Suggested Reading

I’m often asked which books I’d recommend to help support others on their journey. These are some go-to books I always find myself recommending to my therapy clients and to friends. I hope this list helps to inspire and support you in your journey to heal and cope with stressful times and step more fully into your authentic self!

Adults: General and Relationships

  • 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Dr. Gary Chapman - This book outlines five general ways that romantic partners express and experience love, which Chapman calls "love languages."

  • Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear - No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

  • Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Series - There's something for everyone in this broad list of topics, from positive thinking to the power of gratitude, from miracles to angels and dreams, from kids to teens, and dogs and cats.

Career / Work Life

  • Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient by Valorie Burton. They make decisions differently. They set goals differently and bounce back from failure differently.

  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey - A step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity—principles that give us the security to adapt and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

  • The Courage to Be Yourself: A Woman's Guide to Emotional Strength and Self-Esteem by Sue Patton Thoele - In this book for women, Patton offers invaluable inspiration such as how to set boundaries, communicate effectively, and change self-deprecating patterns.

Child Rearing & Bullying

  • 5 Love Languages Of Children: The Secret To Loving Children Effectively by Dr. Gary Chapman - Discover your child's primary language—then speak it—and you will be well on your way to a stronger relationship with your flourishing child.

  • Children of a Paradise: Successful Parenting for Prosperous Families by Lee Hausner, PhD - Can successful parents avoid raising spoiled, self-absorbed offspring? Can busy, active parents create the type of quality time within the family that results in children feeling loved, supported and confident? Can ambitious, achieving parents foster motivation in their children without debilitating pressure or unrealistic expectations? Can wealth transfer be done in a manner that empowers but not entitles? The answer to these universal parental concerns is a definitive yes and Children of Paradise offers a strategic parenting program which enables parents to inspire healthy values and empower their children to develop the confidence and competencies needed to achieve their own independent success.

  • The Available Parent: Expert Advice for Raising Successful and Resilient Teens and Tweens by Dr. John Duffy - Parents are left feeling bewildered by the changes in their child at adolescence and by their sudden lack of effectiveness as parents. The parent has become unavailable, the teen responds in kind, and a negative, often destructive cycle of communication begins. The available parent of a teenager is open to discussion, offering advice and solutions but not insisting on them. He allows his child to make some mistakes. All of that is to say, there are no conditions to his availability - it is absolute.

  • Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety: A Complete Guide to Your Child's Stressed, Depressed, Expanded, Amazing Adolescence by Dr. John Duffy - An expert in parenting for nearly 25 years, offers a guide that addresses this hidden phenomenon of the changing teenage brain. This is a guide for parents raising children who are growing up quickly and dealing with unresolved adolescent issues that can lead to anxiety and depression.

  • Stick Up for Yourself: Every Kid's Guide to Personal Power & Positive Self-Esteem by Gershen Kaufman - Kids learn how to build relationships, become responsible, manage their anger, grow a “feelings vocabulary,” make good choices, solve problems, set goals, and “store” happiness and pride. Questions from real kids are paired with answers about how to handle specific situations.

Grief

  • The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - From the author of the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, a novel that explores the unexpected connections of our lives, and the idea that heaven is more than a place; it's an answer.

Forgiveness

  • Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody by Allen Hunt - Learn practical steps that will help you forgive others and yourself—even when it seems impossible.