As Head of Adolescent Mental Health Services and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at CHC, Dr. Vidya Krishnan, sees her fair share of anxious children and parents. But what if the therapy is precisely the thing they’re most anxious about? In this podcast episode, Dr. Krishnan shares ways to introduce therapy to our children: as an opportunity to learn how to use our words better and handle big emotions. By framing it as a safe space to manage hard things, allowing them to set some of their own goals, and creating incentives for them to engage, we can alleviate feelings of blame or shame and help ease any misgivings. The right therapist will take the time to build a relationship with your family, help identify pain points, and — in collaboration with you and your child — develop goals to craft a unique, customized plan towards achieving them. And when you put it that way, it doesn’t sound so scary after all.