Kiltoom native to release new book on self-compassion for children

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Kiltoom native author and psychologist Louise Shanagher is preparing to release her latest book titled 'Growing Self-Compassionate Children'.

The book was written alongside Wendy O'Leary, an author, educator and public speaker with expertise in emotional well-being for children and adults.

“It's about being kind to ourselves, particularly when things are difficult,” Louise said. “There's a huge amount of research which supports the idea that mindfulness is important as a skill for our happiness and well-being.

“People tend to be very self critical, and it's a very Irish thing to be hard on ourselves. I could see that even working in schools. The books is something to give parents tools that they can bring into their family life so that they know how to support their children.”

Louise has extensive education in the area of psychology, garnering both a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from NUI Galway and Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Manchester, as well as further qualifications in Mindfulness, Psychotherapy and Play Therapy.

It was 12 years ago when she first began teaching mindfulness to children, and she has since released a number of book series and online tools in the area.

“I always loved children, and working with children,” Louise said. “After I qualified, I was studying play therapy, working with kids with autism, and as a children's therapist.

“I was 24 when I started meditating, and that was a big change for me. I really felt that young children should be taught how to practice mindfulness, meditation, and self-compassion.”

Louise released her first book series 'Mindfully Me' in 2018 with Lilliput Press, with the series having gone on to sell over 10,000 copies world-wide. She followed that up with the 'Kindfully Me' series.

“Mindfulness has really helped me in my own life. I find it really empowering,” Louise said, speaking about what compelled her to start writing books on mindfulness for children. “I felt, when I started writing, there was very little around mindfulness for kids, and I thought it was something that would be really beneficial to a lot of kids.”

Louise's books offer tried and trusted guidance for parents and families looking to support their little ones with any big challenges they might be facing.

“It was something very new, but the reaction was really positive. I think people do see the need to support children's well-being and their mental health.

“Since 2018, mindfulness has become much more popular and more mainstream. They're now bringing it into schools and healthcare settings. There's been more openness, interest, and enthusiasm in recent years, and we can see that shame or stigma around mental health going away.”

The Athlone woman has also developed her own accredited training course called Creative Mindfulness, which aims to teach children self compassion, how to deal with difficult feelings, and about cultivating happiness in “fun, creative, and playful ways”.

Since 2020, over 2,000 practitioners have been trained worldwide, with a total of 10,000 students registered for the online course.

'Growing Self-Compassionate Children' is set to be released on March 11, and will be available for purchase online at https://www.creative-mindfulness.com/growing-self-compassionate-children

Copies of the book will also be available in The Bastion Gallery in Athlone.