Books and Cards by Dr Karen Treisman
Welcome! This page shares the details of Dr Karen Treisman’s award-winning, bestselling, and much-loved books, therapeutic cards, and toys designed to support children, teenagers, families, and professionals working with trauma, adversity, emotional wellbeing, and a whole wider range.
From trauma-informed organizational change to playful tools for the therapy room, each resource is deeply grounded in real-world practice, creativity, and connection. You’ll also find free worksheets and companion resources here.
Dr Treisman is continuously creating new tools and writing more resources, so keep checking back or follow on social media for updates about exciting new releases.
Where to buy?
Browse all resources in one place on our Amazon page: Visit Dr Treisman’s Amazon Author Page
Or available from most book stockists of your choice.
Prefer digital?
The books and workbooks are available as ebooks and PDFs here: Browse Karen Treisman ebooks
Ordering in bulk?
For bulk orders or discounts of books and cards on Jessica Kingsley Publications: hello@jkp.com
Training and workshops available!
We offer bespoke online and in-person training, workshops, and Q&A sessions tailored to all of the resources on this page: Training & Events
Professional & Organizational Books
Working with Relational and Developmental Trauma in children and adolescents
by Dr Karen Treisman (2016) is available from a range of stockists including Amazon, Waterstones, Routledge, and Foyles.
Working with Relational and Developmental Trauma in Children and Adolescents focuses on the multi-layered complex and dynamic area of trauma, loss and disrupted attachment on babies, children, adolescents and on the systems around them. The book explores the impact of relational and developmental trauma and toxic stress on children’s bodies, brains, relationships, behaviours, cognitions, and emotions.
The book draws on a range of theoretical perspectives through reflective exercises, rich case studies, practical applications and therapeutic strategies. With chapters on wider organisational and systemic dynamics, strength-based practices and the intergenerational transmission of relational trauma; Dr Treisman provides a holistic view of the pervasive nature and impact of working with trauma.
Working with Relational and Developmental Trauma in Children and Adolescents will be of interest to professionals working with children and families in the community, in-patient, school, residential, and court-based settings, including Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatrists, social workers, teachers, and students.
A Treasure Box for Creating Trauma-Informed Organizations: A Ready-to-Use Resource for Trauma, Adversity, and Culturally Informed, Infused and Responsive Systems
(Therapeutic Treasures Collection) by Dr Karen Treisman is available from a range of stockists including amazon and Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Please click here for a brochure about the contents of the books including a flavour of what is inside.
Find Out More →This 2 volume full colour treasure box book is packed full of valuable resources from bestselling and award-winning author, trainer, organizational consultant, and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Karen Treisman, and will show you how to weave a deep understanding of trauma and adversity into the daily practice and into the whole fabric of your organization.
This expert knowledge is presented in a bright and easy to understand way. Every chapter contains a huge array of colour photocopiable worksheets, downloadable materials, practical ideas, reflective questions, and exercises ready to use both individually and organizationally.
Covering guidance on policies, recruitment, supervision, language, cultural humility, co-production, team meeting ideas, staff wellbeing and more, this is the ultimate treasure trove for getting your organization truly and meaningfully trauma-informed.
There are also contributors from all over the world within different contexts, from prisons to social care to schools to residential homes and much more, which illustrate how to take the ideas and apply them into real world practice.
You can watch the recording of the book launch attended virtually by over 400 people including an interview with the author and some readings from Karen and 2 of the contributors.
Watch on YouTube →
The Therapeutic Treasure Box Book (in black and white)
The bestselling “Therapeutic Treasure Box for Working with Children and Adolescents with Developmental Trauma: Creative Activities and Tools” by Dr Karen Treisman (September, 2017) is available to purchase from a range of stockists including Amazon, Waterstones, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and Foyles).
Like a treasure box, this resource overflows with valuable resources – information, ideas and techniques to inspire and support those working with children who have experienced relational and developmental trauma.
Drawing on a range of therapeutic models including systemic, psychodynamic, trauma, sensory, neurobiological, neurocognitive, attachment, cognitive behavioural, and creative ideas, Dr Karen Treisman explains how we understand trauma and its impact on children, adolescents, and their families. She details how it can be seen in symptoms such as nightmares, sleeping difficulties, and behavioural and emotional dysregulation.
