Book excerpt: Provides parents with the tools to support children who experience medical trauma Afraid of the Doctor is the first book written for parents to equip them with the knowledge and skills to support their children through medical challenges on a day-to-day basis, and specifically with medical trauma—experiences in healthcare that can profoundly affect a child’s response and willingness to even go to the doctor. The challenge of medical trauma is often under-recognized and overlooked in the healthcare system, leaving parents to learn about it and manage it on their own. This book helps parents understand medical trauma and learn strategies to reduce and even prevent it, empowering them to better care for their child’s emotional and physical health. Afraid of the Doctor integrates character stories throughout the book to illustrate the signs and symptoms of medical trauma and the roles parents and caregivers play in supporting their child through medical challenges. Readers will find twelve distinct strategies they can implement to help prevent and reduce medical trauma and otherwise support their child while facing medical interventions or a chronic condition. With compassion and empathy, Meghan Marsac and Melissa Hogan offer parents the tools they need to choose the strategies that will work best for their children and their families.