• Do you have a child or teenager who is going through emotionally difficult situations (e.g. anxiety, isolation, sadness, trauma).
• Do you notice changes in their behavior and are unsure if they are normal or a sign of need.
• Do you feel that your conversations are not “moving forward” or lead to tension.
• Do you want to learn how to “be there” without pressuring them.

The book offers a parent-child relationship model based on the “trauma-centered” approach: that is, how to support a child who has experienced a traumatic event or is facing emotional difficulty. It will show you how to communicate, how to listen, how to regulate your own emotions in order to provide true security to your child.

• Recognition of basic signs of emotional distress in children and adolescents
• The “parent-therapist” model, which does not replace the specialist, but offers daily care
• Strategies for difficult conversations, without pressure or overprotection
• Ways to strengthen trust and help the child heal from trauma
• Exercises and tools for parents, based on scientific knowledge and clinical experience

“An excellent book that bridges the science of psychology with the everyday reality of parenting. Melissa Mintz empowers parents to be the ‘safe harbor’ that children need.”
– Dr. Bruce Perry, psychiatrist & author of What Happened to You?

"Trauma is not what happened. It is what remains inside the child when there was no one to help them feel safe."

"The goal is not to become a therapist. It is to become the trusted person the child knows they can turn to when everything is difficult."

Melissa Goldberg Mintz is a certified clinical psychologist with many years of experience supporting children and adolescents with trauma, anxiety, and other mental health difficulties. She lives in Houston, USA, and is the founder of the Trauma-Responsive Parent model. Her book has been recognized as one of the most useful guides for parents in this era of emotional stress we are experiencing.