Theories and strategies are accompanied by a treasure trove of practical, creative, and ready-to-use resources including over 100 illustrated worksheets and handouts, top tips, recommended sample questions, and photographed examples (in black and white not colour).
See the Home Page for some reviews and endorsements of this bestselling book.
Trauma-Informed Health Care: A Reflective Guide for Improving Care and Services
This comprehensive reflective resource explores the values, principles and practical applications of trauma-informed and -infused health care. Trauma-Informed Health Care introduces the different types of trauma – including medical and health trauma – and the impact of adversities, social inequalities and stressors. It explores their effects on health and the body, and on people’s relationships with health providers. Key issues addressed include the importance of cultural humility, the effects of secondary and vicarious trauma, burnout and moral injury. It also covers the critical issue of organizational trauma: how to avoid practice which has potential to traumatize or retraumatize, and the role of cultural understanding, language, leadership, staff wellbeing and the physical environment.
Drawing substantially on the experiences of people who use services and active practitioners, this book spans diverse settings — from doctor’s surgeries to hospitals and allied health services. It reveals how “every interaction can be an intervention” and provides you with practical examples, graphics and reflective exercises to support you to bring about positive change. For more information on the contents and a discount code please read here- trauma informed healthcare book brochure
Recorded book launch and interview with Dr Karen Treisman about the trauma-informed health care book.
Watch on YouTube →
Therapeutic Treasure Decks of Cards
The Trauma Treasure Deck: A Creative Tool for Assessments, Interventions, and Learning for Work with Adversity and Stress in Children and Adults Cards
Intro video about cards.
Watch on YouTube →NEW ONLINE MODULE (1.5 HOURS)- IDEAS, STRATEGIES, AND EXAMPLES OF USING THE TRAUMA DECK IN MORE MEANINGFUL, ENRICHING, CREATIVE AND VERSATILE WAYS.
Find Out More →Dr Karen Treisman has designed this versatile and colourful card deck to enable practitioners supporting children, teens or adults who have experienced trauma, stress or adversity.
The cards are organized into four different types: sentence completion cards, survival response cards, signals/signs cards and different types of trauma cards. In combination, the cards provide you with a rich resource which enables you to:
- Increase understanding of the multi-layered impact of trauma, stress, and adversity – including common sensory, physical, emotional, cognitive and relational aspects.
- Deepen assessment and information-gathering
- Reflect on progress and the journey
- Inform goals and focus interventions
- Identify survival responses, feelings and experiences
- Use metaphors, analogies and symbols to support Find new ways to name, label or describe experiences or feelings
- Increase empathy, understanding and compassion
- Support reflection and curiosity
- Explore the wider lens of trauma – including cultural, intergenerational, medical, war trauma etc.
And much more!
Developed to be inclusive of a variety of learning styles, abilities and language skills, the pack can be used with individuals, groups, teams and organizations. Accompanied by a comprehensive explanatory booklet, they will enable you to create assessments, psycho-education and interventions which are playful, enriching and creative.
A Therapeutic Treasure Deck of Strengths and Self-Esteem Cards
Dr Treisman’s deck of 70 cards offers creative ways to help develop self-esteem, strengths, hope, positive qualities, and resilience.
Suitable for use with all ages – from children aged 6+ to adults – and for one-to-one, group or team settings, the cards provide an approachable way to explore wishes, hopes, dreams, identity and much more. The pack is organized into three different card types: 1) illustrated strengths cards; 2) strengths-based sentence completion cards; and 3) fun activities. Together, they provide an easy way to engage in self-reflection, whether through inspiring conversations or a more structured activity.
The deck is accompanied by a helpful booklet which explains the many ways in which the pack can be used – from the simple to the inspiring and creative.
The Parenting Patchwork Treasure Deck: A Creative Tool for Assessments, Interventions, and Strengthening Relationships with Parents, Carers, and Children
This versatile deck features 100 colourful cards and a detailed instruction manual. Developed by Dr. Karen Treisman for professionals working with parents, carers and families, it is a proven, easy to use tool to help explore relationships and aid assessments and interventions.
The deck is designed to be comprehensive and adaptable, covering child-parent/carer relationships; parenting experiences; parenting capacity; trauma; and childhood development. It is divided into three sections. The first explores children’s needs and parenting skills. The second offers sample questions to help adults to learn about child development and the impact of trauma. The third provides questions to ask during psycho education, interventions and assessments.
