STUFF THAT SUCKS

¦ Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help
teens accept their thoughts and emotions, rather than
trying to run from them, and connect with their values to
live a more meaningful life.
¦ Rooted in ACT but free of psychological jargon, this
illustrated guide is funny, endearing, and relatable.
Rather than taking a typical self-help approach, the book
relies on a sense of camaraderie.

Sometimes stuff really does suck and we have to acknowledge it. Worry, sadness, loneliness, anger, and shame are big and important, but they can also get in the way of what really matters. What if, instead of fighting the pain, we realized what matters most and put those things first?
Stuff That Sucks offers a compassionate and validating guide to accepting emotions, rather than struggling against them. With this unique, illustrated book, teens will find skills based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), learn to prioritize their thoughts, feelings, and values, and figure out what they care about most—then start caring more! There are a few written exercises, but this isn't a workbook. It's a journey into the stuff that sucks, what makes that sucky stuff suck even more, and how just a few moments each day with the stuff that matters will ultimately transform the stuff that sucks into stuff that is just stuff. Make sense? This book will show teens how to focus on what they really care about, so that all that other sucky stuff doesn't seem so, well, sucky anymore.

Ben Sedley is a clinical psychologist and ACT practitioner with over fifteen years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families facing mental health difficulties. His research and practice has focused on examining children and young people's understanding of mental health, which has helped guide him on the best ways to explain mental health concepts and ACT to young people. Sedley resides in Wellington, New Zealand.