Shame is such a prevalent theme that emerges in counseling, and children are certainly not exempt from feeling it! Kristen Maher does a great job of explaining shame and how to handle it in her book The Awfulizer: Learning to Overcome the Shame Game.
I especially like this book because personifying an emotion can be extremely powerful with kids. It helps them feel as if the negative feeling is something they can work to defeat instead of something that is simply an uncontrollable part of them {i.e. using a “worry monster” to explain anxiety}. The Awfulizer monster externalizes feelings of shame for the boy in the story and gives a wonderful visual representation of how children can make shame bigger or smaller depending on their responses.
I also love that the book encourages children to talk about their problems instead of holding them inside! This is so helpful as we try to diminish the stigma associated with getting help, especially in terms of seeing a counselor.
I think this book would be an excellent starting point for a classroom lesson on shame. You could even have each student create his or own version of a shame monster to go with the story!
You can read more about The Awfulizer: Learning to Overcome the Shame Game here.
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