Bibliotherapy

“Lose yourself in a book. You might find yourself there too.”

While you are deciding whether therapy may be useful for you, or even if you are in therapy currently, the following books may be helpful in coping with the problems you are facing.

Depression and Mood:

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven Hayes, PhD
The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris and Steven Hayes, PhD
Feeling Great by David Burns, MD
Feeling Good by David Burns, MD
Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger, PhD and Christine Padesky, PhD
The Mindful Path to Self Compassion by Christopher K. Germer
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Anxiety:

The Worry Trap by Chad LeJeune, PhD
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne, PhD
Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic by David Barlow and Michelle Craske.
Managing Social Anxiety by Debra A. Hope, Richard G. Heimberg, and Cynthia L. Turk
When Panic Attacks by David Burns, MD
Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
The OCD Workbook by Bruce Hyman, PhD, and Cherry Pedrik, RN
The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD by Jon Hershfield, MFT and Tom Corboy, MFT
Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong: A Guide to Life Liberated from Anxiety by Kelly Wilson, PhD, and Troy DuFrene

Trauma:

The PTSD Workbook by Mary Beth Williams, PhD, and Soili Poijula, PhD
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD
The Courage to Heal Workbook by Laura Davis
The Courage to Heal: Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
Allies in Healing: When the Person you Love was Sexually Abused as a Child by Laura Davis
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker

Chronic Pain / Medical Conditions / Brain Science:

The Pain Management Workbook by Rachel Zoffness, PhD
Managing Pain Before it Manages You by Margaret A. Caudill, MD, PhD, MPH
Outsmart Your Pain by Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD
You Are Not Your Pain by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman
Heal Your Body by Louise Hay
Less Pain, Fewer Pills by Beth Darnall, PhD
Meditations to Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
The Brain’s Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, MD
The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, MD
Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness by Ilana Jacqueline

Self-Esteem / Shyness:

Ten Days to Self-Esteem by David Burns, MD
Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining your Self-Esteem by Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
There is Nothing Wrong with You: Going Beyond Self-Hate by Chris Huber
Self-Compassion Website: self-compassion.org
The Shyness Workbook by Lynne Henderson

Relationships / Couples / Sex / Breakups:

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman, PhD
Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson, PhD
Feeling Good Together by David Burns, MD
Attached by Amir Levine, MD, and Rachel Heller, M.A.
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay by Mira Kirshenbaum
Getting Past the Affair by Douglas Snyder, PhD, Donald Baucom, PhD, and Kristina Gordon, PhD
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, PhD
Sex Made Simple by Barry McCarthy, PhD
It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken: The Smart Girl’s Break-Up Buddy by Greg Behrendt and Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt

Bipolar:

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide by David Miklowitz, PhD
The Bipolar II Disorder Workbook by Stephanie Roberts, PhD, et al.

Assertiveness / Communication / Boundaries:

Assertiveness: How to Stand Up for Yourself and Still Win the Respect of Others by Judy Murphy
The Assertiveness Workbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships by Randy Paterson
Messages: The Communication Skills Book by McKay, Davis, and Fanning
Your Perfect Right: Assertiveness and Equality in your Life and Relationships by Alberti and Emmons
Don’t Take it Personally!: Art of Dealing with Rejection by Elayne Savage, PhD
People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts by Robert Bolton
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab
The Book of Boundaries: Set the Limits That Will Set You Free by Melissa Urban
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie

Grief / End-of-Life / Fear of Death:

When Life Hits Hard by Russ Harris
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler
Grief is a Journey by Dr. Kenneth Doka
It’s OK that You’re Not OK by Megan Devine
I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye by Book Noel and Pamela Blair, PhD
Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief by Martha Hickman
Healing Grief, Finding Peace by Dr. Louis LaGrand
Grieving Mindfully: A Compassionate and Spiritual Guide to Coping with Loss by Sameet Kumar, PhD
How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies by Therese Rando, PhD
The Grief Recovery Handbook by John James and Russell Friedman
The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life by Katy Butler
Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying by Sallie Tisdale
The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski
Finding Peace at the End of Life: A Death Doula’s Guide for Families and Caregivers by Henry Fersko-Weiss, LCSW
When Someone You Love Has Died: Talking to Young Children About Death by Stephanie Seidle
Healing into Life and Death by Steven Levine
A Year to Live: How to Live as if it Were Your Last by Steven Levine
Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death by Irvin D. Yalom, MD

Anger:

The Anger Control Workbook by Matthew McKay and Peter Rogers
When Anger Hurts: Quieting the Storm Within by McKay, Peter Rogers, and Judith McKay

Unhealthy Eating / Disordered Eating / Binge Eating:

Overcoming Binge Eating by Dr. Christopher Fairburn
Never Binge Again by Glenn Livingston, PhD
Reclaiming Yourself from Binge Eating: A Step-By-Step Guide to Healing by Leora Fulvio, MFT
8 Keys to Recovery from An Eating Disorder by Carolyn Costin and Gwen Shubert Grabb
Stop Eating Your Heart Out by Meryl Hershey Beck, MA
Eating Disorders Resource Center (helpful website): http://www.edrcsv.org

Body Image Issues:

Living with your Body and Other Things you Hate by Emily Sandoz, PhD
The Body Image Workbook: An 8-Step Program by Thomas Cash, PhD
Beautiful You: A Daily Guide to Radical Self-Acceptance by Rosie Molinary
Love Your Body by Louise Hay
The Body Image Workbook by Thomas Cash, PhD
Embody: Learning to Love your Unique Body by Connie Sobczak
More Than a Body by Lexie Kite, PhD, and Lindsay Kite, PhD

Burnout and Compassion Fatigue:

The Resilient Practitioner by Thomas M. Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison
Simple Self-Care for Therapists by Ashley Davis Bush
Empathy Fatigue by Mark Stebnicki, PhD
The Resilient Clinician by Dr. Robert Wicks

Other:

Atomic Habits by James Clear
Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong: A Guide to Life Liberated from Anxiety by Kelly Wilson, PhD, and Troy DuFrene
Acceptance and Commitment Skills for Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviors by Patricia E. Zurita Ona, PsyD
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chodron
When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner
Forgive for Good by Fred Luskin, PhD
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others & Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, MD
Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change by Jeffrey Foote et al.