If you’re a parent navigating the ups and downs of your child’s food allergies, you know firsthand how anxiety can sneak in, whether it’s worrying about safety at school, birthday parties, or just trying to give your child some independence. 

In this episode of Psychologists Off the Clock, Tamara Hubbard joins Emily to talk about her new book, May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies.

Their conversation doesn’t just stop at allergies, though; they dive into the bigger picture of parenting with anxiety and uncertainty and explore how anxiety, while a completely normal human experience, can sometimes take over if we don’t keep it in check. Tune in with us for practical strategies to help parents move away from over-controlling tendencies and toward building skills and confidence in their kids.

Listen and Learn: 

• Understanding the medical and emotional side of food allergies from what actually happens in the body, why they create such high anxiety for parents, and how uncertainty around reactions fuels guilt and fear
• Balancing fear with perspective and the difference between everyday vigilance and anxiety that takes over
• The “certainty trap” many allergy parents fall into, why control seeking feels protective but actually creates burnout, conflict, and limits a child’s growth, and how shifting from control to skill building can better support both parents and kids
• The “over-avoidance trap” food allergy parents can fall into, how anxiety can push families to restrict more than is medically necessary, and why finding a realistic, personalized sense of “safe enough” (with support from an allergist) is key to breaking free from constant fear
• Practical strategies for allergy parents to balance safety with living fully by shifting from fear-driven "what if" thinking to action-focused "if then" plans
• The “Goldilocks principle” for food allergy parenting and finding the just right balance of caution and calm that keeps kids safe without overwhelming anxiety
• How parents can start building confidence and safety skills in young children with food allergies (or other health conditions) from an early age, setting the foundation for independence and calm navigation as they grow
• Why the middle childhood years can help kids build self-advocacy and take ownership of their allergy care, so they are ready for adolescence
• How parents balance safety with flexibility can shape teens’ confidence and independence in managing food allergies while keeping anxiety in check

Resources: 

• Tamara’s Book, May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9781421449579 
• Tamara’s Websites: https://www.foodallergycounselor.com/ and https://www.tamarahubbardlcpc.com/ 
• Connect with Tamara on Socials: @FoodAllergyCounselor and @TherapistTamara.

About Tamara Hubbard

With more than 20 years of experience and a marriage and family therapy degree, Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC is a licensed clinical professional counselor helping women and parents of children with food allergies find their “just right” balance between feeling overwhelmed and living fully. 

Tamara created The Food Allergy Counselor in 2018 to fill a much needed resource gap by offering evidence-based food allergy anxiety management, mindset, and parenting content. She also founded the Academy of Food Allergy Counseling and its Food Allergy Counseling Directory, and currently serves as its Chief Advisor. 

An active allied health member of professional allergy and immunology organizations, Tamara is a national speaker and holds advisory roles within the allergy community. Finally, her first book, May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies with Johns Hopkins University Press comes out September 30th, 2025. 

Related Episodes:

• 424. Modern Anxiety with Noelle McWard Aquino
• 319. Autonomy-Supportive Parenting with the AMAZING Emily Edlynn
• 266. Future Tense with Tracy Dennis-Tiwary
• 260. Health Anxiety with Karen Lynn Cassiday
• 253. Free Range Kids with Lenore Skenazy
• 222. Living With Food Allergies with Tamara Hubbard
• 94. Parenthood in the Age of Fear with Kim Brooks

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