Having tough conversations with children can feel overwhelming, but open, honest communication helps kids process difficult experiences and builds their emotional resilience. This collection of resources provides caregivers and therapists with age-appropriate language, conversation starters, and evidence-based approaches for discussing challenging topics with children and adolescents.

Whether you’re addressing a current crisis, responding to questions about what’s happening in the world, or helping a child understand loss or change in their life, these tools will help you create safe spaces for meaningful dialogue. Remember that children often need multiple conversations over time, and it’s okay to say “I don’t know” while still providing comfort and security.

Click the buttons below to navigate to different topics.

Divorce

Articles and Webpages:

Books:

When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends
by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Two Homes
by Claire Masurel

Dinosaurs Divorce: A Guide for Changing Families

by Laurene Krasny Brown & Marc Brown

Why Do Families Change? Our First Talk About Separation and Divorce

by Dr. Jillian Roberts

Talking to Children About Divorce

by Jean McBride, MS, LMFT

 

How to Talk to Your Kids About Your Divorce

by Dr. Samantha Rodman

Videos and Podcasts:

Grief and Loss

Articles and Webpages:

Books:

The Invisible String
by Patrice Karst
I Miss You
by Pat Thomas
I’ll Always Love You
by Hans Wilhelm
Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You
by Nancy Tillman
Healing Your Grieving Heart For Kids: 100 Practical Ideas
by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD
Healing Your Grieving Heart For Teens: 100 Practical Ideas
by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
Talking with Children About Loss: Words, Strategies, and Wisdom to Help Children Cope with Death, Divorce, and Other Difficult Times
by Maria Trozzi
Giving Hope: Conversations with Children About Illness, Death, and Loss
by Elena Lister, M.D. and Michael Schwartzman, Ph.D

Videos and Podcasts:

Mental Health

Articles and Webpages:

Books:

The Boy with Big, Big Feelings
by Britney Winn Lee

My Different Brain
by Orlanda Bettison
It’s Okay to be Different
by Todd Parr
A Child’s First Book About Play Therapy
by Marc A. Nemiroff, Ph.D. & Jane Annunziata, Psy.D.
ADHD is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD
by Penn Holderness & Kim Holderness

A Kids Book About Mental Health

A Kids’ Book About Mental Health
by Dr. Katie Lingras
Please Explain ‘Anxiety’ to Me! Simple Biology and Solutions for Children and Parents (2nd ed.)
by Laurie Zelinger, Ph.D. & Jordan Zelinger, Psy.D.
The Anxiety and Depression Workbook for Teens
by Michael A. Tompkins, Ph.D.
Stuff That Sucks: A Teen’s Guide to Accepting What You Can’t Change and Committing to What You Can
by Ben Sedley, Ph.D.

Never Let Go: How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness: Alderson, Suzanne: 9781785043314: Amazon.com: Books

Never Let Go: How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness
by Suzanne Alderson
Talking with Your Child about Their Autism Diagnosis: A Guide for Parents
Talking with Your Child About Their Autism Diagnosis: A Guide for Parents
by Raelene Dundon

Videos and Podcasts:

Cancer and Illness

Articles and Webpages:

Books:

When Someone You Love Has Cancer
by Alaric Lewis & R. W. Alley

You Are the Best Medicine
by Julie Aigner Clark

How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear?
by Rosie Butcher

The Year My Mother Was Bald
by Ann Speltz

How to Help Children Through a Parent’s Serious Illness
by Kathleen McCue, M.A., C.C.L.S.
When Your Child Has a Chronic Medical Illness: A Guide for the Parenting Journey
by Frank J. Sileo, Ph.D. & Carol S. Potter, M.F.T.

Videos and Podcasts:

Sex and Puberty

Articles and Webpages:

Books:

It’s Not the Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends (ages 4-6)
by Robie H. Harris
 
It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (ages 9-12)
by Robie H. Harris & Michael Emberley
 
The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls, Revised Edition (ages 8+)
by Valerie Schaefer
 
 
 
Guy Stuff: The Body Book for Boys (ages 9-12)
by Dr. Cara Natterson
 
 
Can We Talk About Consent?: A Book About Freedom, Choices, and Agreement (ages 13+)
by Justin Hancock
 

Celebrate Your Body (And Its Changes, Too!) The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls
by Sonya Renee Taylor
 

Videos and Podcasts: