What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck, 2nd Edition: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Ocd

A proven, evidence-based workbook that helps kids and parents outsmart OCD's tricks, one step at a time

What if there's poison in my food? What if I don't say sorry enough times? What if I don't do this five times exactly? For kids with obsessive-compulsive disorder, these aren't passing worries, they're urges that feel impossible to ignore. OCD isn't always about hand washing. It's intrusive thoughts that take hold, rituals meant to ward off harm, and endless questions about safety and certainty that exhaust the whole family.

Now updated in a 2nd edition, What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck gives kids and parents a real, therapist-backed method for fighting back. Grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), this bestselling interactive workbook combines step-by-step exercises, engaging activities, and lively illustrations to help children spot OCD's tricks and take control, instead of letting compulsions call the shots. Written with warmth and humor, it turns an overwhelming diagnosis into a manageable, empowering process, helping families build a personalized game plan to shrink OCD down to size.

Key features:

• evidence-based CBT strategies for childhood OCD teaches real, clinically grounded techniques for managing obsessive-compulsive disorder, intrusive thoughts, and compulsive rituals in kids
• interactive, kid-friendly workbook format step-by-step activities and lively illustrations make abstract concepts concrete, so kids actively practice skills instead of just reading about them
• deeply relatable for children with OCD reflects real experiences, helping kids feel understood instead of alone with their symptoms
• built-in parent support includes a dedicated "Introduction to Parents and Caregivers," offering guidance on how to help without accidentally reinforcing OCD behaviors
• trusted series and publisher part of the What-to-Do Guides for Kids series from Magination Press, the children's imprint of the American Psychological Association, dedicated to emotional well-being and healthy development

Author: Dawn Huebner
Publisher: Magination Press (R) -- American Psychologica
Published: 08/04/2026
Pages: 96
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 9.90h x 7.90w x 0.30d
ISBN: 9781433849329
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 07/01/2026 pg. 107

About the Author
Huebner, Dawn: - Dawn Huebner, PhD, is a psychologist, parent coach, and the author of numerous self-help books for children. Her books have been translated into twenty-three languages, touching the lives of millions of children around the world.Rothmund, Sabine: - Sabine Rothmund studied communication design with a focus on illustration and book design in Mainz, Germany, and has worked for various publishers for more than twenty years. She lives in southern Germany.