A child psychologist from Stroud has released a new children’s story book about dealing with loss.

The book, called The Girl Who Lost the Light in Her Eyes, has been published by Routledge, and is inspired by Juliette Ttofa's own experience of losing her father five years ago and her professional work as a child psychologist and therapist.

Juliette said: "I have written a therapeutic story to help children to cope with their own loss, especially relevant in the wake of the current pandemic. The storybook and accompanying guide has been designed to be used by adults supporting children through loss.

"The story describes a young girl who searches high and low for the light that is missing from her eyes.

"The storybook can be used therapeutically with children to explore feelings of loss, and provides a medium through which the adult can begin to work alongside or support their emotional literacy."

The accompanying guidebook has been created to provide additional ideas for an adult supporting a child or young person through loss using the storybook.

With an emphasis on a relational approach, the guide explores the themes of the story and can support the adult in using the expressive arts safely and sensitively with a child or young person, to help them journey through the grieving process.

Juliette added: "Perfectly crafted to spark communication around a difficult topic, this is an invaluable tool for practitioners, educators, parents, and anybody else looking to support a child or young person through loss.

"I am a specialist educational psychologist with a long-standing interest in the complex issues surrounding trauma, attachment needs and emotional resilience.

"I specialise in supporting children and young people, their schools and families in understanding and responding to social, emotional and mental health needs through training, therapeutic support, and assessment and consultancy.

"I am also a Registered Sandplay Therapist and am passionate about using the expressive arts to support the mental health and wellbeing of all children and young people."

To purchase, visit //amzn.to/2FXcAPs