Counselor Tricia Orscheln publishes her first book, teaching children to deal with change.

As a licensed professional counselor, Tricia Orscheln helps people of all ages develop personalized health and wellness tools for both mind and body. Over her 30-year career, many parents of younger clients have asked her to create a resource to use when their children become anxious or upset. The answer to those requests is her first published work, “Alohalani…Welcomes Change,” a book centering around a young girl named Alohalani, Lani (lon-ee) for short, who leaves her Missouri home to start a new chapter of her life on Kauai, the oldest island of Hawaii. Lani is concerned about leaving her home and friends behind and traveling to a faraway, unknown place..

The book details her thoughts about moving, starting a new school, and making new friends, while also providing techniques to manage the anxious feelings that come with change. For example, readers are introduced to the pause-button-deep-belly-breath-skill, which Lani uses to quiet her mind, quell uneasy thoughts, and find renewed calm. “Alohalani…Welcomes Change” presents kids with a healthy coping strategy in a relatable and imaginative way.

“Change is hard,” Tricia says. “The book shows Lani going through these emotions on the plane. ‘What is her mind thinking?’ Her hamster wheel is spinning. Her pause button and the three deep belly breaths help her to ground herself, to be open-minded to what can come about, and to accept that change is healthy.”

“Alohalani…Welcomes Change” is based on Tricia’s real-life journey. When she was seven years old and growing up in Cole County, her grandfather passed away, and her family returned to her mother’s homeland of Kauai, Hawaii, to settle his affairs. Tricia recalls boarding the plane in St. Louis and seeing the Gateway Arch as the aircraft took off for her new home, which she now calls her “favorite place on the planet.” The book is filled with personal memories from Tricia’s time on Kauai, including her home there, her island friends, and walks on the beach with her mom.

“Alohalani…Welcomes Change” introduces readers to the language and culture of Kauai, as well as to emotion words, and offers a glossary called Alohalani’s Language Library to explain certain words in a kid-friendly way.

Crafted in entertaining, easy-to-read rhyming verses that provide repeated messages to enable effective learning, the 32-page book is beautifully illustrated by local photographer Deanna Wilson, based on Tricia’s tales and old family photos. The illustrations artfully depict Lani’s transition from cold, snowy Missouri to sunny, sandy Kauai, capturing Tricia’s real-life experience and showing that change is not only manageable but good.

Tricia’s two-and-a-half-year journey to create “Alohalani…Welcomes Change” came to fruition this January when 1,000 copies arrived at the doorstep of Tree of Hope Counseling and Wellness Center, which Tricia founded in 2017.

But the children’s book is not her first foray into writing. In 2011, her first husband, Eric Orscheln, suffered a fall that left him with a traumatic brain injury. During Eric’s illness, Tricia used the online platform CaringBridge to update friends and family on his status. After Eric’s passing, Tricia compiled her CaringBridge communications into a printed keepsake for family and friends.

“Eric’s journey tapped into something I didn’t even know lived inside me,” Tricia says. “It let me know I could connect with readers with what I had to say.”

Tricia hopes to follow up “Alohalani…Welcomes Change” with a series of books, each featuring different mindfulness and wellness tools to help children and adults alike manage their emotions and life experiences. As both an author and counselor, Tricia Orscheln is fulfilling her goal of helping people help themselves.

Reaching Audiences Nationwide

The Wolfner Library for the Blind invited Tricia to record the book for audio, with a braille edition to be distributed nationwide.

Continue The Story

Pick up a copy of “Alohalani…Welcomes Change” at treeofhopecreativelink.com, locally at the Curious Turtle, Play Local, Rooted Revival Counseling and Wellness, Loose Creek Oil Co., Grace Counseling, Tin Shack, Rising Health and Performance, and Wildflower Lane, or online at Amazon.