Chase Masterson

How do we survive when it feels like our world has ended? This interactive book is for anyone that has experienced trauma and feels the after-effects of fear, panic, worry, anxiety, anger or depression. You will join a group of other survivors who have lived through extraordinary times and situations, including a doctor who saw many patients die in a pandemic, a firefighter who feels ashamed about developing anxiety after a major tragedy, a nurse who lost a sibling in a school shooting, and others affected by a global health crisis and trauma in differing ways. This self-help manual is based on the techniques of Superhero Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and will teach you the skills of acceptance, mindfulness, self-compassion, sense of purpose and commitment to action, as well as helping you to develop your own survivor story. This is the first book of its kind to help us deal with the realities and mental health impact of a world emerging from the unprecedented effects of COVID-19, as well as other natural disasters and violence.

The mental well-being of children and adults is shockingly poor. Marc Brackett, author of Permission to Feel, knows why. And he knows what we can do. "We have a crisis on our hands, and its victims are our children." Marc Brackett is a professor in Yale University’s Child Study Center and founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In his 25 years as an emotion scientist, he has developed a remarkably effective plan to improve the lives of children and adults – a blueprint for understanding our emotions and using them wisely so that they help, rather than hinder, our success and well-being. The core of his approach is a legacy from his childhood, from an astute uncle who gave him permission to feel. He was the first adult who managed to see Marc, listen to him, and recognize the suffering, bullying, and abuse he’d endured. And that was the beginning of Marc’s awareness that what he was going through was temporary. He wasn’t alone, he wasn’t stuck on a timeline, and he wasn’t “wrong” to feel scared, isolated, and angry. Now, best of all, he could do something about it. In the decades since, Marc has led large research teams and raised tens of millions of dollars to investigate the roots of emotional well-being. His prescription for healthy children (and their parents, teachers, and schools) is a system called RULER, a high-impact and fast-effect approach to understanding and mastering emotions that has already transformed the thousands of schools that have adopted it. RULER has been proven to reduce stress and burnout, improve school climate, and enhance academic achievement. This book is the culmination of Marc’s development of RULER and his way to share the strategies and skills with readers around the world. It is tested, and it works. This book combines rigor, science, passion and inspiration in equal parts. Too many children and adults are suffering; they are ashamed of their feelings and emotionally unskilled, but they don’t have to be. Marc Brackett’s life mission is to reverse this course, and this book can show you how.

This spellbinding graphic novel follows the adventures of Violet—a young witch whose parents were murdered when she was a child. As she wages war against necromancers and demons, Violet learns to overcome her internal monsters as well. In this groundbreaking comic book for teens and young adults, we meet Violet—a witch whose parents were murdered by an evil necromancer when she was only six years old. Running from country to country, as well as from herself, Violet never gets a chance to fully process her traumatic experience. When she turns 19, Violet begins training at the Underworld Intelligence Agency (UIA) in hopes of becoming a Dark Agent—someone tasked with keeping the balance between the world of the living and the world of the undead. During her training, Violet hopes to finally overcome her fear of death and take control of her emotions, but instead she finds that mindfulness, vulnerability, and acceptance are the skills most necessary to help her succeed. Blended seamlessly throughout the story are elements of a powerful and evidence-based treatment called acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Whether or not you’ve experienced a traumatic event like Violet, you’ll find valuable skills you can apply to your own life to help you conquer your demons and hone your unique superpowers. Note for therapists: Dark Agents presents the core skills of ACT in a fun, narrative format to appeal to teen readers. In this comic, teens will learn all about mindfulness, defusion, self-compassion, and values-based living. The book doesn't feel like a therapist recommendation—which is exactly what makes it perfect for your teen clients!

"Psychologist Scarlet, a childhood survivor of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, draws on the techniques of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in this innovative approach to helping readers with emotional and psychological difficulties." —Publishers Weekly "Eye-catching art and a focus on setting simple, achievable daily goals, makes this a promising alternative to more conventional self-help programs." —Booklist Winner of the United Nations Association’s Eleonor Roosevelt Human Rights Award! A hero’s journey always begins with a struggle—what’s yours? For the first time ever, psychologist Janina Scarlet and Marvel and DC Comics illustrator Wellinton Alves join forces to create Superhero Therapy—a dynamic, illustrated introduction to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you vanquish your inner monsters, explore your unique superpowers, and become a Superhero questing for what matters to you. Haven’t you ever wanted to be a Superhero? Wished that you could have amazing superpowers, such as super-strength, the ability to fly, or the ability to heal people? Or maybe you wished that you could travel through time and space, enjoying the many adventures that you would encounter along the way? Many of us wish we had special abilities to help us navigate through life—especially when super villains like anxiety, depression, anger, or shame make an appearance. This fun, unique, and “outside-the-box” self-help guide provides everything you need to begin your very own superhero training using evidence-based ACT and mindfulness skills. Within these colorful pages, you’ll team up with a group of troubled heroes—inspired by both fictional characters and real-life people—enlisted at the Superhero Training Academy. By learning to face up to their inner villains and monsters, these characters will inspire you to overcome your problems as well. When you’re finished, you’ll have a slew of new tools you can use—like mindfulness, self-compassion, and values—to help you conquer whatever life throws your way. Sometimes life is hard, and it takes super inner super strength to succeed and reach your goals. With this fun and unique guide under your belt, nothing will stand in your way.