Graphic Lives is a series of highly engaging graphic novels for young people who may need counselling and psychotherapy. Each book introduces the difficulties faced by a teenage character and follows them as they travel on their therapeutic journey with a skilled and creative therapist. The key aims of these books are:

• to demystify counselling and psychotherapy so that it is more appealing and accessible to young people;
• to destigmatise emotional and mental health problems so that young people are better able to accept help;
• to encourage young people to embark upon their own healing journeys, equipped with the sense that there is a way forward.

The essential support guide, designed to be used alongside the Graphic Lives novels, provides therapists and counsellors with a range of support resources, linked to the stories and the issues covered. For each graphic novel, this guide offers:

• clear and concise coverage of risk factors and warning signs relating to the issue covered in the story;
• detailed exploration of each therapeutic session in the story so that you can devise you own sessions that link to the therapy in the story;
• an up-to-date summary of research around the issue covered in the book along with professional guidance on working with that issue to help you achieve the best possible outcomes for the young people you work with.