Join Nancy Bo Flood and Ann Jacobus as they present “Mental Illness: The Invisible Elephant in the Great Green Room of Children’s Literature” for the Minnesota Occupational Therapy Association.

Mental illness touches all families. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teen-agers. The right book at the right time in a child’s life can help normalize the experience of struggling with mental illness, diminish the stigma, and help to begin a healing conversation. Nancy and Ann will recommend books that present mental illness in an age-appropriate, realistic, and hopeful way, including picture books, middle-grade, and young-adult fiction and informational books. We will describe effective uses of picture books with adult clients, and discuss several exciting, boundary-breaking books. After analyzing what makes these books “work,” we will offer suggestions for use of books as part of bibliotherapy and also as “shared platforms” to encourage discussions about mental illness, family dynamics, and personal responses.