OSAGE COUNTY — Licensed Professional Counselor Tricia Orscheln, of Loose Creek, has long held a passion for helping others overcome anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. That led Orscheln to open her own private practice, Tree of Hope Counseling and Wellness Center, LLC, which was inspired by a family member’s life journey living with the struggles from mental illness.
In March 2023, Orscheln took it a step further and decided to give writing a children’s wellness book a try. The result is her new book, Alohalani…Welcomes Change.
“Over the years, I’ve had many opportunities to work with kids,” she said. “I enjoyed three years working at a Montessori Preschool during my undergraduate time in college. In private practice, I’ve been able to work with kids ages 4 and up and have a room at the agency dedicated to children’s wellness. The book was inspired by a handful of parents making suggestions to me regarding creating an app for a cellphone with all the tools and strategies I teach to their children while in a session. I took those ideas to heart and wanted to create a book that would showcase a cognitive coping strategy and could be taught to kids while reading it. My love for the Hawaiian Islands (my favorite is Kauai) was another goal for me being able to bring island adventures to life, through the book. I wanted to combine parts of my heritage, along with a set of cognitive coping strategies I’ve created to help achieve this very personalized goal.”
Blending her professional expertise with personal storytelling, Orscheln’s Alohalani…Welcomes Change follows a little girl, Lani (pronounced Lonnie) inspired by her own journey, as she moves from Missouri to the island of Kauai and learns to navigate her emotions along the way.
“The fear of change causes Lani to overthink, therefore increasing her anxiety, and she must learn how best to manage those symptoms,” Orscheln said. “Along with being introduced to some of the language and culture of Kauai, children reading this book will learn a mindfulness technique that they and their parents can implement to manage obstacles in everyday life.”
Orscheln pulled from her own experience of moving from Missouri to the island of Kauai when she was 7. “The anticipation of moving to a new place so far away and being the new kid to St. Theresa Catholic School in the second grade were all described in the book,” she said.
Jefferson City photographer/illustrator Deanna Wilson was the perfect fit to take on the book project after Orscheln had worked with two prior illustrators. “I had a specific vision for the book, its characters, images, all the personal details, scenery and color palette, but finding the right illustrator to make it all come to together was a huge challenge,” said Orscheln. “Deanna completely understood my ideas and helped produce a quality book that I am truly proud of.”
Many pages in the book were illustrated using actual photographs of places on the island, including a childhood home and street her mom, Tina, lived on, and referencing a sugar cane plantation Orscheln would ride her bike through on the way to school each day. The last two pages in the book capture a recent trip to Kauai with her mom and daughter, Avery. It was a three-generation trip with a goal of collecting more research on the island for the book. “We had a good talk about life and the human spirit while overlooking the Pacific Ocean, sitting on Davidson Beach,” said Orscheln.
Filled with the same strategies Orscheln uses in her counseling practice, this 32-page story helps children explore their feelings, build confidence, and discover that home and hope can be found wherever life takes them. She noted that the book is a celebration of growth, healing, and hope — and a perfect gift for kids ages 3-9.
“I’m hoping the book can be utilized as a teaching tool for parents, educators, counselors, practitioners, and as many children that can benefit from reading it,” said Orscheln, whose purpose for creating a children’s mental wellness resource book is to help them understand and navigate their emotions, build resilience, and promote their well-being in a positive and relatable way. “I hope to empower children and provide them with unique coping skills to help encourage them to share their feelings openly.”
Over the years, Orscheln created her own set of cognitive coping skills for children she has worked with, helping to enable them to regulate their emotions, reduce stress, and handle difficult situations successfully. Alohalani’s mission is to introduce a set of coping skills to children while addressing certain situations so they can feel confident in putting them to use in everyday life.
“I’m hoping in future books that more island adventures will take place, with the main character also featuring a variety of coping skills and strategies for readers,” said Orscheln.
Most rewarding, Orscheln noted, was the fact she never quit. “It was a very challenging and tedious two years working on the illustrations and learning a process so foreign to me,” she said. “My author’s copy was delivered to my office three weeks ago, and the emotion I felt knowing the book finally made it across the finish line was pure pride!”
Orscheln is scheduled to appear in a local author showcase at the Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City from 1:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. She also plans to read her book during “Storytime” at the Osage County Library at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 16.
In the new year, Orscheln has plans for book promotions that will include visiting all Osage County parochial schools for book readings with kids in grades K-3, then adding surrounding public elementary schools, daycares, mental health agencies, hospitals, boutiques, and other “pop-up” book reading opportunities. She plans to visit the island of Kauai in 2026 to promote the book with her first stop being St. Theresa Elementary School.
Alohalani … Welcomes Change will be available for purchase and local pickup at Tree of Hope Counseling and Wellness Center at 925 Madison Street, Jefferson City. Amazon - print on demand (POD), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Draft2Digital, and IngramSpark (ebook), and on the Tree of Hope Creative Ink website.
Order a book by text message: (573) 319-2092; website: www.treeofhopecreativeink.com, or email: treeofhopecreativeink@gmail.com.
To schedule a book reading at your school or business establishment, please contact Tricia Orscheln at 573-319-2092.
