While You Wait.
Your child has just been referred for extra support — CAMHS, a therapist, an assessment — and now you're both stuck in the in-between. The appointment is booked. The waiting has started. And nobody handed you anything to do with that gap. "While You Wait" is a printable Companion Guide built for that exact moment. It isn't a book to read cover to cover — it was designed from the start for children who find long text hard going, including kids who are anxious, autistic, have ADHD, or simply don't want to "read a book about their feelings." Instead of chapters, it has Moments. Each one takes 2–3 minutes: • Moment 1 — Leaving the appointment • Moment 2 — What's going round your head today (a tick-box activity) • Moment 3 — Why am I waiting? (explained in one honest sentence) • Moment 4 — The first evening (a feelings-as-weather check-in) • Moment 5 — The waiting (draw your "waiting monster" + grounding ideas) • Moment 6 — The appointment arrives (questions to bring + a support team page) Plus a note for the grown-up, a "how to use this" page for the child, a closing page, and a printable certificate for getting through the wait. WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT This isn't a workbook dressed up with clip art. Every page follows one rule: one idea, generous white space, no pressure to finish. It talks to children like they're intelligent — never patronising, never clinical. WHO IT'S FOR - Parents/carers of a child or young person on a CAMHS or CYPMHS waitlist - Children referred for anxiety, OCD, ADHD, autism assessment, or low mood - Therapists, school counsellors, and SENCOs who want a low-text resource to send home between sessions WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE - 1 PDF, 17 pages, US Letter (print at home, at a copy shop, or read on a tablet/phone) - Instant digital download — no physical item is shipped - For personal / single-family use. Schools and clinics: please contact us for a site licence. THIS GUIDE IS NOT a substitute for professional mental health care or crisis support. If your child is in crisis, please contact your GP, CAMHS crisis line, or local emergency services.
Get it → themessybrainco.gumroad.com