Benefits of Therapy – Sam Feels Better Now! An Interactive Story for Children
Read the Most Recent Review of Sam Feels Better Now! and Interactive Story for Children.
Benefits of Therapy – Sam Feels Better Now! An Interactive Story for Children
The Worry Wars: An Anxiety Workbooks for Kids and Their Helpful Adults!
I receive frequent referrals for children who experience some type of anxiety, and I found a wonderful resource by Paris Goodyear-Brown titled, The Worry Wars: An Anxiety Workbooks for Kids and Their Helpful Adults!. In this book there are three stories addressing three different types of anxiety children might struggle with ; “Daniel the Dragon Slayer,” “Polly vs. Princess Perfect,” and “Oscar and Clyde, the Clinging Octupus.” The illustrations are black and white color-book style and fun, so you could easily have your child color the pages as you read. After that, there are many techniques, activities and reproducible pages that therapists can use, to help their clients cope with anxiety. Some of the activities include shields, bubble blow, and my favorite, the worry worms. I have used the stories over and over with children. They are really helpful metaphors explaining anxiety in a way that children can grasp. I would recommend this resource to others who help children work through anxiety issues, and look forward to trying other recourses by Paris Goodyear-Brown. You can purchase this book, other resources, read her biography, and find out about her counseling services at her website, Paris and Me
Favorite Therapeutic Activities for Children, Adolescents and Families: Practitioners Share their Most Effective Interventions
I am always looking for free or low cost resources, as I am a therapist on a budget (and I am sure there are many of you out there like me!). With so much info on the web it’s hard to narrow down what’s good, what’s not, and how I can find the resources I need for my clients without spending a fortune. That’s why I am soooo glad that I was sent this free copy of Favorite Therapeutic Activities for Children, Adolescents and Families: Practitioners Share their Most Effective Interventions, Edited By Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S.
This ebook is a compilation of over 100 pages of techniques submitted by multiple therapists. It is divided in to different sections: 1. Engagement and Assessment Interventions, 2. Treatment Interventions, and 3. Termination Interventions. Each intervention lists goals of the intervention, materials, advanced preparation, and detailed instructions. As I read through some of the descriptions, I found them easy to follow and detailed enough that I felt that I could easily follow the intervention. The list of contributors includes 35 different therapists, many of which are authors/presenters themselves. The best part is, that the interventions come from various treatment models, including family, sandtray, and more directive, and also integrative models. I love this, as I pull from various theories myself, and therapists from different backgrounds will all be able to glean from this book due to the wide range of ideas. I recommend this book to any child/adolescent/family therapist looking for creative ideas for their clients, as it is FREE!!! and FULL of creative interventions. What do you have to lose? I will be using this resource for a long time, and can’t wait to try some of the ideas with my clients.
Liana Lowenstein is a presenter and also author of multiple books including:
1. Paper Dolls & Paper Airplanes: Therapeutic Exercises for Sexually Traumatized Children (with Crisci & Lay)
2. Creative Interventions for Troubled Children & Youth
3. Creative Interventions for Children of Divorce.
4. Creative Interventions for Bereaved Children.
5. NEWEST PUBLICATION: Creative Family Therapy Techniques: Play, Art, and Expressive Activities to Engage Children in Family Sessions
She has edited: Volumes One and Two of Assessment and Treatment Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families: Practitioners Share Their Most Effective Techniques, and will be launching Volume Three this year.
To sign up for the free ebook, visit Liana Lowenstein’s website and sign up for her free monthly newsletter. You can also view her upcoming workshops.
Guest Today: AnnaMarie Squailia, author of “The Hidden Swan.”
About AnnaMarie
AnnaMarie Squailia homeschooled her children for eight years and made reading an important part of that process. She knew through reading her children’s eyes would be open to the classics, and would help her children develop strong communications skills. AnnaMarie served as a youth pastor, an associate pastor, and a Girl Scout Leader for several years. Through her experiences with both her own children and the children she mentored, she saw a need to create interactive books that gave children a safe haven to share their thoughts and challenges. The Hidden Swan is the first in a series of books that encourage communication and builds self-confidence.
