I'm Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC - a licensed therapist, national speaker, author of May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies (Johns Hopkins University Press), and founder of both FoodAllergyCounselor.com and the Academy of Food Allergy Counseling and its therapist directory. My monthly emails share practical tips on managing food allergy anxiety, caregiver stress, and the emotional impact of managing food allergies, plus allergy community news and my book updates. I look forward to connecting!
Halloween and Food Allergies
Hi Reader, With October comes Halloween - and a flurry of thoughts swirling around in the minds' of parents of kids with food allergies. "How should we approach Trick-or-Treating?"
"Should I even let my child Trick-or-Treat?"
"If we do, how do we balance safety and fun?"
The truth is, the answers to these questions come from a shared decision-making process between parents, their child, and sometimes even the allergist. (I highly encourage you to call your healthcare team to ask safety questions if you need help in making this decision). To help with this decision-making process, consider the following factors:
No matter what you decide, be sure to allow space for your child's input and questions. Especially if the outcome is not what your child had hoped for, they'll have thoughts to share - and that's okay. Give them space to share big thoughts and feelings, such as how disappointed they are and how their food allergy makes them feel sad, frustrated, or mad on Halloween. As parents, you can't always take away their hurt feelings, but you can be there to offer support as they work through them. If you are planning to Trick-or-Treat with your kiddo, here are a couple of children's Halloween-focused food allergy books that might help you set expectations and prepare/practice safety routines prior to Halloween: And for allergic teens and adults who still enjoy Halloween fun, but find it stressful navigating Halloween parties safely, Food Allergy Canada offers a variety of social safety tips. It's also helpful to remember the following:
As I wrap up this week's FAC Corner email, I'll leave you with this thought: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” - Stephen Hayes If you've always let your worries push you to automatically avoid situations that could be made safe enough just to feel better, consider taking a different path this Halloween. Consider how you can make Halloween fun AND safe. Remind yourself that anxious thoughts can help you plan, prepare and take safe actions, and that their presence doesn't always mean something bad will happen. Founder & CEO, The Food Allergy Counselor If you know others who would benefit from receiving The FAC's emails, please don't keep them a secret! Forward this email, this link to subscribe, or this link to past emails. And don't forget about ALL of The FAC resources on our website here to support you! Connect with The FAC on socials! |
Copyright © 2023 The Food Allergy Counselor, Inc. All rights reserved. Add Tamara@FoodAllergyCounselor.com to your email addresses so these emails don't go to spam DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical or mental healthcare advice of your own healthcare provider. By reading this email, the reader acknowledges that there is no therapist-patient relationship between them and the author(s). If you think you are observing a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 immediately. |
The Food Allergy Counselor
I'm Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC - a licensed therapist, national speaker, author of May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies (Johns Hopkins University Press), and founder of both FoodAllergyCounselor.com and the Academy of Food Allergy Counseling and its therapist directory. My monthly emails share practical tips on managing food allergy anxiety, caregiver stress, and the emotional impact of managing food allergies, plus allergy community news and my book updates. I look forward to connecting!
Hi Reader, I hope my final email of 2025 finds you and yours looking forward to (or already enjoying) the holiday season. Yes, navigating the holiday season with food allergies can evoke many emotions, including grief, sadness, and anxiety. Yet even when those emotions are present, we can still connect with joy. The joy of seeing someone smile when you give them a gift. The joy of observing excitement on children's faces. The joy of slowing down and reconnecting with friends and loved ones....
Hi Reader, If you've read the last couple of Allergy Counseling Zone emails, you already know that I'm in the full swing of fall conference season, presenting to both provider and patient populations throughout North America this fall. That means my conference prep is your gain! Having already looked at the impacts food allergy has on key development and functioning within individuals and families in the last couple of emails, let's look through the third and final lens: the systems lens....
Hi Reader, I am so excited to share this incredible news with you.... My debut book, Navigating the Overwhelm of Allergy Parenting is finally happening, and will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press! Here's the official announcement being shared on Publisher's Marketplace: "Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC, international speaker and allergy mental health expert, has signed with Johns Hopkins University Press to author a book offering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based guidance for...