Michael Hempseed holds an honors degree in psychology from the University of Canterbury and speaks all over New Zealand on topics such as suicide prevention, improving sleep, and trauma. His first book, Being A True Hero: Understanding and Preventing Suicide in Your Community, has been used by the New Zealand Police, New Zealand Army medics, and many more. In 1995, Dame Sue Bagshaw, MD, established 198 Youth Health, a health center designed to care for the disadvantaged in the city of Christchurch, and in 2019, she was knighted for her services to young people. She is a senior lecturer of pediatrics at the Christchurch School of Medicine and the founder of The Collaborative Trust for Research and Training in Youth Health and Development.
Calming Your Child is essential reading, whether you are a parent or not. It provides solid references and strategies to deal with the challenging task of raising a child and to prepare them for life as an adult in a turbulent, fast-paced society. -- Captain Kevin Sullivan, Author of No Man's Land: The Untold Story of Automation on QF72 Dame Sue Bagshaw and Michael Hempseed share their profound insights derived from decades of working with children with mental health challenges and behavioural problems. The authors frame an argument that the behavioural problems expressed by these children are not intentional, but the consequences of being under a state of threat. Accepting this perspective leads to an optimistic strategy of calming the nervous system that promote feelings of safety. --Stephen Porges, PhD and author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation