SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a parent-based treatment approach that helps parents respond differently to anxiety-driven eating challenges.

Rather than focusing on getting your child to eat or participate in therapy, we focus on helping parents reduce accommodations that may be unintentionally maintaining food anxiety while increasing support and confidence.

This program is ideal for parents of children, teens, and young adults who:

• Eat a very limited variety of foods
• Have ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)
• Experience significant anxiety around eating
• Refuse new foods despite years of trying
• Avoid social situations involving food
• Depend heavily on parents to manage meals and food-related situations
• Are resistant to, unwilling to participate in, or have not benefited from traditional feeding therapy

SPACE is often a great fit for families whose child is not currently interested in feeding therapy. Because treatment focuses on parent behavior rather than child participation, progress can occur even when a child refuses treatment, refuses food exposures, or has "checked out" of previous therapy attempts.

No. This is a parent-focused program. Sessions are conducted with parents or caregivers only. Research shows that changing parent responses can create meaningful changes in a child's anxiety and eating behaviors, even when the child does not attend treatment.

Not in the traditional sense. We are not conducting food trials, taste tests, oral motor exercises, or direct feeding interventions during sessions. Instead, we focus on the family patterns, accommodations, and anxiety cycles that may be contributing to ongoing feeding challenges.

SPACE principles can be used with children, teens, and young adults who continue to rely on parents or caregivers for support around eating and food-related situations.While there is no strict age requirement, the program is generally most appropriate for children ages 4 and older, as anxiety-driven eating patterns, accommodations, and family feeding dynamics tend to be more clearly established at this age. Parents of both younger school-age children and older teens often find the approach highly effective.For children under 4, other feeding interventions may be more appropriate depending on the specific concerns and developmental stage.

That's actually one of the reasons many families choose SPACE. Because the treatment works through parents, your child does not need to be motivated, willing, or interested in participating. We work on the factors that are within your control as a parent.

This is one of the most common concerns parents have.

The goal of SPACE is not to turn you into your child's therapist. In fact, many parents come to this program because they're exhausted from feeling like they have to constantly manage, convince, coach, or negotiate around food. Instead, we focus on helping you make strategic changes to your responses and family patterns. You are not expected to provide therapy, conduct food exposures, or become a feeding specialist. And contrary to what many parents fear, SPACE is often particularly helpful when a child is resistant to direct intervention.

The approach is based on the understanding that parents have tremendous influence on the environment around eating—even when their child appears not to listen to them.

Our goal is to help you step out of the role of food police, negotiator, or therapist and into the role of a confident, supportive parent who knows how to respond effectively to food-related anxiety.

This program is not:

• A direct feeding therapy program
• A food exposure or food challenge program
• A nutrition counseling service
• Medical treatment for underlying health conditions
• A crisis intervention service
• A replacement for medical or mental health care when those services are needed

Some families benefit from combining SPACE with feeding therapy, nutrition support, psychotherapy, or medical care.

Most families complete the program in approximately 6 sessions, though recommendations may vary depending on your family's needs and goals.

The focus is on creating sustainable changes rather than quick fixes.

Not necessarily.

The primary goal is to reduce anxiety and shift family patterns that may be maintaining restrictive eating. While many families notice improvements in flexibility, confidence, and willingness around food, progress often occurs gradually and looks different for every child.

Parents commonly report:

• Less mealtime stress and conflict
• Greater confidence in how to respond to food refusal
• Reduced accommodations around eating
• Increased flexibility around food-related situations
• Improved family functioning
• Greater independence around eating

Every child is different, but our goal is to help families create conditions that support long-term change rather than relying on pressure, bargaining, or constant food negotiations.

Many of the families who enroll in SPACE feel exactly this way.

They've tried rewards, consequences, food charts, feeding therapy, cooking together, hiding foods, bribing, and countless other strategies.

SPACE offers a different approach by focusing on the anxiety cycle and the parent's role within that cycle. Many parents tell us that SPACE was the first approach that helped them understand why their child was struggling and gave them a clear roadmap for creating meaningful change at home.

Absolutely. While the 1:1 SPACE-ARFID Parent Training Program provides individualized guidance, coaching, and personalized recommendations for your family, some parents prefer a self-paced option.

If you're looking to learn the SPACE approach on your own schedule, you may be interested in the SPACE-ARFID Parent Webinar.

In this comprehensive training, you'll learn:

• The core principles of SPACE and how it applies to ARFID and selective eating
• Why anxiety—not stubbornness—is often driving feeding challenges
• How accommodations can unintentionally maintain anxiety
• Practical strategies to begin reducing accommodations while remaining supportive
• Common mistakes parents make when trying to help their child eat
• Real-life examples and actionable steps you can implement at home

The webinar is a great option for parents who:

• Prefer to learn independently
• Are not ready to commit to individual coaching
• Want an affordable introduction to the SPACE approach
• Live outside of Florida or are exploring whether SPACE is the right fit for their family

Many families start with the webinar and later choose to pursue 1:1 support if they would like personalized guidance.

Check out our web-based version here.

Still unsure which option is right for you?

Contact us and we'd be happy to help you determine whether the webinar or individualized coaching would best meet your family's needs.