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Dr. Beth's Self-Help Book Recommendations

Here are some of my favorite self-help books within a few common categories. No single book will be helpful to everyone; be sure to review the book (in person or online) before purchasing to see if it seems right for you. I highly recommended amazon.com for both reading reviews and ordering books.  You can read my own Amazon reviews for most of these books under the name doctor_beth: I have also reviewed many of these as well as other books on health-related topics for the web site Metapsychology Online Reviews.

Anxiety

  • Davis, R, Eshelman, E, Mckay, M, & Fanning, P (2008; 6th Edition). The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook.  An excellent guide focused on building stress reduction and anxiety management techniques.

  • Wilson, K, & Dufrene, T (2010).  Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong: A Life Liberated from Anxiety.  A guide to using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in order to tolerate anxiety and ambiguity in one's life.

Depression

  • Bloomfield, HH, & McWilliams, P (1994). How to Heal Depression. An easy-to-read, educational book about depression with 1-2 pp chapters and quotes from famous people.

  • Burns, DD (1980). Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. This book provides detailed techniques not only for alleviating depression, but also for increasing self-esteem, improving communication skills, eliminating guilt, overcoming perfectionism, etc. Plus, you can check out Dr. Burns' Home Page.

  • Preston, J, & Kirk, M (2010). Depression 101: A Practical Guide to Treatments, Self-Help Strategies, and Preventing Relapse.  A simple yet proactive approach to taking control of one's own treatment.

  • Seligman, MEP (1990). Learned Optimism. A compelling book which reviews how to change one's thoughts in order to improve one's mood; provides understandable research utilizing such diverse areas as sales, sports, politics, disease, etc. Also by Seligman: Authentic Happiness, which is aimed more at creating true happiness in your everyday life

Eating Disorders

  • Fairburn, C (1995). Overcoming Binge Eating. Both facts about binge eating and a solid self-help program using such strategies as establishing regular eating habits and finding alternatives to binge eating.

  • Kano, S (1989). Making Peace with Food. Strategies for overcoming dieting, binge eating, food anxiety, body anxiety, and guilt.

  • Tribole, E, & Resch, E (2003).  Intuitive Eating.  Helpful guide for breaking destructive eating patterns and re-learning healthy habits.

Grief

  • Kushner, HS (1981). When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Written by a rabbi, discusses human suffering from a non- denominational religious perspective.

  • Staudacher, C (1987). Beyond Grief: A Guide to Recovering from the Death of a Loved One. Reviews the stages of grief and describes specific strategies for coping; addresses specific types of loss and includes quotes from other grief survivors.

  • Colgrove, M, Bloomfield, HH, & McWilliams, P (1976, 1991). How to Survive the Loss of a Love. A very easy-to-read book about loss with educational chapters that are 1-2 pp. long. Also includes inspirational sayings about loss.

Rape/sexual Abuse

  • Bass, E & Davis, L (1992). The Courage to Heal. A comprehensive self-help manual for female survivors of childhood sexual abuse which includes information and exercises to facilitate the recovery process.

  • Gil, E (1988). Outgrowing the Pain: A Book for and about Adults Abused as Children. This is a beginning book for adults who suffered any type of abuse as children, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, and neglect.

  • Ledray, LE (1994). Recovering from Rape. Practical guidelines for coping with issues such as understanding it was not your fault, managing difficult emotions, and telling others. Also contains suggestions for significant others.

  • Maltz, W (1991). The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse. Helps survivors identify the effects of sexual abuse, create a more positive concept of sex, and resolve specific problems related to sexual intimacy.

OTher

  • Antony, MM & Swinson, RP (1998). When Perfect Isn't Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism. Useful for anyone who places high demands on themselves and/or others; discusses perfectionism in relation to depression, anger, social anxiety, worry, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and body image.

  • Kabat-Zin, J (2005).  Wherever You Go, There You Are.  Nice introduction to mindfulness meditation work; includes simple exercises.

  • Smith, M (1975). When I Say No, I Feel Guilty. A comprehensive review of assertiveness techniques; uses dialogues to facilitate the application of strategies to various situations.

 

Many of the above books are owned by SUNY Geneseo Counseling Services; if you are a SUNY Geneseo student or faculty/staff member, please feel free to stop by and browse the Counseling Services' Lending Library located in Lauderdale 205 (second floor); also visit go.geneseo.edu/selfhelp for more information.