Local mother and pediatric nurse Rhonda Thompson shares her story of overcoming abuse and giving a voice to special needs children, like her son, in her first book titled, “The Silent Screaming.”
The book, already a #1 best seller, shares the personal story of Thompson and her son as they embark on a journey to heal from abuse and provide those with a voice. This raw and emotional book shares the challenges of mental illness, as well as how to overcome the obstacles that come with it. Rhonda also shares the challenges of raising a special needs son and how to find strength and hope in times of darkness.
In the book you will learn there is hope for those with mental illness and ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, how you can give your child a voice, guide them towards independence, and find their identity in the world.
“This is a must-read for those who face the challenges life brings for those who have experienced physical and psychological abuse or those that care for those that have experienced this,” says Therese Valadez in her recent review on the book.
Thompson knows first-hand the trauma abuse and mental illness can have on an individual, as well as a family. Throughout her journey of being Joshua's mom, she has learned how to navigate the difficulties of advocating for her child. Her goal with the book is to make the journey easier for others with what she has learned over the years.
To celebrate the recent launch, Thompson has pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from the book sales to Raising Special Kids and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
“The Silent Screaming” is now available for purchase on Amazon in both print and eBook formats. The cost is $19.79 for hardcopy, $9.97 for paperback and $2.99 for the Kindle version. To purchase a copy of the book, visit https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Screaming-Psychiatric-Disorders-Challenges-ebook/dp/B0CHZY9YC6.
The book, already a #1 best seller, shares the personal story of Thompson and her son as they embark on a journey to heal from abuse and provide those with a voice. This raw and emotional book shares the challenges of mental illness, as well as how to overcome the obstacles that come with it. Rhonda also shares the challenges of raising a special needs son and how to find strength and hope in times of darkness.
In the book you will learn there is hope for those with mental illness and ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, how you can give your child a voice, guide them towards independence, and find their identity in the world.
“This is a must-read for those who face the challenges life brings for those who have experienced physical and psychological abuse or those that care for those that have experienced this,” says Therese Valadez in her recent review on the book.
Thompson knows first-hand the trauma abuse and mental illness can have on an individual, as well as a family. Throughout her journey of being Joshua's mom, she has learned how to navigate the difficulties of advocating for her child. Her goal with the book is to make the journey easier for others with what she has learned over the years.
To celebrate the recent launch, Thompson has pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from the book sales to Raising Special Kids and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
“The Silent Screaming” is now available for purchase on Amazon in both print and eBook formats. The cost is $19.79 for hardcopy, $9.97 for paperback and $2.99 for the Kindle version. To purchase a copy of the book, visit https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Screaming-Psychiatric-Disorders-Challenges-ebook/dp/B0CHZY9YC6.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Mental health is something we should all be aware of,
00:02 but especially as parents, learning how and when to check in
00:06 with our children can be difficult.
00:08 Here to talk about her journey and her raw and emotional book,
00:11 "The Silent Screaming," is Rhonda Thompson.
00:13 Rhonda, thank you for being here.
00:14 - Thank you for having me. - Absolutely.
00:16 So I want to start out hearing a little bit about you
00:18 and your background and what led you to write this book.
00:20 - Yeah, so I've been a nurse for almost 30 years,
00:23 the majority of that being in pediatrics,
00:25 and, you know, seeing so many families struggle
00:28 with mental health issues in their children
00:30 and behavioral health issues.
00:32 And then my personal journey is my husband and I
00:35 took custody of my nephew, Joshua, at six years old
00:39 and had no idea of the journey we were going to be on
00:42 with his mental health issues.
00:44 - Oh, wow. Okay.
00:46 So how do you know if someone is struggling?
00:49 I mean, for you, this is something that you've dealt with.
00:51 What are some of the signs?
00:53 - Yeah, you know, I usually suggest to parents
00:55 is if there's a change in their behavior in any way,
00:59 if they become more isolated,
01:01 and it's an extended period of isolation.
01:03 So, I mean, teens will be teens,
01:05 and so, you know, as parents, you know them best,
01:07 but if they become more isolated than usual,
01:10 if they're having dramatic mood swings
01:11 that are lasting a long period of time,
01:14 that might be a signal that something else is happening.
01:17 - Yeah, oh, that's so interesting.
01:18 And so tell me a little bit about the book,
01:21 'cause I know you delve into that,
01:23 but kind of a couple of other topics as well.
01:25 - Yeah, so I talk just a little bit about,
01:28 not just in the book, but on my website as well,
01:30 is around resources for families,
01:32 because it is, you know, you feel very isolated,
01:35 and in the book, we talk about the isolation
01:37 and the bullying that we experienced,
01:40 which was unique as a family, right?
01:42 And I think part of the issue is
01:44 when you see a kiddo in a wheelchair,
01:47 there's natural compassion and empathy,
01:50 and for these kids, it's usually judgment
01:52 of their actions and their behavior.
01:54 And so just, you know, helping parents get through that,
01:57 and my whole goal was to let parents know
02:00 they're not alone in this,
02:01 and it doesn't matter where you are
02:03 from a socioeconomic background,
02:05 you all may experience this.
02:07 - Oh, absolutely, yeah, this is a huge deal,
02:10 and like you said, things that are more viewable,
02:13 more visible, you get a lot of empathy,
02:15 but with this kind of stuff,
02:16 it's not necessarily something you see on the outside,
02:19 but it's still happening,
02:20 and it's still affecting those families and those kids.
02:22 - Right, right.
02:23 - Okay, so show everybody the book,
02:25 and tell us a little bit about
02:26 where they can find the information to get the book.
02:28 - Yeah, so it's available on Amazon,
02:30 The Silent Screaming by Rhonda Thompson.
02:32 It's also, there's a link on my website,
02:34 thesilentscreaming.com,
02:35 that also includes a list of resources for families.
02:38 - That's fantastic, yeah, this is such an important book,
02:42 and you said it has a list of resources in the book,
02:44 correct?
02:45 - Yeah, there are some resources in the book as well, yes.
02:46 - That's great, all right, Rhonda,
02:48 well, thank you so much for sharing that with us.
02:50 Again, go to, is it thesilentscreaming.com?
02:53 - Yes, that's silentscreaming.com.
02:54 - Perfect, okay, I love it.
02:55 Thank you for sharing this, this is super important.
02:58 And guys, make sure you stick around,
02:59 because we have more of The Mix coming up after this.
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