By Mohammed AhminClinical Hypnotherapist | Year 8 Progress Lead | Maths Teacher | Mental Health Advocate

As a therapist and a Progress Lead in a UK secondary school, I have had a front-row seat to the silent struggles that young people are carrying. The signs are often subtle—a student always “tired,” another who laughs everything off, another who is permanently “on edge,” another who never does homework but never acts out either. And sometimes, the signs are loud and alarming—self-harm, panic attacks, violence, refusal to attend school, and yes, even involvement in knife-related incidents.This book is long overdue. It is not just a collection of helpful chapters—it’s a toolkit for survival, growth, and ultimately, transformation. It is written for the young person who doesn't know how to put their feelings into words. It’s written for the teenager who’s been told they’re “fine” even when they know they’re not. It’s written for the student who feels like asking for help is weakness, when in fact it’s the beginning of healing.The author, Rashida Zaman, brings a rare combination of lived experience, educational insight, and an unwavering heart for youth empowerment. Her words speak directly to the realities our young people are navigating: the overstimulation of social media, the plague of vaping, the toxic culture of comparison, and the emotional shutdown that comes with chronic stress and unresolved trauma.What makes this book particularly unique is its honesty. It doesn't sugar-coat the challenges young people face—it names them. Rashida isn’t afraid to talk about the fact that boys are carrying knives. That girls are silently self-harming. That children as young as 9 are vaping in the open, numbing out emotions they haven’t even learned to name. She is not writing from theory; she is writing from observation, conversation, and a genuine place of concern.As someone who works with teenagers day in and day out—both in classrooms and in therapy rooms—I can say with confidence that this book offers more than just information. It offers connection. It offers strategies. It offers hope. And more importantly, it meets young people where they are, rather than expecting them to have it all figured out.One of the most powerful messages of this book is the reframe that asking for help is not weakness—it’s power. In my own therapy practice, I often meet clients in their 30s and 40s who say they wish they had learned this as teens. That they wouldn’t have spent years hiding, pretending, or bottling up emotions if only someone had normalised vulnerability for them earlier.This book does just that.It doesn’t preach. It teaches. And it does so in a way that is accessible, culturally aware, and grounded in real-life understanding of what teens are going through. Whether it’s the internal chaos of exam pressure or the external noise of social media, Rashida offers practical, digestible advice and reflective insight that can help young people regulate, reset, and rebuild.I truly believe every school, every youth centre, and every parent should have a copy of this book—not just to give to young people, but to understand how to support them better.And to the young person reading this: you are not alone. The pages you are about to read are for you. They are your mirror, your guide, and your invitation to take back control of your story.Rashida Zaman has planted a seed with this book. Now it’s time for us—educators, parents, mentors, and most importantly, young people themselves—to water it.Mohammed AhminClinical HypnotherapistYear 8 Progress Lead – Weavers AcademyDirector, A Couple of Therapists