Retired Psychologist and Author
Books
What to do When It's Not Fair: A Kid's Guide to Handling Envy and Jealousy
(Gold Medal Winner, Mom's Choice Award)
As children develop a sense of moral right and wrong, it is not uncommon for them to struggle with concepts of fairness. Children normally pass through stages of fairness being defined as exact equal distribution of resources to later stages of understanding merit-focused or need-based considerations. And then there is the difficulty of coping with not getting what you want, learning to share, and managing frustration. For some children this process presents real challenges.
Of course, friendly pirates can face the same kinds of challenges. A pirate may grow envious if their attention is drawn to another pirate with a bigger treasure of gold and train his narrow spyglass on this perceived inequity. Our pirate may then forget all the treasure in his own ship (including his mates). In addition to helping children broaden their awareness, this book teaches them how self-talk influences perceptions and feelings. As they are encouraged to re-evaluate and challenge unhelpful thoughts, topics of empathy and personal balance are also introduced.
What to do When You Feel Too Shy: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Social Anxiety
(Finalist, Foreword's INDIES Book Award
Winner, National Parenting Publication Awards)
Every child experiences times when they feel shy. For some, their anxiety about social situations may result in extreme distress when they feel that others are focused on them. Or, they may refuse to attend birthday parties or join activities where they must meet new children (or even friends in an unfamiliar setting).
Of course, circus performers often find find themselves in the spotlight and must learn to manage their discomfort. Through examples and exercises, members of our circus troupe teach social skills, assertiveness, problem-solving, and new ways of thinking to help them participate more confidently in social situations.
What to do When Mistakes Make you Quake: A Kid's Guide to Accepting Imperfection
(Selected for READING IS FUNDAMENTAL'S Social Emotional Learning Collection)
While we want our children to do well in school and activities, some have difficulty accepting their inevitable mistakes. For some, this may take the form of self-imposed pressure and frequent upset when challenges are not easily overcome. For others, fear of mistakes may lead to avoidance of activities. But taking risks is a vital part of learning and emotional growth.
What if an explorer couldn't accept wrong turns or unsuccessful efforts? What if, instead, they blamed others or became overwhelmed and stopped trying? As children are introduced to the connections between their thoughts, feelings, and behavior, they learn to recognize types of thinking that may interfere with taking valuable risks and come to accept their own imperfection.
What to Do When You Feel Too Shy is a book about handling your social anxiety. I learned that “when you have strong feelings of embarrassment or worries about others laughing at you or criticizing you, you might not join in on cool activities and you might miss the fun.” This is called social anxiety. I also learned that when you have a trigger, it usually creates worry thoughts that make you feel anxious. Then, the anxiety comes up and says, “Get out of here!” There are different kinds of worry thoughts, such as: mind-reading thoughts, spotlight thoughts, and self-doubting thoughts. I liked reading the stories about different kids, and I liked the examples used to illustrate the book’s concepts. In a way, this is like a workbook because there are places to write down your own thoughts and try strategies. I can apply some of these to my real life. For example, today I met a new friend at school. I tried to use some of the conversation skills from this book, like “ask questions” and “make comments.” I also liked the section where you can get rid of worry thoughts by relaxing. Did you know that there are different ways to relax? You can move, make, connect, or chill! I think this will be a great book for any kid.
Reviewed By: Susan Faith - Age 9 (kidsbookbuzz.com)
What to Do When Fear Interferes: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Phobias
Lots of kids are a little afraid of some things, like heights or spiders. But some kids are so afraid that it stops them from having fun. What to Do When Fear Interferes guides children and the adults in their lives through strategies and techniques based on cognitive-behavior principles. This interactive self-help book is an informative resource for educating, motivating, and empowering children to overcome their fears---so they can blast off to new adventures!
Depression
A Teen's Guide to Survive and Thrive
Inside its pages teen readers will learn what depression is, how it can derail you, and effective ways to take care of yourself if you are depressed. Full of useful information, helpful self-reflections quizzes, and easy-to-do exercises, and based firmly on cognitive-behavioral principles, this book will provide you with a concrete plan that could make a huge difference in your health and well-being--a difference that lasts.
"This engaging and well-written book offers a user-friendly, accessible version of CBT for adolescent depression. It provides up-to-date and practical information on what depressed teenagers can do right now to start feeling better."
--Paul Rohde, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Oregon Research Institute
"This book is praised for accessible language and relatability for younger teens, which is great, because poor mental health starts so much earlier than society is set up to handle."
--Book Riot
Yes I Can! A Girl and Her Wheelchair
(Selected for READING IS FUNDAMENTAL'S Social Emotional Learning Collection)
Carolyn is a happy, energetic, caring first-grader who just happens to be in a wheelchair! She's excited to start her new year of school and make new friends. Yes I Can! follows Carolyn on a typical day at home, at school, and even on a field trip!
A Note to Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers with more information on discussing disabilities with children and helping them to build positive, empathic relationships.
Psychology for Kids:
The Science of the Mind and Behavior
Introduces kids to the science of psychology, with chapters on the brain, personality, emotions, social relationships, and more. Accompanied by colorful illustrations of psychology's big ideas, and lots of hands-on experiments to try at home, there's no better way to dive into the fascinating science of the mind and behavior. Why do we sleep? What are feelings? How do we make decisions? How do we learn? Psychology helps us ask and answer these big questions about ourselves, others, and the world around us.
"A useful and engaging overview of the science of mind and behavior."
"This very timely book should prove enormously helpful to parents, teachers, librarians, and especially children. Designed"
What to Do When the News Scares You: A Kid's Guide to Understanding Current Events
Whether it's news of a fire, a catastrophic weather event, crime, or an epidemic, hearing about current events can be frightening and hard to understand. This interactive guide for elementary-aged children helps students understand how the process of news reporting can add to the scariness of events. Strategies to maintain perspective and actively cope with worries are presented in a child-friendly format.
"From Knowledge Comes Power Over Emotions"
Published by Magination Press
Order through your local independent bookstore,
or through
Magination Press
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Translations
Our books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. For information about these translations and inquiries into additional subsidiary rights, please contact Magination Press http://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/
