Sam’s Big Secret: Coping with Fear

Many children are suffering from anxiety and fears these days, especially in times of COVID and post-pandemic life. Given our current context, having the resources to guide parents and children navigate these challenges becomes so important. Sam’s Big Secret is an ideal therapeutic resource to help children cope with fear and phobias. It teaches children tools to manage fear that is within their control rather than letting fear control them. For this book, I teamed up again with the very talented Elaheh Bos to write this therapeutic resource which is a not only a children’s story about fear but also explains what fear is and teaches seven different coping tools on how to conquer fear. This collaborative effort is a book I am very proud of as I hope it will help many children (and adults, too) feel empowered to overcome their fear!

Sam's Big Secret: Coping With Fear

Sam’s Big Secret Story Synopsis

Sam's Big Secret book. Thinking
Sam Thinking

Let me tell you a little about Sam’s Big Secret. It is a story about Sam, a brave turtle who has a BIG SECRET. He is afraid and even terrified of water. Whenever Sam approaches a pond or river, his heart pounds quickly, he has trouble breathing, he feels dizzy, and his whole body shakes. Sam thinks that he will faint and that something terrible is going to happen.

Sam running scared. Sam's Big Secret book

He tries to calm himself down by hiding in his shell so that he does not have to face the outside world. And as soon as he feels better, he comes out of his shell and tries to get away as fast as he can.

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What to Do About My Child’s Fears and Phobias?

Fear_courageNot too long ago, a friend asked me for advice about how to help her 9-year old daughter who has developed a fear of death. This young girl expressed repeatedly to her mom that she was afraid her mom and dad were going to die and then what would happen to her. Her fear seemed to stem from her grandfather’s recent minor surgery but it was becoming an issue that was affecting her mood, behaviour, and sleep. My friend was concerned about how to approach this topic with her daughter as well as how to reassure and help her.

It is common for children to develop fears at different ages and the types of fears generally change over time. Importantly, fears are not necessarily bad.

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