How Parents Can Use SPACE-Based Strategies to Support Their Missionary Sons and Daughters
Preparing a child for missionary service can be a time filled with anticipation and joy. Sometimes that excitement is accompanied by anxiety. In our desire to support our missionary sons and daughters, we must consider strategies that will lead to greater emotional self-reliance and spiritual strength. Emerging research shows that parents can significantly increase emotional self-reliance in their children by changing how they respond to their child’s anxiety.
SPACE Is Clinically Proven to Reduce Anxiety
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a parent-focused, evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at Yale. It places parents—not the child—at the center of treatment. In a randomized controlled trial involving 124 children aged 7–14, SPACE was found to be noninferior to traditional child-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in reducing anxiety symptoms. Moreover, SPACE outperformed CBT in significantly reducing parental accommodation—the ways parents unwittingly reinforce anxiety by rescuing or reassuring too much
Why SPACE Matters for Missionary Preparation
Missionaries face unique emotional stressors: spiritual uncertainty, homesickness, interpersonal conflicts, and occasional emotional isolation. When parents step in to fix or reassure—even with love—they risk unintentionally reinforcing the idea that these stressful experiences are unsafe or unmanageable. SPACE encourages parents to:
Reduce accommodation, such as rescuing spiritual doubts or interceding with leaders, teachers, and peers.
Increase supportive statements, such as validating feelings and expressing confidence in the missionary’s capacity to grow.
This helps young adults internalize resilience-building “emotional scripts” that echo their own future self-talk.
The Two-Part SPACE Communication Strategy
SPACE teaches parents to reframe emotional interactions with two core components:
Validation — Acknowledge spiritual and emotional discomfort (“I know this is hard…”).
Confidence — Express trust in their maturity and spiritual agency (“…and I believe you have what it takes to navigate this”).
Together, these form a scaffold of empathetic encouragement rather than rescue.
Applying SPACE Before and During the Mission
For many devout families, anxiety doesn’t show up as defiance or refusal. It often presents as spiritual uncertainty, emotional overwhelm, or self-doubt. Likewise, parental accommodation isn’t always obvious—it can be cloaked in spiritual devotion, emotional closeness, or deep concern. These accommodations, though well-intentioned, can unintentionally reinforce anxiety and inhibit the development of spiritual self-efficacy.
The SPACE model invites parents to reduce these accommodations and instead offer consistent, supportive messages grounded in validation and confidence.
Below are some culturally sensitive examples of what this shift looks like:
These shifts clarify the role of a loving, involved parent. Rather than soothing every fear, parents become coaches in courage, gently guiding their missionaries toward emotional and spiritual independence. Parents can help their missionaries build internal emotional resilience that parallels their spiritual testimony by consistently replacing accommodation with grounded support.
Mission Prep for Anxiety
Psychological research confirms that reducing accommodation supports long-term anxiety remission—it doesn’t just soothe symptoms. For missionary parents, this means they’re preparing their children not only with gospel knowledge but with spiritual self-efficacy: the capacity to carry anxiety, lean on faith, and act with agency.
In Their Letters, Be Their Emotional Compass
Your letters home can be lifelines—offering warmth without rescue. Try this structure:
1. Acknowledge: “I sense how much you care and how emotionally heavy this week felt.”
2. Affirm: “That shows noble commitment. I trust in your heart and your capacity for spiritual growth.”
3. Encourage: “If you don’t feel it now, remember faith often grows in the silences. You’re exactly where you need to be.”
These messages help your missionary internalize resilience when they can’t hear your voice.
Start Space Treatment in Provo, UT
Missionary service is a time of becoming, and the emotional growth your child will experience is sacred. As parents, we can shift from rescuers to grounded encouragers, helping them return spiritually empowered, resilient, and ready to live a lifetime of faith and emotional courage. If you're preparing your child for missionary service and want to foster emotional resilience, SPACE treatment in Provo, UT, can help. Start your therapy journey with Mountain Home Center for Religious and Moral OCD by following these simple steps:
Reach out through my contact page or directly at claire@mountainhomeocd.com.
Meet with a compassionate OCD therapist.
Begin your journey toward healthier, more empowered ways to manage OCD symptoms.
Explore Tailored Support at Mountain Home Center
At Mountain Home Center, I provide compassionate, evidence-based treatment for a variety of OCD themes, anxiety disorders, and relationship challenges. SPACE treatment isn’t the only service I offer. My approach is personalized to meet your specific needs, whether you're navigating scrupulosity, relationship OCD, or general anxiety. Understanding the cultural and spiritual concerns of Latter-day Saints and others seeking faith-compatible care, I am dedicated to helping you find balance and peace. My goal is to support your mental well-being while honoring your values and spiritual path.
