Toaster's Territory
Dr. Beth's Self-Help Book Recommendations

Here are some of my favorite self-help books in a few common categories. No one self-help book applies to everyone; be sure to browse through the book 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 amazon.com reviews under the name doctor_beth.

Assertiveness

• 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.

• 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.
  
• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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

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).

Beth Cholette, Owner and Webmaster