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Math Therapy™: 5 Steps to Help Your Students Overcome Math Trauma and Build a Better Relationship With Math
Anything is possible – even building a better relationship with math!
This is much more than a book about math. This is a book about hope. Imagine failing 11th grade math – twice! – and going on to be known affectionately as The Lady Gaga of Math. That is the story of author Vanessa "The Math Guru" Vakharia. Thanks to an inspiring teacher who helped Vanessa heal her own relationship with math, Vanessa was then able to see math in a way that literally changed the trajectory of her life.
Most people have experienced math trauma at least once, but by early-mid elementary school, many students have gotten the message that either they are a math person or they are not. In Math Therapy™, Vanessa shows that with the right tools and strategies, teachers can foster a culture in which every student is capable of building a better relationship with math – and with themselves.
Through the five M’s of Math Therapy™―Mythbust, Moderate, Motivate, Makeover, and Measure―teachers can help their students overcome math trauma, cultivate a positive math identity, and develop a mathematical mindset.
Written in a fun and conversational style, and grounded in research on math education and neuropsychology, this book
Provides practical, hands-on strategies and tools that make it easy and fun for teachers to implement each step of Math Therapy™ in their classroom Helps teachers unpack their own math history before diving in to what they can do to help their students Addresses the trauma-induced stumbling blocks that many students face when tackling mathematics
Includes humorous and engaging real-life vignettes―from celebrating Pi Day by visiting a prison, to setting off a confetti cannon to celebrate a student’s milestone, to the time Vanessa′s band opened for Bon Jovi, and more! Much more than a book about helping students kick butt in math class, this book is about empowering students to develop the skills they need to live a life in which they truly believe that anything is possible, even a better relationship with math!
This is much more than a book about math. This is a book about hope. Imagine failing 11th grade math – twice! – and going on to be known affectionately as The Lady Gaga of Math. That is the story of author Vanessa "The Math Guru" Vakharia. Thanks to an inspiring teacher who helped Vanessa heal her own relationship with math, Vanessa was then able to see math in a way that literally changed the trajectory of her life.
Most people have experienced math trauma at least once, but by early-mid elementary school, many students have gotten the message that either they are a math person or they are not. In Math Therapy™, Vanessa shows that with the right tools and strategies, teachers can foster a culture in which every student is capable of building a better relationship with math – and with themselves.
Through the five M’s of Math Therapy™―Mythbust, Moderate, Motivate, Makeover, and Measure―teachers can help their students overcome math trauma, cultivate a positive math identity, and develop a mathematical mindset.
Written in a fun and conversational style, and grounded in research on math education and neuropsychology, this book
Provides practical, hands-on strategies and tools that make it easy and fun for teachers to implement each step of Math Therapy™ in their classroom Helps teachers unpack their own math history before diving in to what they can do to help their students Addresses the trauma-induced stumbling blocks that many students face when tackling mathematics
Includes humorous and engaging real-life vignettes―from celebrating Pi Day by visiting a prison, to setting off a confetti cannon to celebrate a student’s milestone, to the time Vanessa′s band opened for Bon Jovi, and more! Much more than a book about helping students kick butt in math class, this book is about empowering students to develop the skills they need to live a life in which they truly believe that anything is possible, even a better relationship with math!
- GenresEducation
320 pages, Paperback
Published September 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 12, 2025
Powerful book behind the trauma of mathematics. “Every child is capable of building a better relationship with math..”. And as a math educator we might “ be the only adult of this student’s lives who actually believes in their capacity..”.
August 1, 2025
4.5⭐️ Loved this one! I can’t wait to try some of these strategies with my students this school year.
June 19, 2025
Wonderful book that all teachers should read, it relates so much to any educational trauma, and how we can avoid it! It’s an easy read by an amazing author
November 4, 2025
Review: Math Therapy by Vanessa Vakharia
I absolutely loved this book! It has truly inspired me to be a better math teacher. I work with students who struggle to pass the state math assessment and often deal with what Vanessa calls “Math Trauma.” As a teacher—and someone who has personally experienced both math trauma and math anxiety—so much of what she discussed hit home for me.
Vanessa’s approach to reframing how we think and talk about math is both empowering and refreshing. Her compassion, humor, and insight remind educators that math isn’t just about numbers—it’s about mindset, confidence, and connection.
This book has given me practical tools and new perspectives that I can’t wait to bring into my own classroom. I’m even hosting a Math Therapy-inspired professional development (with Vanessa’s blessing!), and I’m so excited to share these ideas with other teachers.
A must-read for any math educator or anyone who’s ever said, “I’m just not a math person.” This book reminded me that everyone has the potential to find joy in math—it just takes the right approach.
I absolutely loved this book! It has truly inspired me to be a better math teacher. I work with students who struggle to pass the state math assessment and often deal with what Vanessa calls “Math Trauma.” As a teacher—and someone who has personally experienced both math trauma and math anxiety—so much of what she discussed hit home for me.
Vanessa’s approach to reframing how we think and talk about math is both empowering and refreshing. Her compassion, humor, and insight remind educators that math isn’t just about numbers—it’s about mindset, confidence, and connection.
This book has given me practical tools and new perspectives that I can’t wait to bring into my own classroom. I’m even hosting a Math Therapy-inspired professional development (with Vanessa’s blessing!), and I’m so excited to share these ideas with other teachers.
A must-read for any math educator or anyone who’s ever said, “I’m just not a math person.” This book reminded me that everyone has the potential to find joy in math—it just takes the right approach.
October 20, 2024
I absolutely loved this book! As a math educator, I deal with students’ math trauma every year. This book gives you so many actions and activities to do with your students that helps them start to heal their trauma and start them on a journey to truly appreciate math and have a positive relationship with the subject; something I’ve been working on for over a decade in this career. The book is fun and easy to read and feels like you’re reading a novel. From personal anecdotes to concrete steps to take, you will not regret reading this book!
July 6, 2026
Vanessa writes this as though she's writing to a lifelong friend. She offers encouragement, practical ideas, more encouragement, and evidence that math therapy works. I keep this book on my desk and reference it multiple times a semester, and it is always refreshing to go back through it. Pre-K to grad school, these principles and approaches can change any student's experience with mathematics!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews