HERE I AM, I AM ME:

An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health

Introduction

Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health: Cara Bean has created an important resource for teens and tweens everywhere. Mandi White-Ajmani of Small Brooklyn was honored to review the science and write the foreword. It’s available now at all major booksellers! 

As an art teacher, Cara witnessed the teen mental health crisis firsthand. This book is her profound response to that. She shares that “Here I Am, I Am Me” is a mental health primer in comic form, but it’s also a testament to her unwavering dedication. She invested over five years of my life into research, writing, drawing, and coloring and shared its message in three countries and several US states. She blends science, personal stories, and comics into one comprehensive resource for kids.

“Here I Am, I Am Me” is the beginning of a much-needed conversation about adolescent mental health. It covers a range of topics, including stigma, the brain, anxiety, depression, suicide, and how to get help. There’s no easy way to start some of these discussions, but “Here I Am, I Am Me” is meant to be a safe space from which to begin.

From Workman Publishing:

Accompany author-illustrator Cara Bean in “Here I Am, I Am Me” as she guides readers on an illustrated journey to the center of the brain. Each of the 9 chapters explores a different aspect of mental health, from the brain and the mind to feelings and emotions. By portraying complex neuroscience concepts with a cast of illustrated characters (that represent parts of the brain), the book reveals what is truly happening in the reader’s head in an accessible, approachable way that ultimately empowers the reader.

Each chapter includes a “question map” that gives context to and helps frame the following pages as well as a “Bean Memory,” which shares a first-person true story that illustrates the chapter’s subject matter as it has played out in the author’s life.

The book doesn’t talk down to its readers, and it doesn’t pretend that teens are immune to mental health struggles: Cara Bean masterfully discusses crucial topics like depression, substance use and addiction, and suicide, all while equipping readers with mindfulness tips, specific resources, and empathetic affirmations. Readers will learn to destigmatize the conversation around mental health by reframing their thinking, learning how to use conscious language, and helping themselves and others through mental health dilemmas.

In other news, spring has sprung, and summer break is right around the corner. Many families are racing toward the finish of the school year, which can bring some added stress. Read on for information on how parent sessions can help children when individual therapy isn’t feasible.