To Be with Me

To Be with Me: A Trauma Healing Book for Parents and Children is an activity book for the healing of trauma through play. This unique hybrid-format book is 35-pages long, with an 8-page children's illustrated short story accompanied by corresponding psychoeducational text and parent-child activities. It also includes back matter with additional activities and a glossary. The intention of this layout is to simultaneously engage parents and children in interactive ways, empower parents...
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To Be with Me: A Trauma Healing Book for Parents and Children is an activity book for the healing of trauma through play. This unique hybrid-format book is 35-pages long, with an 8-page children's illustrated short story accompanied by corresponding psychoeducational text and parent-child activities. It also includes back matter with additional activities and a glossary. The intention of this layout is to simultaneously engage parents and children in interactive ways, empower parents with knowledge, and offer opportunities for reparenting particularly in the context of intergenerational trauma. The story depicts a young Latinx boy and his mother engaging in a dynamic afternoon of play at home. Although the mother is seen struggling at the beginning of the story, the story ends in connection and gratitude. Attachment, emotion regulation and validation, and the importance of psychological flexibility are seen in the story. Written by clinical psychologists, the psychoeducational information details how trauma can look in the body, especially in the context of parent-child interactions. This text is written from the perspective of a blend of traditional and mindfulness-based talk therapies (e.g., Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy) as well as body-based psychotherapy traditions (e.g., Somatic Experiencing, Focusing) - the latter being mostly based on polyvagal theory. A primary intention of this book is to help parents become attuned to their own nervous systems such that they can determine the holistic balance of cognitive, emotional, and bodily interventions that would best serve their children. This social emotional learning book is written for every parent and child to empower themselves through knowledge, self-advocacy, and warming representation.