The Parenting Pair Podcast
Should I Push My Anxious Teen... or Let it Go, and Pull Back?
07.16.2025
Episode 11: Should I Push My Anxious Teen… or Let It Go and Pull Back?
What should parents do when a teen says, "I can't do it" — whether it's going to school, trying out for a team, or facing a social situation? In this episode, child and adolescent clinical psychologists, Dr. Suzanne Allen and Dr. Annalise Caron, dive deep into this common parenting dilemma: Should you push your teen to do hard things—or back off?
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21:05
Episode 11: Should I Push My Anxious Teen… or Let It Go and Pull Back?
What should parents do when a teen says, "I can't do it" — whether it's going to school, trying out for a team, or facing a social situation? In this episode, child and adolescent clinical psychologists, Dr. Suzanne Allen and Dr. Annalise Caron, dive deep into this common parenting dilemma: Should you push your teen to do hard things—or back off?
This insightful episode explores how to support adolescents facing anxiety, avoidance, or depression with empathy, strategy, and connection. Drawing from evidence-based practices like exposure therapy, the hosts offer four essential parenting principles to help you encourage your child without adding pressure or power struggles.
You'll learn:
- Why anxiety is a normal part of adolescent development—and when it becomes a concern
- How to tell the difference between helpful encouragement and unhelpful pushing
- Helpful strategy #1 “Zooming out” if your teen is melting down.
- Helpful strategy #2 Compassion (for yourself and your teen) is a superpower during anxious moments.
- Helpful Strategy #3: Regulate Yourself! Parental emotional reactions impact teen behavior and resilience
- Helpful Strategy #4: Stay on the same team with your teen—even when your teen doesn’t act like a teammate
- When to consider seeking professional mental health support
Whether you're dealing with school refusal, performance anxiety, or general emotional overwhelm, this episode gives you actionable tools and a calming framework for parenting with connection and confidence.
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Episode Keywords
teen anxiety, parenting teens, adolescent mental health, school refusal, avoidance behavior, exposure therapy, parenting support, emotional regulation, teenage depression, mental health help for teens, anxious teen, how to help anxious teenager, parenting strategies, teen development, therapy for teens, compassionate parenting
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