Introducing Taya the Tortoise: An Activity Book for the Children Who Bottle-Up, Retreat, or Disconnect
By Dr. Karen Treisman. Find her latest book, Taya the Tortoise here.
What about the children who fall under the radar?
The ones who go inward rather than outward?
The ones described as “fine”, “compliant”, “no trouble”, “quiet”, “shy”, or “not making a fuss”?
The children who adapt to pain not by “acting out”, but by shrinking themselves, becoming smaller, disconnecting, retreating, clamming-up, or appearing to disappear- the children who can feel harder to reach, read, or connect with.
These are the children who have had to survive by retreating, going inward, unplugging, numbing, shutting down, masking, or dissociating; often because relationships have been frightening, overwhelming, unpredictable, or unsafe. These are the children who have been hurt, scared, silenced, harmed, let down, or betrayed in relationships; and have to navigate attachment wounds, developmental trauma, or relational betrayal. Including those children who are now in foster care, kinship care, adoption, and residential homes. And yet, they are so often the most unseen, the most misunderstood, and the most overlooked children in our systems, classrooms, services, and families.
This book was created for them. And equally, this book was created for the adults supporting them- parents, foster carers, kinship carers, adoptive parents, teachers, therapists, psychologists, residential workers, social workers, an so many others who so often say to me:
· “I don’t know how to reach them.”
· “I can feel the pain, but they can’t show it.”
· “They shut down. What do I do?”
Why Taya the Tortoise Needed to Be Written
Throughout my work as a Clinical Psychologist (in the UK and internationally), across therapy, training, and consultation, I kept noticing the same gap. There is a wealth of material for children whose trauma is loud, explosive, behaviourally obvious, or externalised. But far less exists for those whose trauma goes quiet; for those children who freeze, dissociate, retreat, comply, avoid, or shut down.
These survival responses are often misinterpreted as indifference, emotional detachment, “good behaviour”, or not being “impacted”. Adults can feel powerless, stuck, or rejected when faced with a child who gives very little back. These children can be sidelined, mislabelled, or unintentionally neglected simply because their hurt is less visible.
I wanted a resource that honoured and validated these quieter, internalised, protective ways of coping, surviving, and adapting. Something that enhanced our understanding and gave adults ways to attune, connect, co-regulate, and contribute to relational repair and healing. These children deserve to be centred, understood, and prioritised, not overlooked because their coping is quiet.
Adults have also found these ideas powerful in their own inner child work.
What Makes This Workbook Unique
- Evidence-informed yet highly practical, creative, and colourful.
- A therapeutic, moving children’s story alongside fun, child-friendly activities.
- Clear, accessible explanations of survival responses, including freezing, shutting down, going numb, dissociation, “blanking”, retreating, and going inward.
- Guidance on therapeutic re-parenting, healing-infused caregiving, meaning-making, relational safety, and trauma-informed connection.
- Strategies for enriching and deepening direct-work activities, making them more meaningful, sensory-aware, reflective, culturally attuned, choice-filled, and relationally grounded.
- Hundreds of practical worksheets, creative ideas, reflection tools, sensory activities, grounding strategies, and relational prompts rooted in real clinical practice.
- Flexible adaptations for different ages, stages, strengths, and developmental needs.
- Photocopiable pages and online resources that can be used across settings: homes, schools, therapy rooms, residential care, community spaces, and training environments.
Dr. Karen Treisman, MBE, is an award-winning specialist Clinical Psychologist, trainer, and bestselling author, working in London, UK. Karen is also the Director of Safe Hands and Thinking Minds Training and Consultancy services.
To celebrate the release of Taya the Tortoise we’re offering 3 for 2 across all Dr. Karen Treisman titles on our website www.JKP.com using the code TREISMAN342. Browse the full collection now.