Rose Stanley lives on the Hibiscus Coast in Tāmaki Makaurau. She has previously written children’s picture books focusing on emotional literacy and problem solving. Rose loves to unpack big ideas for both adults and children, with her special interest being emotional and mental health.
Sacred and Sane is both creative memoir and social commentary from a woman of faith reading about church controversies in Aotearoa and reflecting on these controversies in the light of her own lived experience. Rose presents six pillars for a healthier view on spirituality and mental health which helped to improve her own well-being.
For countless women in faith communities, Sunday morning smiles can mask a different reality: drowning in endless service, overwhelmed by expectations and thinking their exhaustion is simply a spiritual problem requiring more prayer. We’re familiar with terms like gaslighting, people-pleasing and accommodating, but when these behaviours show up in our everyday lives – like in our church communities – they bring deep discomfort and internal conflict.
Rose Stanley has lived this story – blaming herself for not being able to juggle the demands of her life, including work, motherhood and service to her church community; unable to communicate her emotional needs, and wondering if this is really what God wants.
In the wake of New Zealand’s recent faith controversies – from Arise Megachurch to Gloriavale – Sacred and Sane asks a crucial question: why do women of faith give of their time, resources and energy to the degree that their mental, familial or relational health is compromised?
Rose provides six practical pillars in this honest guide and empowers the reader to build trust and confidence in themselves, to gauge what a healthy, safe community looks like and navigate their own faith journey; one which recognises their individuality, unique circumstances and seasons of life.
Sacred and Sane isn’t about choosing between faith and sanity —it’s about discovering you can have both.
“Rose Stanley writes to give others hope and a blueprint for how to reclaim both your mental health and sense of worth. Importantly she shows how she kept, or rather re-discovered, her faith. This is a generous and compassionate book.”
Fleur Beale, writer of YA fiction and Sins of the Father, the true story of Phil Cooper, son of Gloriavale founder Neville Cooper
“Rose writes personally, from her many years’ experience of loving and leaving church and faith as she had always known them. Her words are permission-giving to those walking that same journey and she is a compassionate guide. If you’re on this road, you will find yourself reflected here.”
Jane Kennedy – Therapist & Co-Founder, The Religious Trauma Collective, Author of The Religious Non-Believer
Brain Tricks is a book which aids children’s understanding of emotional pain; what it is and how it differs from physical pain. It explains the phenomenon of neuroplasticity in a way that children can grasp, and invites them to unlock the power they have within themselves to change the way they think about and react to different experiences.
Rose Stanley has worked in NZ schools for many years providing support for students experiencing challenges emotionally and socially. She was a companion and trainer for the Seasons for Growth program which provides education for students on ways to deal with grief, change and loss. Rose has written five books on emotional literacy and problem solving since 2014, and has also written freelance for the parenting magazine ‘Tots to Teens’.
When Tilly’s problem gets too much for her she confides in her friend Ned, who is pretty great at helping her with the tricky stuff.
But this time, even Ned can’t come up with a solution. However, he does have a great idea to help her find someone to talk to.
Together they devise a plan and have an adventure along the way.
Everybody experiences all sorts of emotions at different times and in different situations. Emotions in Motion encourages children to identify their own emotions and to be able to express and understand them. This is a book for every parent, grandparent, teacher or support person who wants to nurture a child in their life.
Every day we feel lots of different emotions. Sometimes they can bowl us over, weigh us down, make us feel heavy or ready to explode. Sometimes they come quickly like a whirlwind when we are not expecting it. At other times they creep up on us slowly.
Our emotions can be a bit of a mystery to us at times. It really helps to be able to name what we are feeling. Then we can start to understand what is going on for us, and others can, too.
Johan’s thinks that most problems can be solved by having a ‘magical’ cup of hot chocolate.
He has a happy home, which he shares with Mum, Dad and his liitle sister Lani. But Johan’s friend Henry has a lot going on in his life and Johan finds out that being a supportive friend requires plenty of cups of hot chocolate and a whole lot more.
Available from Wheelers, Kiwi Kids’ Bookstore or direct from www.rosestanley.com