Your child feels everything. The joy that makes them bounce off the walls. The anger that erupts without warning. The sadness that settles in and won't explain itself. The worry that keeps them awake at night, churning through fears they can't quite name. And when you ask what's wrong, you get the same answer every parent knows by heart: "I don't know."
They're not being difficult. They're feeling something they don't have words for yet. And that gap between what a child feels and what they can express is where so much of early childhood struggle lives.
How to Talk About Your Feelings was written to close that gap. This is not a workbook. It's not a picture book. It's a read-together guide designed for children ages 5-10 and the grown-ups who love them, built around one simple idea: when a child learns to name what they feel, everything changes. Their big emotions become more manageable. Their relationships become more honest. And the adults in their life finally get a window into what's really going on inside that beautiful, complicated little heart.
Written by Susan Leys, a certified coach and healthcare consultant with more than thirty years of clinical experience in emergency psychiatry and crisis management, this book moves gently from everyday emotions into harder territory that most children's books won't touch. Yes, your child will learn to identify anger, sadness, worry, and fear. They'll build a vocabulary that goes far beyond "I'm fine" and "I don't know." They'll learn to read the signals their own body sends them and discover practical, kid-friendly tools for calming down, speaking up, and asking for help.
But this book goes further. It speaks directly to children whose big feelings come from big situations they didn't cause and can't control. Household stress. Family changes. A world that feels uncertain and sometimes scary. The weight of grown-up worry absorbed by young shoulders. c
Every chapter ends with a simple conversation starter that helps parents and children explore what they've read together. No worksheets. No assignments. Just guided moments of connection that turn a book into an ongoing dialogue about the things that matter most.
Whether your child is the one who melts down at the smallest frustration, the one who holds everything inside until it spills out sideways, or the quiet, well-behaved one who worries more than anyone realizes, this guide meets both of you exactly where you are.
The most important conversations you'll ever have with your child won't be about grades or rules or screen time. They'll be about feelings. This book helps you start those conversations early, simply, and with love.
Autorentext
Susan Leys consults and coaches the healthcare professionals and teams who care for all of us. Inspired by a family tradition of caregiving, Susan's extensive educational background includes a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and an M.Ed. and CAGS in Counseling Psychology from Springfield College. Her expertise is further enhanced by graduate certificates in The Business of Medicine from Johns Hopkins University and High-Performance Leadership from Cornell University.
Certified as a John Maxwell Coach, Trainer, and Speaker, Susan utilizes these world-renowned leadership methods to propel your team or organization forward. She specializes in workshops, seminars, keynote speeches, and personalized coaching, all designed to foster professional and personal growth.
With vast experience in healthcare, Susan has successfully coached and trained numerous professionals and teams, honing communication, teamwork, stress management, patient care, trauma response, and addiction recovery skills. Her commitment to this field is driven by the profound satisfaction she gains from contributing to others' success.
Susan's insights are also shaped by the resilience and authenticity she witnesses in patients and their families during critical times. Motivated by these experiences, she creates online courses, books, and coaching programs aimed at empowering individuals and families to navigate life's challenges effectively.
Ready to guide you towards enhanced well-being and leadership excellence, Susan Leys invites you to embark on your journey of experiential insight, transformation, and achievement.
To contact Susan and discover how she can assist you, visit her website at www.SusanLeys.com.