A valuable tool which covers the breadth of the ‘Parenting Patchwork’, this deck will provide opportunities for reflection, and encourages empathic, curious, compassionate practice.
Video introduction to cards found here.
Watch on YouTube →Free series of video modules supporting the use are here.
Find Out More →A Therapeutic Treasure Deck of Grounding, Soothing, Coping and Regulating Cards
A pack of 70 cards and explanatory guide offers a playful, non-threatening way to explore explore feelings, and to form effective coping, regulating, soothing, and grounding strategies through a range of games and activities. Designed to work with both the brain and body, the cards address a wide range of common issues including anxiety, stress, low mood, sleep difficulties and emotional dysregulation. To do so, they employ a range of proven strategies including cognitive techniques, nurturing activities, sensory strategies, body-based activity and creative exercises.
You can see a video of me talking about these cards here.
Watch on YouTube →
A Therapeutic Treasure Deck: Sentence Completion and Feelings Cards
The perfect tool to add to any ‘therapeutic treasure box’, this set of 68 cards provide a way to help open conversations and structure discussions with children and adolescents aged 6+.
The treasure deck offers a fun, non-threatening way to help to build understanding and forge relationships. It also provides a safe, playful way for children to articulate and make sense of their feelings, thoughts, experiences and beliefs. The deck comes with two different types of card – the ‘feelings cards’ and the ‘sentence-completion cards’ – which can be used separately or together, and the cards are accompanied by a booklet which explains some of the different ways in which they can be therapeutically used.
You can see a video of me talking about these cards here.
Watch on YouTube →
Children’s Therapeutic Activity Books
All stories are now also available as standalone storybooks, separate from the activity books- great for reading, gifting, or classroom use. Please check product descriptions to ensure you’re purchasing the correct version.
You can buy them here.
Taya the Tortoise Activity Book for Children who Bottle Up, Retreat or Disconnect
Taya the Tortoise is a much-needed activity workbook and therapeutic story written by award-winning clinical psychologist, Dr. Karen Treisman. We are used to identifying children who ask for attention, but what about children who need help, but stay silent or show their pain differently? They may survive by disconnecting, retreating, dissociating, and internalizing their hurt. These children are often overlooked, quieter, and misunderstood, and therefore fall through the net.
This activity book is a professional tool to help these children and the adults supporting them. At its heart are tools to help children heal, connect, trust, and express themselves. Combining trauma-informed theory with practical and creative activities and worksheets, and a final section for adults supporting children, this book will help you to support children aged 5–10 to step out of their shells and into a brighter, more connected future.
Ollie the Octopus: Grief, Bereavement, and Death
In a magical underwater forest lived a colourful and loveable Octopus called Ollie, who loved swimming with his friends and spending time with his mum and dad, Orla and Orson the Octopuses.
Until one day, Orla started to get very sick. The doctors did everything they could to help her, but very sadly, Orla died. Ollie had so many thoughts and feelings spinning around in his head, and his heart was hurting.
This activity book has been developed by expert child Psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Karen Treisman. The first part of the book is a colourful illustrated therapeutic story about Ollie the Octopus, with a focus on Ollie making sense of and processing the loss of his mum, Orla. This is followed by a wealth of creative activities and colourful photocopiable worksheets for children and the people supporting them to explore aspects of loss, grief, death, and bereavement, and how to find ways to understand and cope with them.
The final section of the book is full of advice and practical strategies for parents, carers, and professionals on how to help children aged 5-10 to begin to understand the complex and multi-layered feelings surrounding loss and bereavement, and what they can do to help navigate them through their grief journey.
This activity book is complemented by a standalone picture book of Ollie’s story, also available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Ollie the Octopus, ISBN 9781839970238).
Binnie the Baboon: Anxiety and Stress Activity book
A Therapeutic Story with Creative and CBT Activities to help Children Aged 5-8 who worry.
Binnie is an energetic baboon, who bounces around the lush green mountains of Rwanda in East Africa. But like many of us, Binnie often feels worried and stressed, and these worries can get in her way! What if she gets lost in the jungle, or her family gets sick? What if no one likes her? Sometimes she even worries about the fact she’s worried; and if she isn’t worried, well why not?!
