As a mum of two daughters, one of whom has an anxiety condition, Katrina Batey understands first-hand the unique challenges that come with parenting an anxious child. Through her own journey, she recognised how deeply parents need support too – both emotionally and practically – and this inspired her to create her business, Parenting Anxious Children. Drawing on her background in teaching, alongside a Masters in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health and an advanced diploma in mental health coaching, Katrina has also trained to deliver proven, parent-led techniques for overcoming childhood anxiety, including the S.P.A.C.E. Anxiety Treatment Program from the Yale Child Study Centre. She now works virtually with families across the UK and worldwide, helping parents learn effective strategies to support anxious children, build resilience and confidence and help their whole family flourish.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
When my daughter started primary school at four years old, she was completely silent there for months. At home, she was a chatterbox – confident, expressive and full of personality – but in certain environments and around certain people, she would completely freeze. I can still picture the fear in her eyes, like a deer caught in headlights.
We soon realised that she had selective mutism, a childhood anxiety disorder where overwhelming anxiety prevents a child from speaking in specific situations. At first, we hoped she was simply shy and would grow out of it. But when we began researching selective mutism support and treatment options, we quickly discovered how important early intervention for childhood anxiety is. We also realised that other anxieties would become a challenge for her at different points, including separation anxiety, bedtime anxiety and fear of vomiting.
I threw myself into learning everything I could about how to help an anxious child, combining my professional knowledge with my role as her mum. What I discovered was both reassuring and daunting: childhood anxiety disorders are highly treatable, especially when families are supported early – but knowing this left me feeling enormous pressure to do everything “right” for my child, as fast as I could.
I found myself overwhelmed, isolated, and emotionally exhausted, trying to carry it all alone. That experience became the spark for my work today. I realised how much parents need guidance, reassurance and practical tools when supporting children with anxiety, and I felt deeply called to help other families walking a similar path. That’s why I set up Parenting Anxious Children. My mission: to support parents to know how to help their children overcome anxiety and become more confident, and to be the emotional support on this journey. My motto: you are not the problem, but you are the solution.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Initially, Parenting Anxious Children focused on supporting the emotional wellbeing of parents themselves. I trained as a mental health and wellbeing coach and began helping parents strengthen their own resilience while parenting anxious children.
During this time, I experienced two powerful lightbulb moments. The first was noticing that many children were improving even though I had never met them – I was only working with their parents. It highlighted just how connected parents’ emotional wellbeing is to their children’s.
The second realisation was that while parents valued emotional support, what they truly longed for was clarity, and practical help. They wanted to know: how do I help my anxious child? What practical steps should I take? I came to understand that parents couldn’t, or wouldn’t, prioritise their own wellbeing until their children felt better. As a mum of an anxious child myself, I completely understood this!
My daughter’s selective mutism also shaped my direction. Traditional therapy wasn’t accessible for her – she couldn’t speak with professionals and was very young. This led me to explore parent-led, evidence-based anxiety treatments that empower parents to become the key agents of change in their child’s recovery.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Parenting Anxious Children transformed when I discovered and trained in parent-led approaches to childhood anxiety, particularly the S.P.A.C.E. programme (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions). I am now a trained S.P.A.C.E. provider, supporting families seeking effective treatment for child anxiety.
S.P.A.C.E. is an evidence-based anxiety treatment that focuses on teaching parents practical strategies to reduce anxiety while strengthening connection and confidence. It was instrumental in helping our daughter overcome intense bedtime anxiety, which previously meant her calling us repeatedly for hours each night, and her selective mutism.
I’ve since supported families facing a wide range of challenges, including children struggling with separation anxiety, social anxiety, school anxiety and selective mutism. I work with parents whose children feel unable to attend clubs or playdates independently, who cannot attend school residential trips, or who rely heavily on reassurance and routines to manage anxiety. I’m a huge advocate of working with young children – early intervention is best, and really lays the strong foundations that are needed to help children manage anxiety better in adolescence, which is when anxiety can often ramp up. Earlier is also better as we parents are bigger influences in our children’s lives at this point!
It is a privilege to walk alongside parents during these journeys. Every message I receive updating me on a child’s progress brings me immense joy, because I know exactly how life-changing these shifts can be for families. And as a parent who has used these techniques, I really do know how amazing it feels to be the one bringing about these changes for your child, and seeing them step into their confidence right in front of your eyes. And the best thing is that through the work I do, the children AND the parents feel better.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
My business is deeply rooted in my experience as a mother, so being present for my children is incredibly important to me. I structure most of my work during school hours so I can be there for school drop-offs, pick-ups and after-school activities – which are especially valuable when supporting children with anxiety and building confidence in social settings.
One of the beautiful aspects of running an online parenting support business is the flexibility it offers. That said, I love working with both parents when possible, as collaborative parenting can be hugely beneficial when supporting anxious children. This often means evening sessions, so to make Parenting Anxious Children work for our family, my husband and I have become experts at coordinating calendars!
