Embarking on a journey towards mental wellness can be transformative, and the right book can often be a guiding light. Here are 16 mental health books that we consistently recommend to our clients for their powerful insights and practical advice. You might want to add them to your summer reading list!
Mental Health Books to Read This Summer
1. Set Boundaries, Find Peace, by Nedra Glover Tawwab
All people need to set healthy boundaries. Unfortunately, many don’t know how to do this. A lot of our clients tell us that they aren’t even sure what healthy boundaries are. This book helps people define clear boundaries for work, friendships, family, and intimate relationships, and it includes techniques based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. There is a companion workbook as well.
2. How to Keep House While Drowning, by KC Davis
People who struggle with mental health problems like anxiety and depression often have difficulty taking care of everyday tasks. KC Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor who found herself struggling with intense stress after giving birth to her first child in a new city during the pandemic, and found that it was a huge struggle to keep up with laundry, cleaning, and the demands of motherhood. This book contains the therapeutic tools she used to compassionately take care of her home and herself without judgment or shame.
3. Building a Life Worth Living by Marsha M. Linehan, Ph.D.
Marsh Linehan is the creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a life-saving therapy that has helped untold numbers of people overcome suicidal behaviors and emotional dysregulation. This book is her memoir. It tells the story of how Marsha went from suicidal teenager to one of the most well-known and admired psychologists in the world. As Marsha put it, this memoir is the story of how she got herself out of Hell, then went back down so that she could bring others out as well.
4. The High Conflict Couple by Alan E. Fruzzetti, Ph.D.
This book is a self-help guide for couples who have frequent, intense, emotional battles. It is based on the principles of DBT therapy.
5. Loving Someone With Borderline Personality Disorder by Shari Y. Manning, Ph.D.
People with BPD often struggle with tumultuous relationships because of the intense emotional dysregulation that the disorder causes. This book is for the partners, friends, and family members of people with BPD who want to understand why their loved one behaves the way they do, and how to respond.
6. Fierce Self Compassion, by Kristen Neff, Ph.D.
This book includes expert advice on how to notice self-criticism and reframe your thoughts in a self-compassionate way. These methods teach people how to use self-compassion to protect and motivate themselves in order to transform themselves and the world around them.
7. Forgive for Good by Dr Fred Luskin
Dr. Fred Luskin has done extensive research on the healing power of forgiveness. In this book, he offers a 9-step method to move on from past hurts into a healthier, more contented life.
8. The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You, by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.
In this book, author Elaine Aron identifies a distinct personality trait that affects 15%-20% of the world’s population: highly sensitive people (HSP). These individuals have a sensitive nervous system, are hyper aware of small changes in their environments, and are more easily overwhelmed by noise, activity, and other forms of stimulation. This book is a celebration of these people and includes practical tips for how to navigate the world as an HSP.
9. Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks, by Barry McDonough
This book contains practical advice for people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. The author presents his own method for approaching those prompting events that cause intense anxiety and stop panic attacks once they start. It also comes with an app and four audio recordings.
10. Managing Your Emotions, by Joyce Meyer
This book is a 90 day devotional based on Bible readings. In it, the author offers help with managing your emotions rather than letting them manage you.
11. The Mindfulness Solution for Intense Emotions: Take control of BPD with DBT, by Cedar R. Koons, MSW, LCSW
This is another book based on DBT therapy strategies, and it includes a foreword by Marsha Linehan. The author shares seven mindfulness-based skills that help to find focus in the present moment, reduce impulsive behavior, and regulate emotions during times of extreme distress.
12. The Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships, by Harriet Lerner
Anger is a valid emotion that exists for a reason. It deserves our attention and respect. Unfortunately, many women either deny this emotion or vent it in a way that leaves them feeling helpless and powerless. In this book, the author shares strategies for both women and men to identify the true sources of anger and to use it as a powerful vehicle for creating positive changes in their relationships.
13. You’re on Fire, It’s Fine: Effective Strategies for Parenting Teens with Self-Destructive Behaviors, by Katie K. May
This is another great mental health book based on DBT strategies. This one is for parents of teens who self harm or exhibit other self-destructive behaviors. It will also help parents who themselves are biologically sensitive, and need support in healing their inner child.
14. The Art & Power of Acceptance: Your Guide to Inner Peace, by Ashley Davis Bush, LICSW
Acceptance is not passive or apathetic, and it’s certainly not approval. It is acknowledging the reality of what is. In this book, the author uses personal and clinical stories, practical suggestions, and evidence-based research to teach readers how to choose acceptance and find emotional freedom.
15. Parenting a Teen Who Has Intense Emotions: DBT Skills to Help Your Teen Navigate Emotional and Behavioral Challenges by Pat Harvey, ACSW, LCSW-C, and Britt Rathbone, MSSW, LCSW-C
The adolescent years can be challenging for any parent. When you are parenting a teen who lashes out or engages in risky, self-destructive behaviors, it is even more difficult. This book is based on strategies from DBT therapy. It offers evidence-based advice for understanding and dealing with your teen’s intense emotions and behaviors.
16. Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Help Your Child Regulate Emotional Outbursts and Aggressive Behaviors by Pat Harvey, LCSW-C and Jeanine Penzo, LICSW
This book was written by one of the same authors as the book above to help parents who are dealing with similar problems with their younger children. Many young kids have occasional temper tantrums. This book is for parents of children whose tantrums are so frequent and intense that the parents feel helpless and unprepared to deal with them. It also offers evidence-based DBT strategies for understanding and dealing with your child’s intense emotions.
How Can I Find Mental Health Care Near Me
If you believe you need more help than what is available in one of these excellent mental health books, Gladstone Psychiatry and Wellness can help. We offer medication management, individual and group therapy, and a comprehensive DBT therapy program. Give us a call at 443-708-5856 or email new.patient@gladstonepsych.com to schedule an appointment.