For parents · Books by Emily Pierce
Books for parents of anxious kids and kids with OCD
Practical, evidence-based guides for the moments that happen at home: the morning meltdown, the fifth “are you sure?”, the worry that will not go away at bedtime. Written by an OCD and anxiety therapist who is also a mom.
All three are available in paperback on Amazon. By Emily Pierce, MS, LPC-A, LCMHC-A.
Where to start
Three books, three different needs
Pick the one that matches what is happening in your home right now.
Your child has OCD
You need exact words for reassurance-seeking, rituals, and accommodation.
Your child is anxious
School refusal, perfectionism, meltdowns, and social worries, in short sections you can read between everything else.
You want to read it together
A picture-book story for ages 5 to 9 that helps kids see how worries grow and shrink.
For parents of children with OCD
The Parent’s Survival Guide to Childhood OCD
What to say, what not to say, and how to stop feeding OCD.
“Don’t reassure” is easy advice and hard to follow at 9 p.m. with a crying child. This guide turns it into the exact words to use, and shows you how to support your child’s ERP treatment at home without accidentally making OCD stronger.
- The OCD cycle and how treatment breaks it
- Validation versus reassurance, with ready-to-use scripts for contamination, harm, scrupulosity, health, “just right,” and relationship themes
- Spotting hidden mental compulsions
- Reducing family accommodation gently
- Worksheets: ERP ladder, weekly progress tracker, family agreement, panic cheat sheet, and a first-week action plan
Comfort the child. Don’t comfort the OCD.
Paperback, 55 pages. Published July 2026.
For busy parents of anxious kids
Raising Resilient Minds
The busy parent’s workbook.
Strategies I use in my practice and at home, in eight short sections that each take 10 to 15 minutes. Start with whichever one matches what is happening in your house this week.
- Why anxiety does not always look like fear, and how loving responses can keep it in place
- Morning anxiety and school refusal, with a step-by-step plan
- Social anxiety: support without rescuing
- Perfectionism, rigidity, and meltdowns: what to do, say, and avoid
- Boundaries, validation, guilt, and your own self-care
- A pull-out Quick Reference Script Guide sorted by situation and your child’s age
Paperback, 36 pages. Published June 2026.
To read together · Ages 5 to 9
The Story of Ollie the Worry Monster
A story about worries that get bigger when you feed them.
Ollie lives in the worry part of the brain, whispering “What if your hands are dirty?” and “What if you forgot?” He doesn’t eat the worry itself. He eats what you do about it. Washing again, checking again, or asking again makes him grow. Carrying on with your day leaves him hungry, and he shrinks.
- Written at a first-grade reading level, with Ollie drawn to size on every page so kids can watch him grow and shrink
- Helpful for OCD, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, reassurance-seeking, and bedtime worries
- A “Brave Book” activity section: draw your Ollie, track four weeks of brave days, and earn a Certificate of Brave
- A “For Grown-Ups” section on what to say instead, and why a worry can get louder before it gets quieter
Paperback, 58 pages. Published September 2026. Therapists and school counselors: it works well as a session read-aloud with activity pages as homework.
Therapy Haven Resource Library
More tools for individuals and families
The books are a starting point. The Resource Library adds practical, evidence-informed tools you can download and use at home, with new materials added regularly.
The library is hosted on Patreon, so you can browse the tiers, pick the one that suits you, and cancel whenever you want.
Inside the family collection
- Better understand anxiety and OCD
- Recognize intrusive thoughts and compulsions
- Learn how Exposure and Response Prevention works
- Support a child or family member with anxiety or OCD
- Build healthier coping and communication skills
- Feel more informed and less alone