Parenting With Emotional Intelligence: A SPACE-Informed Approach

At LiveWell Psychology, Dr. Jessica Tomasula often works with parents who are trying their best to support a child struggling with anxiety, emotional overwhelm, or avoidance. Many feel caught between wanting to ease their child's distress and wanting to help them become more independent and resilient.

Parenting with emotional intelligence means recognizing and responding to your child's emotions with empathy, while also maintaining confidence in their ability to cope with challenges. It allows parents to stay connected to their children without becoming driven by fear, frustration, or the need to immediately "fix" difficult feelings.

One of the approaches Dr. Tomasula uses with parents is SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), an evidence-based parent-focused treatment developed at Yale University. SPACE helps parents understand how anxiety affects family patterns and teaches practical strategies for reducing accommodations that may unintentionally reinforce anxiety. Through SPACE training, parents learn how to communicate support while encouraging growth. Children benefit from knowing their feelings are understood, but they also gain confidence when parents send the message, "I believe you can handle this."

The goal is not to eliminate anxiety or create perfect parenting. Instead, it is to strengthen the parent-child relationship, reduce anxiety's impact on family life, and help children develop the resilience they need to thrive. If your child is struggling with anxiety and you're looking for effective, parent-focused support, SPACE training may be a valuable next step. Please contact us at LiveWell Psychology today to learn more.