Healing Days: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma

by Susan Farber Straus, Susan Farber Strauss, Maria Bogade (Illustrator)

Overview

This story follows a child who has had an unspecified bad thing happen that is difficult to reveal, and is causing much distress. The child is given effective ways to deal with her/his feelings (strategies based on trauma-focused cognitive behavioral approaches) and begins to recover from the experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433812927
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	05/28/2013
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	63,553
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

Editorial Reviews

Sadly, sometimes children do experience trauma. It could be something bad or scary that happens to them personally, or it could be something that happens to someone they love. Children may feel sad, angry, upset, or confused about what has happened to them. As a result, at times, these same children will blame themselves for the trauma. Children need to know that whatever happened is not their fault. They do not have any reason to blame themselves. This loving, understanding book is written from children's point of view. The children explain how they feel, how they aren't focusing in school, how they may have gotten in trouble, and how they think about themselves. The honesty of the author's writing will help children who are experiencing trauma to connect with the children in the book. Children will learn that talking to a parent, another adult, or a therapist will help them. They will learn strategies to help themselves if they are put in a dangerous situation. In addition, they will understand that the feelings they experience are normal. The beautifully-drawn illustrations show the feelings and emotion of the children in the book. This informational book is an excellent tool for parents, teachers, and therapists to use in helping children who have experienced trauma to begin the healing process. Reviewer: Cathi I. White

Children's Literature - Cathi I. White

10/01/2013
Gr 1–6—This book's purpose is to reassure young trauma victims who have experienced "bad and scary things"-perhaps physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. In general terms and simple language, a first-person text describes how each of four children might feel if something bad or scary happened, and how that feeling might cause them to act negatively in one way or another. It also assures readers that they will recover and offers a few strategies and suggestions to use to feel safer and more confident. The book is intended to be used with an adult or as a self-help tool; however, the print is quite small and would be difficult for a younger child to read alone. Color illustrations demonstrate the actions the text is describing; at times, the children are each shown in a series of boxes on the same page, which can be a bit confusing. Perhaps, though, the intention is to underline the idea that all kinds of children everywhere are vulnerable. Because of its usefulness as a therapeutic tool and the scarcity of material on the subject, libraries might want to purchase this title.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

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