Synopsis of “The Hidden Swan”
By using the story of the Ugly Duckling The Hidden Swan weaves self-help material into the questions and activities in the Character Building Section. There are both easy and hard questions and low cost activities, which makes them perfect for a wide age range.
The Hidden Swan helps builds the foundation of communication which every parent wants when their children reaches those turbulent teenage years.
Like every other skill, it takes practice. The Hidden Swan help adults start conversations with the children they love, helping them develop effective communication skills. After the Character Building Section, there is a section of possible answers to the questions. This acts like a springboard to help adults dive into a conversation with their children. Tough times require strong communication skills for all of us.
What age/population is appropriate for your book?
6-9 years old
What kinds of activities and topics are discussed in the book?
The topics discussed in the book are; Overcoming Loneliness, Being Brave, Being Responsible, Preventing Bullying, Recognizing Differences in Others, Self-Acceptance, and Surviving Hardships.
Below are three activities I have in the book.
Blindfold your mother or father and then lead them around your house. How are you responsible for them? How would you feel if someone was leading you around blindfolded and let you run into something?
Trace your child’s hand on a piece of paper two times. For the first tracing, have all of the fingers and the thumb spread out. This will look more like a turkey. For the second tracing have the fingers together and the thumb spread out. This will look more like a swan. Have your child color the spread out tracing as ugly as possible. Have your child color the second one beautifully. Talk about how both are the same hand, but one looks ugly and one looks beautiful. Discuss that what is inside is the most important, not how people see the outside.
Make a large flower out of construction paper. On each petal, write down one thing that makes you unique and special. Ask your friends and family members what they think makes you special and unique, and add those things to the flower petals. Put the flower on your bedroom door to remind you how special your really are.
What was your inspiration for writing this book?
While I was homeschooling, I always looked for books that I could teach life events with the story. Not finding them, I would make up questions to ask my children. People would comment on how wonderful they were and would ask me for my secret. It was building the lines of communication with them.
I had always wanted to write a book but was afraid. One day I thought I am just going to do it no matter how scary it is. It was easy after I decided to do it.
Do you have another job besides writing? What is it?
For the last 13 years, I have worked fulltime at a casino. Right now, I am in the games department. I know how to deal most of the games in the club. I have also had an on-call job as well for those 13 years. I worked my fulltime job at night when the kids were sleeping. Then would home school them during the days. I gave up being a Girl Scout Leader when I started writing The Hidden Swan. The kids chose to go to high school so now I am just working my two jobs, promoting The Hidden Swan, and working on another book. I am asked a lot how I do it because I have also been a single mom for those 13 years. I tell people you can do anything you choose to do.
What other books or projects are you working on?
I am so close to finishing my second book. I am expecting it to be ready in two months. I am looking for someone to do the cover. This one will be the Character Building Section for any Cinderella book. I wanted to have one that was low cost. If I am not paying for illustrations or a hard cover I can offer it for a lower price. It will be like a self-help (Cliff Notes) for Cinderella.
Sam’s Saw Something Scary!
Sam has seen something scary! After seeing the scary thing, Sam is experiencing some problems in his life. Can you help him to feel better? You Can! In “Sam Feels Better Now!: An Interactive Story for Children” you can help him to feel better by reading about Sam, his problems, and drawing pictures and telling stories about Sam.
Another Children’s Trauma Book??
What kind of book is it? Is it a picture book? I am asked. Well, yes, but…
It is not just a picture book! It is interactive. It has activities, like drawing and storytelling so that the child can interact with the main character, Sam. He or she will feel like they are helping him learn how to cope, all the while learning how to cope with their own situation. Also, I have included a therapist guide in the back to encourage further reading about children, play, and trauma. It will also show theoretical background for the book itself, and answer some of the questions adults may have.
Play Therapy Trainer, Supervisor, Counselor