“Courage is found in unlikely places.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien

Recommendations to keep learning and growing

Below is a working list of several resources that I find to be clinically accurate, insightful, and generally beneficial to individuals seeking additional information on therapeutic concerns outside of the therapy room. I only list resources that I have read and found to be valuable to my and/or my clients’ personal growth. I highly encourage you to research each item listed, consider its relevance to your specific needs, and (if you are not one of my clients) consult with your own therapist and/or spiritual guide on potentially applying any ideas to your life. Each person has a unique past and present story, and so, each book can have varying degrees of influence on a reader and their personal journey of wellness. Happy reading!

Note — Faith-based resources are denoted by asterisks as indicated below. This list does not represent an endorsement of any individual authors or their personal beliefs, rather it is an acknowledgement of the potential benefit of the content of such books when responsibly considered within a therapeutic context.

Books

Listed alphabetically by (author)

* Christian

(Orthodox Christian books in next section)

 

  • Recovery (Brand) | 12-step, addiction, substance use, sex addiction, recovery

  • Daring Greatly (Brown) | courage, vulnerability, shame, failure

  • Braving the Wilderness (Brown) | vulnerability, belonging

  • The Gifts of Imperfection (Brown) | shame, perfectionism, vulnerability

  • Boundaries (Cloud & Townsend) * | relationships, anxiousness, communication

  • Man’s Search for Meaning (Frankl) | resilience, meaning

  • Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents (Gibson) | family dynamics, anxiousness, neglect, emotional maturity

  • Eight Dates (Gottman) | marriage, relationships, communication

  • The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work (Gottman) | marriage, relationships, communication

  • Resilient (Hanson) | personal growth, inner strength

  • Hardwiring Happiness (Hanson) | positive thinking, neuroscience

  • Awaken to Good Mourning (Hundley) | grief, loss, death

  • On the Threshold of Hope (Langberg) * | survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault

  • The Myth of Normal (Maté) | developmental and generational trauma

  • Come As You Are (Nagoski) | women’s sexuality, sexual, intimacy, sex education

  • Self-Compassion (Neff) | compassion, personal growth, resilience, inner strength

  • Mating in Captivity (Perel) | sex within marriage, sexual intimacy, desire

  • The Whole-Brain Child (Siegel) | parenting, neuroscience

  • Parenting from the Inside Out (Siegel) | parenting, neuroscience

  • Brainstorm (Siegel) | parenting teenagers, neuroscience

  • The Body Keeps the Score (Van der Kolk) | trauma, somatic (body-focused) healing

  • Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Don't Want to Talk About (Waller) * | Christianity, mental health stigma

  • Rare Leadership (Warner & Wilder) * | Christian leadership, team relationships

  • First, We Make the Beast Beautiful (Wilson) | anxiety, acceptance

 

Books by Orthodox Christian Authors

Listed alphabetically by (author)

 

  • How to Be A Sinner (Bouteneff) | spirituality, shame, guilt, sin, repentance, Christian identity

  • Memory Eternal (Byrne-Martelli) | death, loss, grief, bereavement support group

  • On Marriage and Family Life (Chrysostom) | marriage, family, relationships

  • One Flesh (Farley) | marriage, sexuality

  • Defeating Sin (Huneycutt) | spirituality, repentance, forgiveness, change

  • Fire from Ashes (Huneycutt & Robinson) | spirituality, repentance, forgiveness, change

  • Renewing You (Louh) | personal growth, change, self-reflection

  • Parenting Towards the Kingdom (Mamalakis) | parenting, family dynamics

  • Healing your Wounded Soul (Makoul) | spiritual growth, past psychological pain, healing

  • If You Love Me (Matthew the Poor) | humility, servant leadership, serving the Church, loving Christ through service

  • Orthodox Prayer Life (Matthew the Poor) | prayer, relationship with God, patristic sayings

  • Putting Joy into Practice (Mikhail) | joyfulness, prayer, spiritual practices

  • Living in Christ (Raphaela) | spirituality, personal growth

  • Growing in Christ (Raphaela) | spirituality, personal growth

  • Becoming Icons of Christ (Raphaela) | spirituality, personal growth, virtuous living

  • Becoming a Healing Presence (Rossi) | spirituality, personal growth, relationships, virtuous living

  • All is Well (Rossi) | spirituality, personal growth, life satisfaction

  • Steps of Transformation (Webber) | 12-step, addiction, substance use recovery

 

Videos

Listed alphabetically by (speaker)

Several of the authors listed above have lectures/interviews available via YouTube.

 
 

Podcasts

* Christian

** Orthodox Christian

 
 

Websites