Graphic Lives is a series of highly engaging graphic novels for young people who may need counselling and psychotherapy. The key aims of these books are: - to demystify counselling and psychotherapy so that it is more appealing and accessible to young people; - to destigmatise emotional and mental health problems so that young people are better able to accept help; - to encourage young people to embark upon their own healing journeys, equipped with the sense that there is a way forward. Hari As fifteen year-old Hari approaches his mock-GCSEs, he begins to experience anxiety attacks aggravated by his fears of failure to meet his own and his family's expectations. When intermittent feigned illness escalates to the point where he runs out of an exam and hides in a cupboard, Hari agrees to see Steph, the school counsellor. Together they explore ways for Hari to manage his own anxiety and be less critical of himself. Ava Sixteen year-olds Ava and Jade are obsessed with food, calories, and staying thin. Pleased with the many compliments they receive they push themselves into anorexia. Ava's mother is alarmed by her daughter's weight loss and forces her into therapy with the school counsellor, Steph.

However after only two sessions Steph touches a raw nerve, Ava storms out and refuses to continue. Only when Jade is admitted to hospital does Ava return to therapy, where she begins to understand the causes of her anorexic tendencies. Lexi Following the traumatic break-up of her parents' marriage, Lexi feels excluded and unloved. Unable to cope with her emotions, she self-harms, cutting herself with a scalpel. When her boyfriend splits up with her the self-harm intensifies until Lexi's sister persuades her to see Steph, the school counsellor. Together they explore some of the experiences that have shaped the way Lexi responds to negative emotions, and though the challenges she faces remain the same, as the therapy continues she learns how to experience those emotions without self-harming. Essential Support Guide The essential support guide, designed to be used alongside the Graphic Lives novels, provides therapists and counsellors with a range of support resources, linked to the stories and the issues covered. For each graphic novel, this guide offers: - clear and concise coverage of risk factors and warning signs relating to the issue covered in the story; - detailed exploration of each therapeutic session in the story so that you can devise you own sessions that link to the therapy in the story; - an up-to-date summary of research around the issue covered in the book along with professional guidance on working with that issue to help you achieve the best possible outcomes for the young people you work with.