Recommended Books

Reading a Book Helps to Clarify Thoughts

We’re all driven by a unique purpose in life. The journey to accomplishing that purpose is not straight or smooth, or even remotely clear sometimes. I work with deep, insightful people who are experiencing a disconnect: where stress, anxiety, or overwhelm is causing them to feel out of alignment with who they truly are.

In many situations, reading a book – self-help, research, or a fictional story – help clarify thoughts, build new knowledge, look at situations from a different perspective, or assist with changing thoughts. Below are some books I have recommended to clients.

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In this much-needed book, two renowned borderline personality disorder (BPD) experts offer simple, easy-to-use skills drawn from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to help you address the most common issues of BPD, such as intense feelings of anger, depression, and anxiety.

For many, having BPD is like living in emotional overdrive. And whether you are feeling depressed, anxious, worried, or angry, you might struggle just to get through each day. So, how can you start balancing your moods and managing your symptoms? This helpful guide addresses over fifty of the most common struggles people with BPD face every day, and offers accessible, evidence-based solutions to help you feel better and get back to living your life.

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Suicide has touched the lives of nearly half of all Americans, yet it is rarely talked about openly. In her highly acclaimed book, Susan Blauner—a survivor of multiple suicide attempts—offers guidance and hope for those contemplating ending their lives and for their loved ones.

“Each word written with thoughtful intent; each story told with the deepest of honesty and humility, and in doing so Blauner puts forward a life-saving book.”—Daniel J. Reidenberg, PsyDExecutive Director, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (www.save.org)

I continued to romanticize my death by suicide: who would find me; what I’d look like. I spent hundreds of hours planning my funeral, imagining the remorse of my family and friends. I wrote good-bye letters, composed wills, and disrupted the lives of everyone close to me. Then reality hit.”—Susan Rose Blauner

The statistics on suicide are staggering. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 800,000 people die by suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds, and for each completed suicide there may be twenty or more attempts.

In How I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill Me, Susan Blauner is the perfect emissary for a message of hope and a program of action for these millions of people. A survivor of multiple suicide attempts, she explains the complex feelings and fantasies that surround suicidal thoughts. In a direct, nonjudgmental, and loving voice, she offers affirmations and suggestions for those experiencing life-ending thoughts, and for their friends and family.

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Discover smart and entertaining strategies for dealing with difficult emotions like anxiety, sadness, anger, and uncertainty. More than just “adulting”—this book will give you the real emotional skills you need to thrive!

Whether you’re graduating from college, starting a career, trying to gain financial independence, or creating meaningful relationships—entering into the world of grownups can be more than a little overwhelming. And while there are plenty of fun books out there for young adults offering advice on how to fix a leaky faucet or find the right apartment, none really delve into the deeply emotional aspects of growing up.

In Mastering Adulthood, psychologist Lara Fielding offers evidence-based skills to help you cope with the feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, and stress that may be getting in the way of living an independent, fulfilling adult life. Drawing on case examples from young adults she’s worked with in her private practice, Fielding provides empowering strategies and skills for managing difficult emotions using mindfulness, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

When you experience big life changes that cause you stress, you need emotional flexibility to reach your goals and be your best self. Using the skills in this book, you’ll learn to take charge of your emotional habits, stop feeling stuck, and discover what really matters to you.

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The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Wellness Planner is a practical tool for the emotionally sensitive person looking for an easier way to track emotions and behavior as well as monitor progress over time. This book is a helpful tool for anyone who struggles with emotional sensitivity and/or Borderline Personality Disorder to use as you work toward creating a healthier, more meaningful life—a life worth living—by balancing acceptance and change.

In Part 1, discover the value and details of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Next, inPart 2, take the Self-Care Assessment and then get started with the Daily Self-Care Tracker. After thirty days, take a new Self-Care Assessment to see how you’ve grown!

Use the Planner to consistently track and report on your journey to healing. It’s a journal that helps you keep everything in one place, and keeps you focused on where you are and where you want to go. Start on any date with the monthly, weekly, and daily calendars designed to help you plan for success as you practice skills and make a commitment to daily self-care.

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Often when people are given a mental health disorder diagnosis the weaknesses are clear and overwhelmingly emphasized, while the strengths are ignored or forgotten. The mental health children’s book series ‘What Mental Disorder?’ challenges the stigma against therapy and diagnosis. It enlists the reader to view the character as a whole being and not as a mental issue. Although there are aspects that the character will have to learn to cope with in order to function successfully in their life, there are also amazing traits that make them unique and remarkably accomplished. Millie the Cat has Borderline Personality Disorder is a picture book that takes a unique look at the positive and negative characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder. Meeting kind Mille you get to experience how her day to day routine is, the aspects that she will have to cope with, the amazing personality traits that she has, and how she can learn new skills to be the best cat she can be. It is written in such a way that the mental health disorder is explained in a realistic balanced light, while eliciting empathy and understanding from the audience. The book series ‘What Mental Disorder?’ including Millie the Cat has Borderline Personality Disorder is excellent for therapeutic clinicians, those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, or those who would like to gain a better understanding of the disorder.

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