Amanda Sullivan: Telling Her Mother’s Story to Help Young Readers Understand FTD

Pediatric psychotherapist Amanda Sullivan joins Being Patient Live Talks to discuss Leaf, a children’s book that commemorates the life of her mother, who died of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2022. Sullivan wrote the book after struggling to find any children’s books on FTD for her own children. Leaf tells the story of her mother’s life in the hopes of giving young readers a chance to learn more about this type of dementia and the impact it can have on the family. In the live talk, she’ll discuss the book and how she hopes the book can help family members help children understand the disease. Sullivan is a licensed independent mental health practitioner (LIMHP) and licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). She resides in Lincoln, Nebraska where she co-owns a private practice of six therapists. She assisted in her mother’s diagnosis as well as coordinated and managed her medical care. Listen to this talk to learn more about Sullivan’s caregiving journey and how books like Leaf can help educate young people about dementia.