What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD (What-to-Do Guides for Kids) Paperback – Illustrated, February 15, 2017

I love this book because it explains things simply and it’s interactive. My 9 year old son and I have a better understanding of his diagnosis now and it teaches some great tools that are evidence based to help manage OCD.

Got for 5 year old grand daughter who is diagnosed with ocd. Mother and daughter like the book and it was recommended by her therapist.

I am a therapist specializing in OCD treatment. I am one of the few in our area who will treat children. The children that I have shared this book with are happy to recognize their own "stuck" thoughts in the illustrated pages. I have had adults purchase the book as well because it simplifies and clarifies an oftentimes misunderstood and debilitating disorder. I especially love how the OCD monster is pictures as a furry little creature with bad teeth and a top hat. He peeks around chairs, hides out, gorges on candy bars, and generally makes life miserable for kids with OCD. But when a child challenges the monster, there is an illustration of him jumping in the air in terror himself, as now a child is empowered and talks back to the monster. This change in behavior rattles the monster and he retreats because the child is no longer playing by the monster's rules. I actually had a 10 year old client get a monster doll to place in another chair and talk to.This book visually is appealing and its text simplifies for young and old that the tricks of the OCD monster can be foiled with cognitive behavioral therapy. It's a good workbook because children can draw in it and answer questions. I highly recommend this book, in fact, I think its my favorite of all the many books on OCD that I have collected. Of course, my hero Fred Penzel cannot be topped with the incredible information and examples shared in his book, and Jonathan Grayson's is full of beneficial information as well. Don't forget Bruce Hyman and Cherry Pedrick with the OCD workbook, another outstanding reference and a way for an OCD sufferer without qualified therapists in the area where he or she lives, to do self work on ERP in order to talk back to the monster and regain freedom in life.

Love love love this book. I would give it ten stars. I recommend it to everyone to at least try. I realize it will not take care of all ocd situations, as other reviewers have mentioned. I have never dealt with ocd so when my four year old son started exhibiting symptoms I had no idea where to turn. Someone recommended this book. We went chapter by chapter, one on one and I made sure he understood everything in the book. It literally changed him! We no longer have two hour screaming sessions because things aren't "quite right". With help at first, he was able to identify ocd, and soon after on his own. We called ocd "Mr. Bossy". It was amazing. Now when his shoes are not quite right in the morning, he simply says "these aren't quite right. That's okay, that's just mr. Bossy". Then he just goes on with getting ready.... what?!?! For those of you who have been here, that's huge! Although occasionally Mr. Bossy shows up on occasion, he is much easier delt with. I have my sweet boy back, who feels impowered. Thank you. This book was a life saver for all of us!I love how it's a workbook style, you have places to draw pictures, or write your own thoughts down so it can truly be catered to you! Very simply written, as I have said my four year old, with guidance, was able to understand.

good resource for kids

My daughter always got frustrated when her head got "stuck", so i bought this book to help her. The tips are helpful, and she has used them ever since

I purchased this book because my 12 year old had OCD behaviors. Shortly after we got the book our daughter was diagnosed with PANDAS. This book does not have all the answers for parents, but it is not written for us. It is written for the child. My only problem with the book is that my daughter or rather her OCD is easily influenced. The doctor describe how he had patients who washed their hands 50 times. We had a few days of hand washing incidents, but luckily it didn't materialize too much. I put tabs on pages in the book to indicate what I should skip over so as not to influence her OCD. It was hard getting her to work in it initially only because it is very hard to resist OCD, and she simply didn't want to do the work. (She refused to go to a therapist.) She likes to draw, so the pages that ask for the child to write a list or draw is appealing to her. This book is not perfect, but I know of nothing else of this format, and it is working for us. That is all that counts, which is why I gave it five stars. This book is short, appealing to a child, and easy to use. Plus it doesn't have any sexual content. It states that it is for children up to 12 years, but I think depending on the child an older one could benefit from it too.