Proserpine Author’s Debut Targets Anxiety in Kids

Local counsellor Karen Angel is celebrating the release of her first book, Wilbur’s Worry Clouds, a combination of fiction and activity that aims to help children deal with anxiety.

Suitable for children ages five and up, the book has two parts, leading with a sweet story about a young boy called Wilbur, who, with the help of family and friends, learns various ways to deal with his worry clouds. The story is designed to be educational, starting easy-to-approach conversations about the science of anxiety, and how it affects our brain, bodies and our emotions.  Wilbur’s trusty dog Dexter of course plays a starring role.

The second part of the book is to be used as a workbook, containing over 70 pages of evidence-based therapeutic activities, including word searches and puzzles, meditations and breathing exercises, journaling, CBT, EFT Tapping, and arts and crafts. Kids can use the workbook independently or with their parents, providing families with an easy way into crucial conversations about mental health.

Creating mental health resources for children felt like a natural progression for Karen, who is an accredited mental health clinician with 40 years of experience in the field. The idea followed on from her experiences leading play therapy, running children’s group work sessions at the Proserpine Community Centre.

Anxiety is a common issue children face, and can be a normal part of growing up, when addressed and dealt with properly. When anxiety disorders arise though, parents are encouraged to take action.  

“Worry is a normal emotion, but it’s one that can get out of control.” Karen explains. “It’s important to know the signs. Early intervention is key, so you can tackle the anxiety when the child is as young as possible.”

With this debut book newly released, Karen is already working on a second, which will focus on depression. More topics are planned to follow, with Karen envisioning a whole suite of resources that parents can rely on, covering a range of issues, from anger to grief.

Learn more at www.worryclouds.com.au

‍

Karen Angel is targeting children’s mental health with her new line of books

‍