parents. Children feel compelled to engage in the BFRB but often feel quite embarrassed and ashamed. Drs Jennifer Gola, Marla Deibler and Renae Reinardy talk about their new book, Free To Be Me with a BFRB: The Ultimate Kid's Guide to Living Well with Hair Pulling, Skin Picking, Nail Biting, and other Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors. 
This book provides a very comprehensive and compassionate approach to the treatment and management of BFRB's. Our discussion provides an excellent introduction to this topic and to a very useful resource for parents, children and therapists.  

For more information
https://thecenterforemotionalhealth.com/staff/dr-jennifer-gola
https://thecenterforemotionalhealth.com/staff/dr-marla-w-deibler/
https://www.lakesidecenter.org/about.html
and also see Dr Marla Deibler's blog on Psychology Today
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/from-surviving-to-thriving