Touched by Sandy Hook Tragedy, Durham Woman Writes Book to Help Others Heal

Written by Christina Dreyfus

While most people can barely watch a tragedy from the sidelines, there are a special few who need to get right in there and help out any way they can. Dr. Stacia Bjarnason, Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Brownstone Psychological Associates, LLC in Durham, Conn. is one of those special people.

The weekend after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Dr. Bjarnason and her rabbit, Pepper, found themselves at the Newtown Youth Academy, the town's community center, offering support to children who had been affected by the shooting. Pepper the rabbit was a huge hit with the children and created unique opportunities for discussion.

In time, Dr. Bjarnason developed a book, Pepper's Dragons, as a tool for encouraging children and their parents to talk about the tragedy. 

This week she is celebrating the publication and donation of 1,500 copies of her children's book.

CellMark and other companies and individuals have been responsible for raising the money to be able to publish this beautiful book. Each copy will be donated to the families of Sandy Hook as well as care workers, police officers, fire fighters, and others involved in the tragedy.

Stay tuned to Patch for an in-depth interview with Dr. Bjarnason about her work with the Sandy Hook families and the history of this beautiful and touching book.