What inspired you to write the book?
Two things really; first, my older sister suffered from extreme separation anxiety. We were lucky enough that it was recognised, but it was very tough for her and for our family. Then when my daughter went to nursery she suffered too, and as a former teacher and having studied elements of child psychology I really felt there was not anything out there to help.
How did you put the book together?
I wrote something on my laptop and printed it out, I am not very good at drawing but I did some stick figures and stuck it all in a book for my daughter. The response from her and the nursery was fantastic and the more I spoke to people the more I was asked whether I could create books for other children. I started to realise maybe there was a need for something like this. Luckily I found an illustrator I worked really well with, and a graphic designer for the layout. We haven’t looked back since.
What is your aim for the book?
I want the book to help others, including professionals who often say to me they are doing everything they’ve been trained to do but it isn’t working, the children are still struggling to settle and it is distressing dealing with the parents. The book bridges the gap between parent, child and professional and is about communicating, and interrupting negative thought patterns and replacing them with reassuring, positive ones.
