Our clinical staff has selected several resources that we recommend for a variety of presenting issues. Although these books do not replace therapy, they can be helpful in establishing a good foundation prior to beginning therapy or while in therapy. These resources can be helpful in supporting positive mental health, improved insight & awareness, and developing skills for improving relationships with self and others.
Please click on the interested titles below for convenient and easy access to ordering these resources on Amazon.
Anxiety and Depression
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD, & Amelia Nagoski, DMA This groundbreaking book explains why women experience burnout differently than men—and provides a simple, science-based plan to help women minimize stress, manage emotions, and live a more joyful life.
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) by Steven Hayes. This book is a very readable and effective guide to help address anxiety and/or panic.
Overcoming Depression One Step at a Time: The New Behavioral Activation Approach to Getting Your Life Back by Michael Addis & Christopher Martell, Ph.D. This is a helpful workbook designed to help adults experiencing depression to start to re-engage in their lives by implementing small yet effective changes.
Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety by David Burns, MD; a good resource for adults struggling with depression and/or anxiety.
The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time (16pt Large Print Edition)by Alex Korb, Ph.D. This is a great book for those wanting to understand what is happening in your brain with depression and ways to start making gradual changes to start feeling better.
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer. This is a wonderful workbook to help address self-critical thoughts and can often be helpful to those who are beginning or are in therapy.
The Happiness Trap (Second Edition): How to Stop Struggling and Start Living by Russ Harris. A good resource for learning about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy principles and techniques.
Books/Workbooks for Children/Teens
You’ve Got Dragons by Kathryn Cave and Nick Maland is a therapist favorite for helping kids talk about anxiety (their “dragons”) and coping skills.
What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety (What to Do Guides for Kids) by Dawn Huebner is a great workbook that parents can work through with their kids to help talk about anxiety and ways to begin to overcome it.
What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems with Anger by Dawn Huebner. This workbook offers a structure for parents to talk through anger issues and work toward developing better strategies.
Talking Back to OCD: The Program that Helps Kids Say “No Way” and Helps Parents Say “Way To Go” by John March and Christine Benton. This is a nice resource for kids/teens and their parents to work through together to begin working on obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
Resources for Parents
1-2-3 Magic: Gentle 3 Step Child and Toddler Discipline for Calm, Effective, and Happy Parenting (An Interactive Guide for Raising Strong-Willed Children) by Thomas Phelan, Ph.D. This book and approach is highly recommended by our therapists for parents who are looking for tips and strategies to parent young children who are demonstrating difficult behaviors. It’s good for parenting children of toddlers, preschoolers, or school-aged children.
The Explosive Child (6th edition) by Ross Green: Parents of kids experiencing behavior problems, disruptions, explosive outbursts and anger, will find this book a classic guide to helping navigate these behaviors by developing a better understanding of effective ways to respond to their children’s outbursts.
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel Segal and Tina Payne Bryson. This book provides practical approaches and strategies to deal with typical behavioral issues and to help build your child’s emotional and intellectual development.
Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids by Hunter Clarke-Fields, MSAE & Carla Naumburg, PhD. A guidebook to help parents instill confidence, mental health, and independence while nurturing secure connection.
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete Authoritative Guide for Parents by Russell Barkley, Ph.D. Helpful guide by the leading expert in ADHD. This book helps provide information for parents in better understanding ADHD, and provides clear, practical strategies to help support children and teens with ADHD so they can be more successful in school, at home, and in life.
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson; Good resource for parents to help their kids get better organized, stay focused and help regulate their emotions.
iGen: Why Today’s Super Connected Kids are Growing up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood–and What that Means for the Rest of Us by Jean Twenge, Ph.D. This is a wonderful resource for all parents, especially teen parents, to help better understand the challenges faced by the younger generation, particularly as it relates to social media.
Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy and Successful Children by James Delisle. This book offers specific tips to parents to better understand their gifted child and how to embrace and foster their talents.
