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CHILDHOOD ANXIETY & OCD · HOUSTON & TELEHEALTH
Your child is struggling.
You're doing everything you can.
And somehow it's still not getting better.
Specialized therapy for childhood anxiety and OCD, including the SPACE approach where parents do the work and children improve. Available in Houston and across Texas, New York, and 40+ states.
CBT & SPACE approach
Evidence-based, proven effective
Children don't have to participate
SPACE works through parents
Telehealth across Texas
+ 40 PsyPact states and New York
Free 15-min consult
No commitment required
THIS MIGHT FEEL FAMILIAR
You know something is wrong. But nothing you try seems to help.
The worry. The meltdowns. The school mornings that turn into battles. You're watching your child struggle and doing everything you can think of, and it's still not enough.
Refusing to go to school, or falling apart every morning before you get out the door
Constant reassurance-seeking, asking "what if" over and over, needing you to promise everything will be okay
Physical complaints like stomachaches and headaches that have no medical explanation
Meltdowns or shutdowns that seem completely out of proportion to the situation
Avoiding anything new, uncomfortable, or uncertain: parties, sleepovers, trying new foods
Family life reorganizing around your child's anxiety, shaping what you do, where you go, and how you plan everything
You're not doing anything wrong. But the strategies that feel most natural, including reassuring, accommodating, and protecting them from distress, may actually be making the anxiety stronger. That's not a criticism. It's the most important thing to understand about childhood anxiety.
Reassurance and accommodation feel helpful. The research says otherwise.
THE THING MOST PARENTS DON'T KNOW
When your child is distressed, every instinct tells you to make it stop. Let them skip the thing. Promise it will be okay. Do the routine the way they need it. And in the moment, it works. The anxiety drops, the meltdown passes, the morning gets easier.
But accommodation teaches your child's brain that the feared thing really was dangerous, and that avoidance is the right response. Over time, the list of things that feel threatening grows, and your family's world gets smaller. This is not a parenting failure. It’s a natural response. And it's a pattern that can change.
What the research shows: anxiety in children is maintained by avoidance and accommodation, not by the feared situations themselves. Evidence-based treatment breaks this cycle by gradually building your child's tolerance for discomfort and teaching you how to respond in ways that reduce anxiety over time, not just in the moment. For children with OCD, treatment may look somewhat different. Learn more about OCD treatment →
TWO APPROACHES, TAILORED TO YOUR FAMILY
Two approaches, tailored to your family
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
The most extensively researched treatment for childhood anxiety. Your child works directly with me to identify anxious thoughts, challenge unhelpful patterns, and gradually face the things they've been avoiding. Real confidence builds through action.
Your child is willing to engage in therapy, is motivated even a little to feel better, and is able to participate in sessions. Works for ages 5 and up.
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions
A research-backed treatment where I work entirely with you, the parent, while your child's anxiety improves. You learn exactly how to respond to your child's anxiety in ways that reduce it over time rather than maintain it. Your child never has to come to a session.
Your child refuses therapy, is too young to engage, or when family accommodation is significantly maintaining the anxiety. Proven as effective as CBT in clinical trials.
I offer two evidence-based approaches for childhood anxiety and OCD. After an initial session, we'll determine together which is the best fit.
OUTCOMES
What family life can look like after treatment.
The goal is not a child who never feels anxious. It's a child who can handle it, and a family that isn't organized around managing it.
School mornings that aren't a battle. Your child goes, even when it's hard.
A child who can tolerate uncertainty without falling apart
Less reassurance-seeking. Your child starts to trust their own ability to cope.
Family routines that aren't built around managing meltdowns
Your child trying new things: activities, friendships, experiences they'd been avoiding
You feeling confident in how to respond. Not guessing. Not second-guessing.
WHAT TO EXPECT
How treatment works, step by step.
Parent session first
We start with a full session with you, no child present. You'll share your child's history, what you've tried, and what's driving the most disruption. This shapes everything that follows.
