As teachers, counsellors or parents in the 1980s, we learnt that problematic behaviours were strongly linked to our thoughts. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) was taught as an effective intervention attesting its efficacy with behavioural change. In the 1990s we learnt the important role emotions played in behaviours and we started seeing interventions such as anger management groups.

In the last couple of decades, brain science has been teaching us that our body and brain are neurologically wired to meet a hierarchy of needs, and this is behind our behaviour patterns.

We are now learning to integrate body work into therapeutic approaches for behaviour change such as mindfulness-based CBT, relational-attachment therapy and sensorimotor therapy.

Tanya Curtis, in The Body Life Skills Program, presents a different view of problematic behaviour patterns. From her decades of experience as a behaviour specialist in schools and clinics, she strongly believes that problematic behaviours are not problematic but serve a purpose in one's life. This belief s key to her approach to change — marking time to understand the purpose of the problematic behaviour, a process that intuitively leads into solutions.

In this practical book, Curtis explains the three-step process she has developed to help understand and re-label problematic behaviour. She explains, with interactive tools, the way she approaches understanding behaviours through body's expressive tools and then integrates it with the brain expressions (words, feelings, emotions). 

One will also find case scenarios to learn how these tools can be successfully used. Those embarking in the field of behaviour science and education, and/or avid readers in self-help, will find this book immensely valuable. I will recommend this book to those who have a good baseline of self-awareness and are in emotionally safe relationships.

Professionals who have gained some experience in behaviour change might feel left out, craving to know the success of the tools when faced with the complexities of time, resources and history of trauma.

I am beauty-full just for being me has a really powerful and heartfelt message that is really important for everybody to know and learn. I am glad that it talks about humans of all ages because it is really important for people who feel discouraged about their appearance (even adults!) to hear this message.

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This book would be helpful towards people who don't feel good about their appearance, and it builds courage and gives support, letting people know that it's not how your look that determines your beauty, because your beauty comes from within, and it will always be there, forever, whatever obstacles we have to face during life, it will always be their. I think the age group that, from reading, would be okay for any age, but I think the illustrations could be more detailed. Also, I think that the way they wrote beauty-full instead of beautiful was really good because the message is that we are FULL of beauty.

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Overall, I think that I am beauty-full just for being me is a great book with a beauty-full message, we should love ourselves just the way we are.

The book Whoops ... is one of my favourite words has a positive message towards learning from your mistakes. The book is straightforward and is aimed at kids between the ages four and nine years. It teaches young kids to not get frustrated at their mistakes but to look at them as new ways to learn and developer, as a better human being. Mistakes can cause stress and anxiety, but this book demonstrates that you don't have to be perfect. Personally, I found this book a bit predictable, but as it is aimed at younger readers it is not a big issue. I enjoyed the images because I think they contrasted well with the words. Overall, I think this book teaches that we are all human and to love ourselves, mistakes and all.

My number 1 job is a really good book that leaves you feeling confident and ready to take on the world. I enjoyed how at the end it explains how to execute your number one job, that is "to love you". I feel like a 10-year-old child or older may find this book a bit predictable and perhaps a little slow going to read. However, in saying this, I think a child from four to nine years old will find this book has a powerful message and will also help them understand how to help other people to do their "number 1 job".