What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck

A proven, evidence-based workbook that helps kids and parents outsmart OCD's tricks, one step at a time

What if there's poison in my food? What if I don't say sorry enough times? What if I don't do this five times exactly? For kids with obsessive-compulsive disorder, these aren't passing worries, they're urges that feel impossible to ignore. OCD isn't always about hand washing. It's intrusive thoughts that take hold, rituals meant to ward off harm, and endless questions about safety and certainty that exhaust the whole family.

Now updated in a 2nd edition, What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck gives kids and parents a real, therapist-backed method for fighting back. Grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), this bestselling interactive workbook combines step-by-step exercises, engaging activities, and lively illustrations to help children spot OCD's tricks and take control, instead of letting compulsions call the shots. Written with warmth and humor, it turns an overwhelming diagnosis into a manageable, empowering process, helping families build a personalized game plan to shrink OCD down to size.

Key features:

• evidence-based CBT strategies for childhood OCD: teaches real, clinically grounded techniques for managing obsessive-compulsive disorder, intrusive thoughts, and compulsive rituals in kids
• interactive, kid-friendly workbook format: step-by-step activities and lively illustrations make abstract concepts concrete, so kids actively practice skills instead of just reading about them
• deeply relatable for children with OCD: reflects real experiences, helping kids feel understood instead of alone with their symptoms
• built-in parent support: includes a dedicated "Introduction to Parents and Caregivers," offering guidance on how to help without accidentally reinforcing OCD behaviors
• trusted series and publisher: part of the What-to-Do Guides for Kids series from Magination Press, the children’s imprint of APA, dedicated to emotional well-being and healthy development
   

Dawn Huebner, PhD, worked for 38 years as a psychologist. She's now a parent coach, and the author of numerous self-help books for children, including What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety, Second Edition, What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger, Second Edition, and What to Do When You Dread Your Bed: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Problems With Sleep, Second Edition. Specializing in childhood anxiety, Dr. Huebner's work has been translated  into 25 languages, touching the lives of millions of children around the world. She lives in Sacramento, CA. Visit her websiteopens in new window and follow her on Facebookopens in new window.

Sabine Rothmund studied communication design with a focus on book design and illustration in Mainz. She has worked for several publishers for more than 20 years. She lives in Southern Germany.

As a well-vetted resource published by the American ­Psychology ­Association, it is a ­recommended purchase for youth libraries...
—School Library Journal

Note to Parents and Caregivers

• Chapter 1: Are You Saving Junk?
• Chapter 2: What Is OCD?
• Chapter 3: OCD’s Favorite Tricks
• Chapter 4: Why Does OCD Happen?
• Chapter 5: Your First Tool: I Spy
• Chapter 6: Your Second Tool: Talking Back
• Chapter 7: Your Third Tool: Show OCD Who’s Boss
• Chapter 8: Your Fourth Tool: Practice!
• Chapter 9: What If It Feels Too Hard?
• Chapter 10: Getting Good at Managing OCD
• Chapter 11: You Can Do It

About the Author, Illustrator, and Magination Press