Assessment and planning
One to two sessions to assess your child (for CBT) or map the accommodation patterns (for SPACE), then a clear treatment plan with specific goals and a realistic timeline.
Building skills and seeing change
Ongoing sessions build skills that transfer to real life: at home, at school, and in the situations your child has been avoiding. You'll be involved throughout.
How treatment works, step by step.
Dr. Ehrin Weiss
Clinical Psychologist
WHY DR. WEISS
Specialized training. Personal approach.
I'm a clinical psychologist with specialized training in evidence-based treatments for childhood anxiety and OCD. I'm one of the few Houston providers offering both ERP and I-CBT for OCD, and one of a small number trained in both CBT and the SPACE approach for childhood anxiety.
I'm also the author of Anxiety Relief Book for Kids. My approach is practical: I help families understand what's driving their child's anxiety and exactly what to do about it.
Free parent's guide
A Parent's Guide to Child and Teen Anxiety
A practical, research-based guide from a clinical psychologist covering what anxiety looks like in children and teens, when it needs treatment, and what actually works.
- ✓Normal worry vs. clinical anxiety: how to tell the difference
- ✓How anxiety shows up differently in children vs. teens
- ✓The accommodation trap and why reassurance backfires
- ✓What evidence-based treatment actually involves
- ✓What to look for when choosing a therapist
RELATED SPECIALTIES
Childhood anxiety often doesn't come alone.
Many families dealing with childhood anxiety are also navigating one of these.
Specialty
OCD in children
When rituals, intrusive thoughts, and compulsions are part of the picture. Specialized ERP and I-CBT treatment.
Learn more →Specialty
Child counseling
Broader behavioral and emotional challenges beyond anxiety, for children navigating a range of difficulties.
Learn more →Specialty
Parenting therapy
When you need support navigating the parenting side. Parenting therapy goes deeper than what SPACE covers.
Learn more →WHERE WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
In-person and telehealth options
In-person sessions Houston
In-person sessions are available at my Houston office. View current availability and schedule directly online →
Telehealth therapy 40+ States
Secure video sessions throughout Texas, New York, and all PsyPact states. View current availability and schedule directly online →
Current as of March 2026. Confirm at psypact.gov.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common questions from parents
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Some anxiety is completely normal in children and is part of healthy development. The difference between normal anxiety and anxiety that needs treatment is how much it interferes with your child's life. If anxiety is regularly disrupting school attendance, friendships, family routines, or your child's ability to try new things, and your usual strategies aren't helping, it's worth getting a professional assessment. You don't need to wait until things are severe.
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Most child therapy involves working directly with the child. SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is different. I work entirely with the parent, and the child's anxiety improves as a result of changes in how the parent responds. Research has found SPACE to be as effective as CBT for childhood anxiety. It's particularly valuable when a child refuses therapy or when family accommodation is a significant part of the picture.
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This is one of the most common concerns I hear from parents, and it's exactly what the SPACE approach is designed for. If your child refuses to participate in therapy, SPACE allows treatment to happen entirely through you. I also start CBT with a parent-only session, which gives us time to build a plan and often helps prepare children who are initially reluctant. Many children who refuse at first come around once they understand therapy doesn't mean talking about their feelings for an hour.
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CBT for childhood anxiety is typically a focused treatment. Many children make meaningful progress within 12 to 16 sessions, though this varies depending on the severity of anxiety, whether OCD is present, and how much the anxiety has disrupted daily life. SPACE is similarly structured at around 12 sessions. We'll discuss a realistic timeline after the initial assessment, and I track progress throughout so treatment doesn't continue longer than it needs to.
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I'm a private pay practice and don't bill insurance directly. This means no prior authorizations, no session limits, and no insurance company involved in your child's treatment. I provide superbills monthly that you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Many families recover a meaningful portion of the fee this way. For questions about fees, contact me directly or view current availability on the scheduling page.
Your child doesn't have to keep struggling.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation. We'll talk through what your child is experiencing and whether we're a good fit.