Trauma
Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self Help Techniques from EMDR by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. This book is written by the founder of EMDR, an evidence based treatment for trauma. She offers practical suggestions to begin working on healing from past traumatic experiences.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD. This is a fantastic description of what happens to the brain and body when someone experiences trauma. It can help readers understand why trauma is often so difficult to overcome, yet provides information regarding scientific breakthroughs that are helping people finally find relief and healing from their pain.
Transforming The Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists by Janina Fisher. This helpful took provides step-by-step strategies that can be used on their own or in collaboration with a therapist, simple diagrams that make sense of the confusing feelings and physical reactions survivors experience as well as worksheets to practice the skills that bring relief and ultimately rejuvenation.
It Wasn’t Your Fault: Freeing Yourself From the Shame of Childhood Abuse with the Power of Self-Compassion by Beverly Engel, LMFT. Shame is one of the most destructive human emotions. This book presents a mindfulness and compassion-based therapeutic approach to help you overcome the debilitating shame that keeps you tied to the past.
It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn. Provides understanding of inherited trauma and powerful tools for relieving its suffering.
I Hate You–Don’t Leave Me: Third Edition: Understanding the Borderline Personality by Kreisman & Strauss. Invaluable resource for those diagnosed with BPD and their family, friends, and colleagues, as well as professionals and students in the field. Provides practical tools and advice that are easy to understand and apply in your day-to-day interactions
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard Schwartz. We all contain valuable parts that are forced into extreme roles to deal with pain and disappointment. This book provides a deeper understanding of the role our parts have played in our survival.
Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers by Karyl McBride, PhD. for daughters who have suffered the abuse of narcissistic, self-involved mothers, Will I Ever Be Good Enough? provides the expert assistance you need in order to overcome this debilitating history and reclaim your life.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson. exposes the destructive nature of parents who are emotionally immature or unavailable. You will see how these parents create a sense of neglect, and discover ways to heal from the pain and confusion caused by your childhood. By freeing yourself from your parents’ emotional immaturity, you can recover your true nature, control how you react to them, and avoid disappointment.
The Narcissist in Your Life: Recognizing the Patterns and Learning to Break Free by Julie L. Hall. An illuminating examination of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and its insidiously traumatic impact on family members and partners. Packed with insight, compassion, and practical strategies for recovery, this is a must-read for survivors and clinicians alike
Relationships
Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples (3rd Edition) by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. A resource that most couples can benefit from. The author helps you evaluate your relationship, including strengths and weaknesses and helps you and your partner make your relationship more fulfilling.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover. The author helps people learn more about boundaries and how to set them to allow their relationships to flourish.
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melodie Beattie. This is a classic book addressing difficulties that can occur in relationships where codependency is keeping people stuck. The author provides good examples and encourages readers to engage in healthier interactions with partners and others in their lives.
Codependents’ Guide to the Twelve Steps by Melodie Beattie. Assists people in using the 12-steps approach for healthier boundaries and relationships. This book will explain each step and how you can apply it to your particular issues, offer specific exercises and activities to use, as well as provides a directory of the wide range of Twelve Step programs—including Al-Anon, Codependents Anonymous, Codependents of Sex Addicts, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and more.
Your turn for care: Surviving the aging and death of the adults who harmed you by Laura S. Brown, PhD. This book provides a greater understanding of abuse and its long-lasting effects, as well as provide support in how to nurture well-being, even under difficult circumstances.
Other Tools for Mindfulness, Skills Practice, Support & Home Practice
The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills
Yoga Beyond The Mat by Alanna Kaivalya, PhD
Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Richard Mindius
Disclosure: All of the above products & books have been specifically reviewed and recommended. These resources can be helpful in supporting positive mental health, improved insight & awareness, developing skills for improving relationships with self and others. Cornerstone Counseling is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The links are provided for your convenience. All products recommended were selected by professional mental health clinicians without regard to this affiliation.
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