Helping Your Child Overcome ARFID with the SPACE Approach
- willowtreehealingc
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
A Parent’s Guide to Support, Hope, and Real Change
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) can leave families feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and unsure how to help. Maybe mealtimes have become stressful. Maybe your child eats only a handful of “safe foods,” avoids entire textures, or has strong anxiety around vomiting, choking, or gagging. You’re not alone — and there is support that doesn’t require forcing or pressuring your child to eat.
One of the most effective, research-based ways to address ARFID is through SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions). I specialize in using the SPACE model to help parents reduce their child’s food-related anxiety and expand eating over time — without battles, bribery, or power struggles. You can learn more about my approach on my About Me page or through my Psychology Today profile.
What Is SPACE for ARFID?
SPACE is a parent-based treatment approach. That means your child does not have to attend therapy sessions for progress to happen. Instead, I work directly with you — the parent or caregiver — to reduce accommodations that unintentionally keep ARFID stuck and increase your child’s ability to cope with food-related anxiety.
Rather than focusing on eating “performance,” SPACE teaches you how to:
Decrease mealtime pressure and conflict
Reduce accommodations that reinforce fear (like preparing separate meals or packing only “safe foods”)
Speak to your child in supportive, confident language
Stay calm when anxiety shows up at the table
Set realistic, gradual expectations your child can tolerate
If you’re interested in learning more about the SPACE model itself, the Yale Child Study Center — where SPACE originated — offers helpful information for parents and professionals.
Signs Your Child Might Benefit from SPACE for ARFID
Parents often reach out when they notice:
A highly restricted list of accepted foods
Fear of choking, vomiting, or gagging
Distress over textures, smells, or colors
Avoidance of eating at school, restaurants, or social events
Reliance on nutritional drinks or supplements
Family tension around meals
For additional insight into ARFID symptoms and treatment, the Child Mind Institute and National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) provide supportive parent-friendly resources.
Why Work with a SPACE-Informed Therapist?
SPACE is evidence-based and effective for anxiety disorders and ARFID. Working with a therapist trained in SPACE ensures you’re not guessing your way through progress — you’re following a structured plan with guidance, scripts, and steady support.
In therapy, you’ll learn how to:
✔ Stop reinforcing fear without creating conflict
✔ Respond calmly when your child panics or refuses new foods
✔ Gradually reduce accommodations
✔ Handle meltdowns, resistance, and setbacks
✔ Set goals that feel doable, not overwhelming
And importantly: You’ll see progress even if your child is anxious or resistant at first.
Virginia Families: Support Close to Home
Families across Virginia — from Richmond to Roanoke, Hampton Roads to Northern Virginia — often don’t realize that there are evidence-based, parent-focused options for ARFID beyond traditional feeding therapy.
Depending on your child’s needs, you may already be connected with services like:
Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) feeding teams
UVA Children’s Hospital behavioral health and feeding services
Local registered dietitians experienced in ARFID
Occupational therapists specializing in feeding issues
SPACE can complement these services by giving parents tools to create change at home — especially when eating anxiety is the underlying challenge.
My Role in Supporting Your Family
I work closely with parents across Virginia (in person or via telehealth) to make sustainable changes at home. Sessions are practical, compassionate, and tailored to your child’s unique challenges — whether your child is five or fifteen.
You can read more about my background and approach on my Willow Tree Healing Center profile or my Psychology Today listing.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If your child is struggling with ARFID and you’re tired of navigating anxiety around food, the SPACE approach can help your family move forward — calmly and confidently.
I currently work with parents throughout Virginia using the SPACE model to address food-related anxiety and expand eating without pressure, power struggles, or shame.
You don’t have to do this alone — reach out today to get started.
Mary Willoughby Prentiss is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Virginia who provides online therapy for Willow Tree Healing Center. She enjoys transforming the lives of women, college students, kids, tweens/teens, and families through providing communication strategies, coping skills that work, allowing a safe space to be heard, and actively working towards helping you with your challenges. She is certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (ages 2-7) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, counsels substance abuse in teens and adults, and practices Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy.