With the new school year approaching, parents have been reaching out to me to help them and their children deal with the looming anxiety of returning to school. One of the most significant manifestations of this anxiety is overthinking.

As a child and teen psychologist, I’ve seen again and again how overthinking takes a toll on kids. It hijacks their confidence, saps their energy, and affects family life ( I hear from many parents feeling depleted and burnt out). But I’ve also seen the powerful change that can happen when a parent stops reacting to the overthinking and begins responding with strategy and compassion.

Here are four real-world (names changed) examples based on counseling practice and my upcoming book, Freeing Your Child from Overthinking, of how parents I coached made this crucial shift, and what happened when they did. (These examples are not meant to be firm........

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