As other reviewers have noted, this book is written for mental health professionals, not parents. Nevertheless, some of its insights would be useful for parents and other caregivers. ( )

This is a great book for parents or grandparents. It does a great job of addressing helping a child work through trauma. ( )

Lots of solid, good information, plus self-help guidelines and worksheets, this is an excellent book. Anyone who has been through counseling sessions will be familiar with much of this material and especially the vocabulary used. A glossary would be helpful for review and/or for learning the terminology. Also, the material is applicable for anyone, of any age. ( )

I was especially hopeful that this book would prove particularly useful to families given the worldwide trauma of the current Covid-19 pandemic and what will likely be it's aftermath in terms of trauma for families whose livelihood is severely impacted. However, after reading through approximately 4/5 of the book (I have not finished it yet although I began reading it more than a month ago), I can really only recommend it for healthcare professionals. The language used throughout the book smacks of "professionaleze" in such a way that the average parent will not be bothered after the first chapter or so to continue to read and follow the advice. In other words, it is not written for the average joe. And most parents whose children are impacted by severe trauma fall into the same category as myself - average joes. Once I have finished with the book I will amend this review should I feel it is necessary. I have now finished the book, and while I can recommend this book for clinicians and professional school counselors, I still find it written far beyond the average person's level of comprehension or interest. ( )

It is a sad fact that almost from birth through adulthood many people suffer scars from emotional and physical trauma. Christine Fonseca discusses in her new book, “Healing the Heart, helping your child thrive after trauma”, the many types of trauma, results of these experiences, and how to help children of all ages to heal. Using several case stories, numerous charts and graphs, and her years of experience as an educational psychologist, Fonseca navigates the reader first towards a path of understanding and then introduces various methods to help a child begin the journey of healing their heart.

I thought the book was a bit heavy on tables, self activities, and psycho speak, but it does contain valuable information for almost everyone. I recommend this instructional work to all parents, teachers, and anyone who needs guidance in helping a traumatized person.

3/23/2020 ( )