We are now in the throes of an anxiety pandemic. Children and teenagers are being diagnosed in increasing numbers with anxiety disorders. Suicide rates are on the rise. Parents are rightfully worried.

The Mayo Clinic Anxiety Coach is a groundbreaking program in book form, for parents of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders or obsessive compulsive disorder. When children have anxiety disorders they are very afraid, nervous, or worried about typical daily experiences that would not bother most children their age. For some kids with OCD, rather than feeling nervous or worried, they feel "grossed-out" by things or feel the need to make things "just-right." In both cases, children feel anxious or upset, even when there is nothing happening around them that would frighten or bother most other kids.

This book is the first of its kind to give parents the tools to carry out exposure therapy with their child at home. It is born from Dr. Whiteside's gold standard exposure therapy program at Mayo Clinic, which pioneers the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders, phobias and OCD with exposure therapy, by offering therapy to children and their parents. Treatment for anxiety disorders and OCD involves helping kids learn through facing their fears in a series of scenarios, showing them that they were more nervous than they really needed to be. Parents are included in exposure therapy in Dr. Whiteside's program, so they can learn what anxiety is, what exposure therapy is and how to use one to treat the other.

Dr. Whiteside wants children and their parents to leave his program knowing how to practice exposure therapy and to be able to use the skills and tools at home.This practical and supportive book will guide them in their efforts to help their children lead happy, healthy, anxiety-free lives.