Parenting Anxiety: Breaking the Cycle of Worry and Raising Resilient Kids

On April 27, 2026, Roland Park Country School welcomed author, clinical psychologist, and RPCS alumna Dr. Meredith Elkins, 2002 to campus to talk about her new book, Parenting Anxiety: Breaking the Cycle of Worry and Raising Resilient Kids. Watch the video recording from her discussion here. This timely and practical guide explores the powerful connection between parent and child anxiety, offering evidence-based strategies to help families break free from worry and build resilience. 

 

A clinical psychologist specializing in the research and treatment of anxiety and related disorders in children and families, Dr. Elkins is the co-program director of the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program (MAMP), an intensive outpatient program at McLean Hospital for youth with anxiety disorders and OCD, and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Elkins also has a private practice dedicated to addressing anxiety in new and expectant mothers and in parents. Her work has been featured in media outlets including The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The Harvard Gazette.

 

Dr. Elkins led a fascinating and thought-provoking discussion with RPCS Head of School Joan Smith, HA about ways to reframe anxiety, build resilience, and consider how our choices will affect our children in the long run. She explained how avoidance can fuel anxiety and that while avoiding something uncomfortable makes us feel better in the short-term, it often creates a trap. “If avoidance is our coping strategy, it makes us less resilient,” Dr. Elkins told the audience. Instead, she encouraged parents to practice engaging in what makes them uncomfortable and take opportunities to do hard things, both to model the behavior for their children and to feel more empowered. She reiterated that uncomfortable emotions are painful, but not dangerous, and that by acknowledging that they are normal and projecting confidence, both parents and children can build resilience.

 

Throughout her talk, Dr. Elkins also shared several practical tips and strategies on combating perfectionism, offering supportive statements to build positive narratives, and balancing warmth and limits for our children. She suggested that parents ask themselves if their behaviors are helping their children grow or keeping them stuck and work to identify their own personal values to help shape their responses to uncomfortable feelings. Our community learned so much from the discussion and her book!