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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)
1
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