Bøker av Paula Nagel

Brutal is a story within a story. Former ABC journalist Paula Nagel, once a household name, has led a dramatic life.

Suitable for upper primary school children aged between 8 and 11, this title focuses on a life event or situation that can present potential risks to mental health.

An accessible, engaging how-to guide for building a personalised mental health 'workout'. Includes tried and tested therapeutic techniques, simple strategies and healthy thinking habits teenagers can use to boost their mental health fitness and emotional wellbeing.

Stacie wonders why her best friend, Kayla, ignores her when she sees her in town at the weekend. All weekend she thinks about the possible reasons, and imagines some of the negative things Kayla might be saying or thinking about her. By Monday morning, she has convinced herself they are true, and that Kayla no longer wants to be her friend.

Sam feels low and fed up, but doesn't understand why he feels this way. Everyone else has an opinion on the change in his behaviour. His teacher thinks he is being lazy and can't be bothered to finish his work, his mum thinks he is moody and bad tempered, his friends think he is no fun anymore and turning into a bore.

Everyone knows Gemma always gets thing 'right' and is top of the class. However she feels under pressure to do well in the Year 5 tests and is becoming increasingly worried. She thinks she has to do certain things to continue to do well and get 'top marks', such as avoiding the cracks in the pavement.

Jake is in Year 6. He is worried about the transition to secondary school because he has heard many rumours, including one about the older pupils flushing first years' heads down the toilets. Jake's behaviour illustrates his initial negative coping strategies as his worry grows.

Teachers have a responsibility to support the mental health of children in their care. Current statistics show a significant rise in mental health difficulties in children and young people, and new legislation urges schools to consider whether continuing disruptive behaviour might be the result of an unmet need. However, this is not an area that is universally addressed in teacher training programmes or books. Using real life case studies, this book supports all teachers and school staff in understanding and identifying the early signs of mental health difficulties, and explains how to bring about appropriate early interventions.