In eden’s forest
Children’s picture book written by Sharon Murphy and Illustrated by Alecia Green
This book aims to…
help children feel less alone with their strong feelings of worry, anger and sadness. It inspires children to have hope for changing ‘stuck’ worries and finding greater connection with others. It has been designed to be used as an aid to parents, caregivers, teachers and mental health professionals in helping children to understand how to manage challenging thoughts and feelings.
About this book
In summer, Eden is worried what the children might think of him. In autumn, Eden feels he must collect all the falling leaves. In winter, Eden can’t stand the feeling of his gloves. In each situation, Eden becomes angry. Then in spring, Eden learns that he’s not alone, and that there may be ways he can calm himself down enough to allow his mind to think differently about the issues he faces. As the seasons In Eden’s Forest continue to change, so too does Eden.
The journey of self-development that Eden takes is brought to life through the vivid and whimsical Illustrations of Alecia Green, which, set in a magical forest, also offer seek-and-find adventures hidden on each page.
The story was originally written for a six-year-old girl struggling with signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is expected that the story will particularly resonate with neurodiverse kids; those who are socially anxious; children who get worries “stuck” in their head; and young people who have angry outbursts and wonder why. Written by Sharon Murphy, an experienced child and family psychotherapist, the book draws upon psychoanalytic concepts, as well as ideas from bibliotherapy, mentalization, cognitive behaviour therapy, and neuroscience.
The book has been designed to be used as an aid to parents, caregivers, teachers and mental health professionals in helping children to understand complex concepts, such as:
unspoken worries often drive anger and ‘bad behaviour’;
you can’t be more flexible in your thinking until you calm yourself down;
just because you have a certain thought, that doesn’t make it true; and
there is usually more than one way to look at a given situation.
You are welcome to contact Sharon directly for detailed suggestions on how to gain maximum therapeutic value from In Eden’s Forest in your work with children. Sharon’s email is sharon.a.murphy@gmail.com
About sharon
Sharon Murphy is a psychotherapist in private practice, working in the Annandale, Forestville (Sydney) and on Zoom. With over ten years of experience providing treatment for children, adolescents, adults, couples, parents, and families, Sharon has also worked in primary and high schools as a school counsellor. In her work, Sharon draws predominantly from her child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy training, her couple and family systems training, and her Circle of Security parent education training. For more about Sharon, go to : www.sharonamurphy.com.au
jigsaw puzzles coming soon!
Jigsaw puzzles from four of the illustrations to augment the child's experience of the story are on their way!
Watch this space or get in touch below to be notified when they become available.
If you'd like to help us share this resource with those who need it
We’d love to see this book reach more children and parents trying to manage the difficulties of Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). We are working on an avenue for donations to be made through the website but until then you can help by getting in touch, emailing us any tips, feedback or testimonials of your experience with the book. We greatly appreciate it and it will be used to publish the book more widely.