Book 1: “I Only Said” I had no choice
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Shane's mom never gave him a choice; everything changed because she wanted it to. He tried to tell her but she wouldn't listen so he did the only thing he could think of to get her attention.
Issues Addressed:
- Suicide prevention
- Anger management
- Behavioral choices and their consequences
- Personal responsibility
- The biological aspects of feelings
- Fight and flight response
- The effects of anger upon cognitive processes and communication
- The impact of aggressive non-verbal communication upon the self and others
- Relaxation techniques
- Adult co-dependence
- Coping with abusive stepparents
- Two-chair technique to explore empathy
- Guided imagery techniques
- Symbolism
- Coping with blame and injustice
Book 2: “I Only Said” ‘yes’ so that they'd like me
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Melody feels totally alone, and hates the way she looks. She believes that she's bullied at school because she's not part of the in-crowd, and does the only thing she can think of to fit in.
Issues Addressed:
- Suicide prevention
- Social masks
- Stereotyping
- In-groups and out-groups
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Negative family dynamics
- The role of marijuana upon behaviour
- Coping with bullying
- The emotional consequences of casual sex
- Losing and regaining self-respect
- Developing and maintaining friendships
- Teamwork
- Identifying talents and perceiving self-worth
- Exploring attitudes and personal Frame of Reference
- Self-esteem and affirmations
- Guided imagery techniques
- Discerning human attractiveness
Book 3: “I Only Said” I couldn't cope
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Adam blames himself for the death of the most important person in his life. He loses himself and all that maters to him as he is consumed by guilt.
Issues Addressed:
- Suicide prevention
- Grief, despair and depression
- Rituals: the role of a funeral
- The child as care-giver
- A pathological need to please others
- Negative family dynamics
- Guilt, self-blame and forgiveness
- Defence mechanisms (projection)
- Adhering to negative life "decisions"
- Reckless behaviours related to feelings
- How shock impacts upon cognitive functioning
- Guided imagery to explain disassociation
- Cognitive development and the perception of reality
- Exploration of the concept of life after death
- Exploration of the concept of life before life
- Dr Kubler-Ross: The 'grieving process' (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance)
- Consequences of negative rumination
- The role of memories in the 'grieving process'
- Accepting the unfathomable
- Finding peace
Book 4: “I Only Said” I didn't want you because I was terrified
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Hannah never meant for any of it to happen; she never meant to lie. But one lie led to another until she became trapped and all alone in her deceit. Every day she lived with the terror that someone would learn the truth.
Issues Addressed:
- Suicide prevention
- Lying
- Peer pressure
- The consequences of drinking alcohol
- Consensual sex
- Vicarious living
- Injustice and powerlessness
- Signs and symptoms of pregnancy
- Foetal development
- Abortion
- The process of birth
- Early neonatal care
- Avoiding maternal and infant distress
- Breast feeding
- Problem solving skills - reaching out to others
- Repairing broken trust
- Honest communication
- Acceptance
Book 5: “I Only Said” I was telling you the truth
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Ruby's life was perfect until her eleventh birthday. That day everything fell apart and her innocence and childhood were robbed from her forever.
Issues Addressed:
- Suicide prevention
- Betrayal
- Deceit
- Isolation within the family
- The 'grooming process'
- Manipulation and discrediting
- Mis-placed guilt and self-disgust
- The consequences of self-preservation
- Coping with inter-agency involvement
- Familial denial
- Despair, hopelessness and terror
- The benefits of the group process (combats isolation, challenges self-blame, provides empathy, removes shame and gives support)
- The impact of sexual abuse upon future relationships
- Coping with flashbacks
- The impact of hidden, covert family rules
- Psycho-drama techniques to express anger and loss
- Guided imagery to increase emotional safety and to liberate the self
- Techniques to strengthen the ability to self-soothe and nurture the self
- Eliciting a positive attitude towards a bright future
Book 6: “I Only Said” I could handle it, but I was wrong.
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Simon embarks upon the most challenging journey of his life- to give up drugs, understand why he takes them, and to reclaim his life.
Issues Addressed:
- Why some teenagers become hooked on drugs
- The influence of peers, the family and society
- The influence of genes
- The role of the brain and neurotransmitters
- Dopamine deficiencies
- The role of emotional and behavioral disorders
- Sort term and long term effects of:
- Alcohol
- Marijuana
- Methamphetamines
- Hallucinogens
- Cocaine
- Heroin
- Prescription medications
- Detoxification
- Repairing broken trust
- Spiritual healing
- Relapse prevention plans
Book 7: “I Only Said” it didn't hurt.
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Marsha cuts herself. As she learns how to cope with stress safely, she discovers a secret about herself that makes it impossible to ever cut again.
Issues Addressed:
- Inter-generational behavioral patterns
- Care-giver roles
- Cutting and self-harm
- Personality development
- The five parts of the self
- Taking control of the self
- Corresponding behaviors
- Assimilated Injunctions
- Innate nurturing
- Attention seeking behaviors
- Raising self-esteem
- Maintaining safe boundaries
- Effective communication
- Stress management
- Self-soothing
- Achieving true intimacy
Book 8: “I Only Said” I wasn't hungry.
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Ellie is bullied about her weight and sees food as her enemy. She learns to resist the voice of anorexia and explores the reasons for her poor self-image.
Issues Addressed:
- Suicide prevention
- Peer pressure
- Low self-esteem
- Family dynamics
- Food as an emotional currency
- Society's influence on body shape
- Personal control
- Auditory hallucinations
- Internal conflict
- Emotional blackmail
- Physical effects of fasting
- Hospitalisation
- Force feeding
- Externalising the voice of Anorexia
- Cult brainwashing
- Name attributions
- Gaining trust
- Guided imagery
- Classical conditioning
- Family therapy
- Inter-generational decisions
- Injunctions and permissions
- Nutrition
- Cooking
- Personal affirmations
Book 9: “I Only Said” I wanted to kill myself, I didn't really mean it.
Suitable for ages 9 years and above
Kenny is angry and hates authority figures, but he forms a relationship with Miss Tina who teaches him how to get his needs met without acting up. He eventually understands why adults have to set rules.
Issues Addressed:
- Attention seeking behavior
- Making threats to manipulate
- Negative family dynamics
- Abandonment
- Age appropriate grief process
- Sleep disturbances/nightmares
- Enuresis
- Stroke economy
- Positive and negative reinforcement
- Operant conditioning / behavior shaping
- Guided imagery/symbolism
- Concrete operational thought processes
- Parenting and step-parenting skills
- Firm boundaries
- Aggressive behavior and consequences
- Freewill and choices
- Expressing authentic feelings
- Coping skills
Book 10: “I Only Said” leave me out of it.
Suitable for ages 12 years and above
Maizy's parents divorce and she learns that although it hurts when others are unkind or unjust, everyone has a choice as to how to respond. She finds a valued place in her new blended family.
Issues Addressed:
- Identical twins/nature versus nurture/ effects on personality
- Development of a conscience
- Family scapegoats
- Passive aggressiveness
- Sarcasm
- Bribery and manipulation
- Co-dependency
- Adultery/divorce
- Abandonment
- Coping with step-parents and step-siblings
- Staying OK with injustice
- Family therapy
- Mind games versus true intimacy
- Love versus being in love
- Positive and negative Strokes
- Karpman’s Drama Triangle
- Active listening skills
- Ownership or rejection of step-parents/families