This activity book has been developed by expert child psychologist Dr Karen Treisman. The first part of the book is a colourful illustrated therapeutic story about Binnie the Baboon, with a focus on worry and anxiety. This is followed by a wealth of creative activities and photocopiable worksheets for children to explore issues relating to anxiety, worry, fears, and stress, and how to find ways to understand and overcome them. The final section of the book is full of advice and practical strategies for parents, carers, and professionals on how to help children aged 5-10 to start to understand why they experience feelings of anxiety, and what they can do to help reduce and navigate it.
You can see Karen talking about Binnie the book and toy here.
Watch on YouTube →
Presley the Pug: Relaxation Activity Book
Therapeutic Story with Creative Activities to Help Children to Regulate their Emotions and to Find Calm.
Like all dogs, Presley the Pug loves to play, run, and snuggle up under his warm blanket. But sometimes, Presley gets gets so excited that his feelings take over. Sometimes it’s anger, sometimes stress, sometimes worry. He doesn’t know how to calm down! What can Presley do when he feels like this? Luckily Presley’s canine friends are nearby with some wise words and they share some of the tricks that have worked for them! This therapeutic activity book was developed by expert child psychologist Dr Karen Treisman. It features a colourful therapeutic story designed to help start conversations about coping with big feelings and how to find calm. It explains how Presley (and the reader!) is able to create a ‘mind retreat’ – an imaginary safe space where he can relax. The activity book is also packed with creative activities and photocopiable worksheets to help children to explore the ideas raised in the story, including regulating and coping tools like sensory boxes, relaxation exercises and easy yoga poses. It also features advice and practical strategies for parents, carers and professionals supporting children aged 5-10.
You can see a video of Karen talking about Presley the Pug here.
Watch on YouTube →
Cleo the Crocodile: An Activity Book for Children Who Are Afraid to Get Close
A Therapeutic Story with Creative Activities about Trust, Anger, and Relationships for Children Aged 5-10.
Cleo the Crocodile loved having fun with all of the other animals, until Hogan the Hippo started being mean, even though Hogan was meant to look after Cleo. Scared of being hurt again, Cleo had to leave the swamp, and he swung, snapped and stared at all the others animals so that he would be left alone. Would he ever be happy again and make friends? How would he feel safe and ready for new adventures? This activity book and workbook developed by expert child psychologist Dr Karen Treisman combines a colourfully illustrated therapeutic story about Cleo the Crocodile to help start conversations about rejection, anger, and relational difficulties- including difficulties with trust and lettings others close. This is followed by a wealth of creative activities for children to explore and build upon some of the ideas raised in the story, and beyond! The activities are accompanied by extensive advice and practical strategies for parents, carers and professionals on how to help children aged 5-10 to feel safe, learn to trust more, and to build healthier relationships.
Gilly the Giraffe: Self Esteem Activity Book
A Therapeutic Story with Creative Activities for Children Aged 5-10.
Even though Gilly the Giraffe has many wonderful things in her life, she sometimes lacks confidence. Why does she have to stand out so much with her long neck, her long black tongue and her mosaic patches? Why do some of the other animals point and laugh at her? Can it be possible to be different and to be cool?
This activity book developed by child psychologist Dr Karen Treisman combines a colourfully illustrated therapeutic story about Gilly the Giraffe to help start conversations, which is followed by a wealth of creative activities for children to explore and build upon some of the ideas raised in the story, and beyond! The activities are accompanied by extensive advice and practical strategies for parents, carers and professionals on how to help children aged 5-10 boost their self-esteem, self-belief, and confidence.
Watch a video of Karen talking about Gilly here.
Watch on YouTube →Neon the Ninja: Activity Book for Children who Struggle with Sleep and Nightmares
A Therapeutic Story with Creative Activities Aged 5-10.
Neon the Ninja has a very special job. He looks after anyone who finds the night time scary. Lots of us have nightmares, but Neon loves nothing more than using his special ninja powers to keep the nightmares and worries far away, and to keep the magical dreams and positive thoughts close by.
This story, activity, and guide book combines a fun illustrated story to show children how Neon the Ninja can reduce their nightmares and night worries with fun activities and therapeutic worksheets to make night times feel safer and more relaxed. This workbook contains a treasure trove of explanations, advice, and practical strategies for parents, carers and professionals. Based on creative, narrative, sensory, and CBT techniques, it is full of tried and tested exercises, tips and techniques to aid and alleviate nightmares and sleeping difficulties. This is a must-have for those working and living with children aged 5-10 who experience nightmares or other sleep-related problems.
Watch a video about Neon here.
Watch on YouTube →
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