Therapy For PANDAS/PANS Parents

IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND ACROSS NY

PANDAS/PANS can make you feel like your family is falling apart.

Witnessing your child's personality change before your eyes takes a huge emotional toll on a family.

As a parent, you might feel overwhelmed, sad, and afraid of how to handle the behavior changes.

You are not alone on this path.

I have walked this path personally as a PANDAS/PANS parent and I can help you navigate this challenging time in your family’s life.

What is PANDAS/PANS?

"PANDAS" stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. It's a term used to describe a set of clinical symptoms and behaviors that are linked to certain streptococcal infections.

PANDAS is considered a subset of Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), which is a broader term used to describe similar neuropsychiatric symptoms that can be triggered by various infectious or immune-related factors, not just streptococcal infections.

PANDAS/PANS can present in many ways, including:

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms (OCD): Children with PANS might develop intense and irrational fears, obsessions, or compulsions that significantly interfere with their daily activities and cause distress.

  • Tic Disorders: Motor tics (involuntary muscle movements) and/or vocal tics (involuntary vocalizations) can appear suddenly and become prominent in PANS. These tics may be repetitive and difficult to control.

  • Anxiety and Emotional Symptoms: Increased levels of anxiety, fearfulness, panic attacks, and emotional lability are common in PANS. Children might experience mood swings, irritability, and sudden mood changes.

  • Behavioral Changes: Sudden and significant changes in behavior, such as increased aggression, oppositional behavior, emotional outbursts, and difficulty with impulse control, can be seen.

  • Cognitive Disturbances: Cognitive symptoms like problems with attention, concentration, memory, and executive functioning may arise suddenly. Children might struggle with tasks that were previously manageable.

  • Sleep Disturbances: Sleep disruptions, such as insomnia, night terrors, or restless sleep, can occur as part of PANS.

  • Sensory Sensitivities: Heightened sensitivities to sensory stimuli, like light, sound, touch, or taste, might emerge or worsen.

  • Physical Symptoms: Children with PANS may experience physical symptoms such as motor difficulties, weakness, headaches, joint pain, and other unexplained physical discomfort.

  • Regression: In some cases, children may experience regression in skills they had previously mastered, such as toileting, handwriting, or language abilities. There can also be behavioral regression where they child may act much younger than they are.

Getting the right guidance as a PANDAS/PANS parent is essential.

My Approach

PANDAS/PANS parents often need multiple therapeutic approaches to help gain back a sense of control.

I understand this on a personal level, because I am also a PANDAS/PANS parent.

  • Research has shown that the burden for parents of children and teens with PANDAS/PANS is very high. Parent support is essential to reducing the emotional toll PANDAS/PANS has on the family. I provide support, tools and guidance to navigate this path create with resilience.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy helps parents understand themselves better and therefore, shift their reactions to their child.

  • EMDR is an evidence-based therapy approach that can lower anxiety and reduce the impact of traumatic events. EMDR can be very effective for PTSD or acute stress related to PANDAS/PANS parenting.

  • Collaborative and Proactive Problem Solving is an evidence-based approach created by Dr. Ross Greene to navigate challenging behavior. Since many PANDAS/PANS families deal with push-back or anger as part of the illness, this approach helps families create realistic expectations, provide support for lagging skills, and problem-solve to create effective outcomes in a collaborative format.

  • SPACE is an evidence-based therapy approach for parents of kids and teens that have anxiety and/or OCD. SPACE can be particularly helpful for PANDAS/PANS families because the child or teen does not have to participate in the therapy, it is has been proven to effective by working with parents only. You can read about SPACE here.

You can get the right support and guidance as a PANDAS/PANS parent.