The Book a Trauma Therapist Wrote for the Child Who Had No Words for It
Most adults who end up in trauma therapy can trace a pattern back further than they expected.
Not to a single event. To a friendship. A dynamic that started in middle school, or earlier — one that felt confusing and wrong but had no name. One where they were slowly pulled away from the people who loved them, flattered into dependency, and left wondering why they felt so alone while standing right next to someone who called them their best friend.
Helen Denise Stovall has heard this story many times. As a Licensed Holistic Psychotherapist specializing in complex trauma and narcissistic abuse recovery, she works with adults who are still untangling patterns that took root long before they had the vocabulary to describe them.
So she wrote the book that gives children that vocabulary. Before the pattern has a chance to take hold.
Greyrock Academy and the Story Behind the Story
Published in April 2026 under her pen name Professor Ladybug, The Tales of Greyrock Academy: Red Flags — Complete Edition is the first book in an ongoing illustrated chapter series for readers ages 9 and up.
The story follows Dakota, a student at Greyrock Academy whose close friend group welcomes Olivia, the new girl. Dakota is the first to show her kindness. But what begins as a warm friendship slowly becomes something else. Olivia pulls Dakota away from her other friends. She flatters her, gives her gifts, and quietly plants seeds of doubt about the people who care about her most.
As Dakota grows more confused and isolated, her friends refuse to give up on her. Together, they help her see what she could not recognize on her own — the red flags that were there all along.
It is a story most children will recognize. And that is exactly the point.
Why Children Need This Language Now
The term for it is coercive control. In adult relationships, it shows up in the patterns Denise works with daily — isolation, love bombing, manufactured dependency, the slow erosion of a person's trust in their own instincts.
But these patterns do not start in adulthood. They start in childhood friendships, in school hallways, in group chats. And children, without the language or the framework, often have no way to name what is happening to them. They just know something feels wrong. And because they cannot name it, they often blame themselves.
The earlier a child learns to trust their instincts and identify the people who truly have their back, the more resilient they become — not just in childhood, but across their entire life.
That is the case for this book. And it is written by someone who has spent years seeing what happens when that window closes without intervention.
More Than a Story — A Full Educational Resource
The Complete Edition is designed to work on multiple levels at once.
For the child reading it, it is a relatable story about a real social situation — told through characters they can see themselves in.
For the adult in the room, it is a complete teaching toolkit. The back matter includes:
Spot the Signs — seven real social behaviors named, defined, and illustrated through the story in age-appropriate language
Story-based questions and a full Answer Key — for guided reflection and classroom or home discussion
Ways to Protect Yourself — practical tools young readers can use immediately
A Note to Parents and Educators — guidance on using the book to open meaningful conversations
A Discussion Guide — ten thoughtful questions to explore the story together
This is not a book that asks children to absorb a lesson passively. It asks them to notice. To reflect. To talk. Those are the same skills Denise builds with her adult clients — and they work better the earlier they start.
Written by a Therapist. Designed for the Classroom, the Waiting Room, and the Kitchen Table.
Professor Ladybug — Denise's pen name — is not a character. It is a philosophy. That the most powerful mental health intervention is sometimes a story told at the right moment, to the right child, by someone who knows what they are really saying.
The Tales of Greyrock Academy is an ongoing series. Red Flags is Book 1. More are coming.
Ideal for parents, school counselors, classroom teachers, child and adolescent therapists, social workers, pediatric waiting rooms, and SEL curriculum.
Work Directly with Denise
If your child is navigating a confusing friendship dynamic — or if you recognize these patterns in your own history — Denise works with adolescents and adults in individual and group settings.
Her approach integrates traditional psychotherapy with somatic modalities including Brainspotting, Bilateral Sound, and the Safe and Sound Protocol.
She is currently enrolling for her SSP 10-Week Group Program — remote, small group, $40/week + $30 one-time signup fee.
Explore Denise's full profile and book a session: doctoloop.com/doctors/helen-denise-stovall
Get the book on Amazon: amazon.com/dp/B0GX2KJTSY
