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Books I Recommend as a Therapist
22
items These are some books I often recommend either to clients, clients’ parents, or people looking to get a better understanding of mental health & human behavior
Sections
4
Anxiety
Trauma
OCD
Self Help
Anxiety
Tops recs to understand anxiety and how to manage it
Provides step-by-step techniques on how to stop panic attacks in the moment & decrease overall anxiety. The author also has a great app to accompany the book!
Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks
Does a great job explaining how anxiety impact our thought patterns
Don't Believe Everything You Think (Expanded Edition)
This one blends science with mindfulness (great for understanding the brain habits that drive anxiety!)
Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles ...
Explains how anxiety affects our brains & how we can actually train it to respond differently
Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End ...
Super empowering! Uses Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (one of my faves) to help us stop chasing happiness & build real psychological flexibility
The Happiness Trap (Second Edition): How to Stop Struggling and Start Living
Trauma
Trauma is deeply complex & personal. I find that these books do a great job at honoring the dynamics of trauma
Does a great job gently introducing somatic experiencing and how our bodies hold & release trauma
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform ...
A raw, relatable memoir about living with complex trauma
What My Bones Know: Memoir of Healing
Very digestible read about intergeneration trauma and how we carry pain that isn't always ours
It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes ...
Huge fan of Dr. Gabor Maté - in this book he breaks down how trauma shows up in everyday life, often in "normal" behaviors and environments
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture|Hardcover
Great read for those working on regulating their nervous system and polyvagal theory can help
Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal ...
Written for survivors of emotional, spiritual, or covert abuse, especially in high-control environments
You're Not Broken: Break free from trauma and reclaim your life
OCD
Love to recommend these to new clients with OCD or those that I am beginning exposure therapy with to deconstruct shame & confusion that often accompanies intrusive thoughts, obsessions & compulsive behaviors
Clear, compassionate, and packed with exposure-based tools. I often recommend this to clients starting exposure therapy
Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Personalized Recovery ...
Normalizes scary intrusive thoughts. Clients often feel immediate relief just realizing they’re not “crazy.”
The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts
Accessible and reassuring - helps clients shift their relationship to intrusive thoughts rather than panic
Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to ...
Self Help
Great reads for those looking for extra motivation, insights into their behaviors, or needing a confidence boost
Perfect for people who want change but feel stuck - emphasized small habits and big impacts
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good ...
Blends mindfulness and self-compassion in a deeply healing way. I recommend it often for inner critic
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
Funny, wise, and a great way to destigmatize therapy
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her ...
A reminder that being “enough” doesn’t require perfection. Great for those struggling with shame or people-pleasing
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and ...
Great book to explore habits of self-sabotage and how to turn it into self-mastery
The Mountain is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery
Empowering read on learning how to say "no" without guilt
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself
Funny, bold, and motivating. Great read if you need a confidence boost with a side of humor
You Are a Badass®: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and ...
Helps reframe negative beliefs and take things less personally
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom