Taya the Tortoise Activity Book for Children who Bottle Up, Retreat or Disconnect

In the lush green Ethiopian mountains lives a tortoise called Taya, who loves basking in the sun and going to Baobab school to play with all her animal friends.

But Taya has lived through some painful things. She copes and protects herself by retreating, disconnecting and going inwards. She keeps her feelings locked away, she finds it hard to share with others or to let them in-and this makes her feel even sadder and more alone than ever! How can Taya's friends and family help?

Taya the Tortoise is a much-needed activity workbook and therapeutic story written by award winning clinical psychologist, Dr Karen Treisman. We are used to identifying children who ask for attention, but what about children who need help, but stay silent or show their pain differently? They may survive by disconnecting, retreating, dissociating and internalising their hurt. These children are often overlooked, quieter, and misunderstood and therefore fall through the net.

This activity book is a professional tool to help these children and the adults supporting them. At its heart are tools to help children heal, connect, trust, and express themselves. Combining trauma informed theory with practical and creative activities and worksheets, and a final section for adults supporting children, this activity book will help you to support children aged 5-10 to step out of their shells and into a brighter, more connected future.