San Francisco Book Review on “The Joy Thief” by Sean McCallum

The Joy Thief is an inspirational tale about overcoming one’s fears. The author, a firefighter and crisis intervention specialist, tells a story about a girl who becomes traumatized by a seemingly ordinary experience. The terrifying day began with a spider jumping on the little girl’s face. When the girl reacted (by screaming), her mother arrived in a huff, insisting that she keep down the noise. When she left, the door slammed behind her, causing the girl to feel an overwhelming amount of fear. This social-emotional rhyming story proves children can experience events that alter their way of thinking.

The girl’s “joy thief” (which is visually represented as a spider) follows her wherever she goes, reminding her of the fear she felt that day and preventing her from experiencing heightened feelings of happiness. She is finally able to talk with her mother and opens up about how she’s felt controlled by her fear lately. Adults may not realize that a certain event can contribute to a heightened state of panic that can continue to grow, making it difficult to participate in daily activities. The author encourages open communication by providing a guide for adults to stay present and open with children.

Read the whole review here

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Author Sean McCallum
Star Count 5/5
Format Trade
Page Count 32 pages
Publisher Loving Healing Press
Publish Date 01-Apr-2022
ISBN 9781615996667
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue June 2022
Category Children’s
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Crisis In The American Heartland -- Disasters & Mental Health In Rural Environments: An Introduction (Volume 1)

978-1-61599-075-7
$24.95
In stock
1
Product Details
UPC: 978-1-61599-075-7
Brand: Rocky Mountain Region DMH Institute Press
Who will step up to meet the challenge of the next rural crisis?

Rural practice presents important yet challenging issues for psychology, especially given
uneven population distribution, high levels of need, limited availability of rural services,
and ongoing migration to urban centers. It is critical that mental health professionals and
first responders in rural areas become aware of recent research, training and approaches
to crisis intervention, traumatology, compassion fatigue, disaster mental health, critical incident
stress management, post-traumatic stress and related areas in rural environments.
Critical issues facing rural areas include:

  • Physical issues such as land, air, and water resources, cheap food policy, chemicals
    and pesticides, animal rights, corruption in food marketing and distribution, and land
    appropriation for energy development.
  • Quality of life issues such as rural America's declining share of national wealth, problems of
    hunger, education, and rural poverty among rural populations of farmers and ranchers.
  • Direct service issues include the need to accommodate a wide variety of mental health
    difficulties, client privacy and boundaries, and practical challenges.
  • Indirect service issues include the greater need for diverse professional activities, collaborative
    work with professionals having different orientations and beliefs, program development
    and evaluation, and conducting research with few mentors or peer collaborators.
  • Professional training and development issues include lack of specialized relevant
    courses and placements.
  • Personal issues include limited opportunities for recreation, culture, and lack of privacy.



    Doherty's first volume in this new series Crisis in the American Heartland explores these
    and many other issues. Each volume available in trade paper, hardcover, and eBook formats.

    Social Science: Disasters & Disaster Relief



    For more information please visit www.RMRInstitute.org
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