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Psychologist
pens childrens' book series
(December
2005 Issue)
Self-help books for children. It's as if no one had ever thought
of it. When Exeter, N.H.-based psychologist Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.,
started looking for a practical guide that children could use to
work through issues of depression or anxiety, she found that, while
the adult versions of these books are falling off the shelves in
bookstores, those geared toward children simply don't exist.
So she decided to write them herself.
Seeing a need and filling it are two different things and getting
the books published took a bit longer than Huebner had hoped. But,
now that the first in what looks to be a long series has hit the
shelves, it seems that it was all worth the wait.
Huebner spoke with New England Psychologist's Catherine
Robertson Souter about her book series, her efforts in getting it
published and the feedback she has received to date.
Q: First, tell us about the book that was just released.
A: "What To Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming
Anxiety" was released Sept. 15 by Magination Press, the children's
division of APA books. The book is geared toward anxious six to
12-year-olds and their parents. It guides them through the cognitive-behavioral
techniques most often used in the treatment of generalized anxiety.
It's an interactive book with space for children to draw and write
about their own experiences to help them assimilate what they are
learning.
Q: What kind of response has the book received?
A: It has been enthusiastically received by both parents and professionals
and, probably most importantly, by kids. People are saying that
the books are really usable and that the strategies really work.
Kids themselves like them so it doesn't become another struggle
between the parent and the child. The testimonial I am proudest
of came from a nine-year-old who told me, "It's like one of those
mystery books when you can't wait to hear what is in the next chapter."
There is a fair amount out there now that talks to kids about an
issue, like "what is anxiety" but these go a step further by giving
kids information about what you can do and how to do it. One of
the things that I am excited about is that this is a model I created
for an interactive self-help book. The model is a combination of
three things: using metaphors to illustrate a point, having kids
think about their own experience and draw and write about it and
some direct teaching
Q: The book is the first in a series?
A: Yes. We are calling the series the "What To Do" Guides For Kids.
The next two books are finished and sitting on my editor's desk,
waiting for a final "tweaking." Then they will go through the design
and illustration process.
The second one is called, "What To Do When You Grumble Too Much:
A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Negativity." It will be in bookstores
early next summer. The third is, "What To Do When Your Brain Gets
Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD." That one is slated for
winter 2006.
I am really excited about both of those books. There is nothing
that I know of that addresses negative cognitive style in the current
children's literature, and the OCD book goes far beyond anything
that is currently on the market in terms of teaching children actual
strategies. The negativity book was a little tricky to write. Kids
who are worriers know that they are worriers and are often looking
for help. Kids who are negative don't always realize that they are
negative and they can be kind of defensive when that's pointed out
to them. So, finding a way to present that that would not trigger
defensiveness was challenging.
Books number four and five will be about depression and low frustration
tolerance. We have also talked about a handful of other topics.
Q: How did you get involved with writing books? Would you call
yourself a psychologist who writes or a writer who does therapy?
A: I am definitely a psychologist who writes rather than an
author who happens to do therapy. I was trained psychodynamically
at the University of Michigan, but over the years have shifted to
a cognitive-behavioral perspective. I am intrigued by solution-focused
therapy and use pieces of that as well.
That being said, I love the process of writing. This particular
book, and actually the whole series, had been incubating in my mind
for a long time. It felt good to finally get it down on paper. It
took several years to get the first book published. I had pitched
it to Magination Press as a series and then just held my breath.
Q: Is the book intended to be used in conjunction with therapy?
A: The book really works equally well as a stand-alone or as
a companion to therapy. It will appeal to people who are walking
through a bookstore and will say, 'you know my kid does worry too
much. I think I'm going to look at this.'
Q: But it's not designed to replace therapy.
A: No. The introduction to parents does talk about when to seek
therapy and the book is intended for a child to do with a supportive
adult. The book is written in a way that it would be understandable
to a child using it independently but it would be more beneficial
to do it with a parent, a therapist, a school counselor - a supportive
adult.
However, I would recommend that if a therapist is working on the
book with a child, a parent should be in the room during this part
of the therapy. It's as important for the parents to learn these
techniques as it is for the kids. There is some modeling in it that
suggests how parents should talk to their kids and how parents should
coach or remind their kids to do the coping strategies.
Whether the child does it with a therapist or at home, the intention
is to go through it over the course of a few weeks, a chapter or
two at a time. It's set up in a way that kids can go back to it
to refresh or remind themselves about strategies. The book walks
kids in a step-by-step way through various cognitive behavioral
strategies/tools. For instance, there is a section on resetting
your systems, helping your body to feel okay again when an anxiety
response has been triggered.
Q: It sounds like tools any child could use.
A: There are great tools for self-calming, which are good for
everybody, but the book is going to be most appealing to kids who
fret, who have a worrying style.
Q: Self-help books are generally found in the adult section
of the bookstore. Does the self-help model work for kids?
A: Many of the books for kids that address mental health issues
are done in terms of a storybook rather than a guide or attempting
to directly teach kids. Obviously I think that this is a model that
does work.
Q: Because you have used it in your own therapy?
A: Right. Taking a skills-based approach rather than a punitive
approach, teaching the child the skills, really works.
One of the nice things about publishing through APA is that they
send the books out to professional reviewers who talk about not
only is the book appealing but also is it accurate. This went out
to a whole panel of people who agreed that yes, the model is theoretically
sound.
These are all techniques and psychology that people know - just
a different presentation. The principles will be recognizable but
it's a twist that will be understandable to kids.
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