It is with passion that the author has produced this first children's workbook, Making Sense of Me. Diana Ketterman believes that everyone experiences depression and anxiety at some point in life. She says, "It is increasingly apparent that we as a society must do something to enable children to have a voice, to teach them to identify their emotions, and to help them build resiliency in being overcomers to depression and anxiety."This 13 lesson workbook serves as a curriculum for teachers and parents to begin the conversation about our environment, senses, memories, emotions, and thoughts. It begins the conversation about how mental health can affect the physical. The message in this workbook provides mental health exercises and scenarios for children ages 7-13. It is geared to teach children how to identify emotions and to realize the power they have through the thought process. It is the first in a series of Mastering Mental Health Curriculum, pioneering the path in breaking the silence and ending the shame of mental illness.FREE lesson plans for parents and educators available on the author's website - www.masteringmentalhealth.com
About the Author: For nearly her entire childhood, Diana Ketterman grew up in a home with a mother who suffered from undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia. When Diana was 13 years old, her father was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor affecting his mental capacity. It took his life at the age of 40 when Diana was just 17 years old. Diana, the oldest of three children, increasingly took on many adult responsibilities as her parent's illnesses became predominant. Through resiliency, Diana overcame her early obstacles to build an impressive career, one that combines her interests in teaching and technology while allowing her to stay connected to her community. Diana holds a Virginia Teaching license, has 23 years in the field of education, six years working for the federal government and a lifetime of experience in building resiliency in coping with mental illness. Diana holds a BS in Business Administration and Accounting and a MS in Computers in Education. Diana has earned many achievements in education including being named SBEA Teacher of the Year. She was instrumental in working with Virginia state politicians and educators to establish state standards and college frameworks for students to receive technical industry certifications. Her teaching methods have been published in the National Business Education Yearbook, and her lesson plans have been published in a high school textbook by Cengage Learning. Diana has been an educational speaker on the local, state, and national level, writing and advocating the implementation of business and technology curriculum. She served as the adviser for a division of Future Business Leaders of America. Under her leadership, students were awarded national recognition during multiple years. Diana is currently putting her years of education and public-speaking experience to good use as she promotes a media campaign in parallel with the publication of her first book, A Child of Royalty. Her experiences entailed a United Way presentation with CNN writer and senior producer Wayne Drash. Diana co-authored the Virginia regional United Way community mental health report. Diana has been actively involved with the national community dialogue through Creating Community Solutions (CCS) and the Text, Talk, Act campaign. In cooperation with CCS Diana was selected to serve as a mental health guest speaker during a mental health panel with Author Patrick Kennedy.