Anxiety is the most common emotional problem in children, and rates continue to rise.

Some children and adolescents harbor explicit fears: of vomiting, snakes, their parents dying, or global crises such as war and climate change. Others develop elaborate rituals, such as compulsive counting or hand-washing, and still others exhibit intense inflexibility, perfectionism, and meltdowns. Where do these issues come from? How do we, as parents and guardians, know when they are a normal part of child/adolescent development, and when there is reason for concern or to seek professional support? What pragmatic strategies can we use to manage these anxieties and related behaviors when they arise – including at times when we ourselves may share their fears? How can we help our children develop resilience and the coping skills to handle – perhaps even thrive in the face of – life’s many hardships? Please join Dr. Hershberg for an interactive conversation aimed at addressing all of these important questions, followed by Q&A to address any unique concerns.

Dr. Rebecca Hershberg is a clinical psychologist, parenting coach, author, and public speaker who has been helping parents with their kids (and vice versa) for more than two decades through her extensive work in private practice, schools, major medical centers, and community-based organizations. She obtained her B.A. from Yale University (summa cum laude), and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Prior to founding her current practice, Dr. Hershberg served as the Director of Training and Quality for Healthy Steps at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, a preventive mental health program that gained national and international attention for its integration of mental health professionals within primary care pediatrics. While at Montefiore, she held an assistant professorship in the Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she taught both pediatric residents and medical students.

Dr. Hershberg is the author of The Tantrum Survival Guide: Tune In to Your Toddler’s Mind (and Your Own) to Calm the Craziness and Make Family Fun Again (Guilford Press), and has been published and cited frequently in the media. She is a co-host of Beyond the Sessions, a special weekly segment of Securely Attached, a top-rated podcast focused on psychologically informed, research-based information about parenting, child development, and the fundamentals of fostering secure attachment relationships between caregivers and children.

Dr. Hershberg currently lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband and two sons, both of whom keep her busier – though also smiling! – more than any of the above.