Why Are You Scared Book Summary

I am a Behavioral Health major with a concentration in children’s mental health, so I read the book, “Why Are You Scared?” written by Beth Andrews. Miss Andrews is a licensed clinical social worker who works at a community mental health clinic in Colorado. In addition, she writes self-help books for children. For instance, “Why Are You Scared?” is a children’s book about parents who are suffering from PTSD. In the book, Miss Andrews, does an excellent job defining and explaining the effects of PTSD in a way children can understand. In addition, the book includes writing and art assignments to help children convey how they feel about their parent’s PTSD. Miss Andrews approaches the subject of PTSD in language that will not scare or threaten children. She breaks down the definition, symptoms, and causes of the disorder to better explain PTSD to youngsters. To illustrate, “Parents with PTSD do not feel worried or scared on purpose. They don’t want to feel worried or scared all the time, but they can’t help it. Their minds play tricks on them, and they might think things are dangerous now when they are really safe” she writes on page 3. (Andrews, 2012, p. 3). Additionally, Miss Andrews uses clear, specific, non-formal diction to make the information and concepts easier

First, Miss Andrews names the disorder and explains what PTSD means; such as, “the post in PTSD means it happened a while ago” (Andrews, 2012, p. 2). Second, Miss Andrews details the events that cause parents to suffer from PTSD. Namely, car accidents, fighting in a war, natural disasters, and getting attacked or hurt by someone. Next, the author describes the feelings and actions their parents may exhibit. Last, Miss Andrews tells children it is not their job to fix the problem; it is an adult problem. In fact, she makes it clear children should be having fun and not be worrying about their parents