Sam Feels Better Now! Book Review

Sam Feels Better Now! An Interactive Story for Children (Paperback)by Jill Osborne (Author), Kevin Collier (Illustrator)

Sam Feels Better Now! An Interactive Story for Children began as a project for a traumatology class at Georgia State University. It is written for children ages 4-10 who have experienced trauma, crisis, or grief. It incorporates elements from play therapy, trauma therapy, and crisis intervention to create a developmental appropriate tool for children. For more, visit the author's blog..

Also, for More info about play therapy, visit here.

Book Summary: Sam saw something awful and scary! Ms. Carol, a special therapist, will show Sam how to feel better. Children can help Sam feel better too by using drawings, play, and storytelling activities. They will be able to identify and manage their own feelings and difficulties in their lives following a traumatic event, crisis, or grief.

This book presents stage one of trauma therapy for children. It will help those with psychological injury from abuse or other causes. The intention is for the child to use it in conjuntion with a therapist. This can occur over a period of time, not necessarily within one session. Futher work may be needed following completion of this book. The therapist is encouraged to follow this program while consulting with caregivers to create a safe, supportive environment for their child and family.

Sam Feels Better Now!" is the perfect tool for counselors who work with children recovering from traumatic incidents. By creating this book, Jill has found a way to help children be able to safely express themselves while in therapy. Her tool is presented as a picture book that has exercises that invite the child to interact with what is going on in the story. There are acutal pages that the child will draw on when they are using this book in therapy.

I feel that "Sam Feels Better Now!" would be an excellent resource for therapists who work with children. This book allows the child to hear the story of another child who has had a bad experience and the child to feel like they are not alone in their situtation. As the child participates in the activities, the therapist will be able to gain more information about the incident that the child has expereinced because it provides the child with a comfortable environment that they are more likely to open up and discuss their problems in. The book also includes a helpful guide for therapists to assist them while using this book. It also includes a helpful list of references and resources. This book is a totally awesome resource!

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