Walking into the psychology or self-help section of any bookstore can be daunting. There are many options and no one wants to purchase a book only to throw it to the side of the nightstand to collect dust after finding it unhelpful. Below are three books (and one honorable mention) I recommend to my clients based on their needs. If you find one of these books sparks your interest, I encourage you to share your insights with your therapist; you may be surprised to see where the conversation may lead!
Quiet by Susan Cain
Living in a society where we constantly receive messages that the ideal person is extroverted; it can feel as if there is something to be fixed or missing for those of us who are introverted. Susan Cain’s Quiet explores the strength of introverts and how introverts bring beauty and balance to the world. The author provides a great mix of science and real-life experiences in order to educate in a way that doesn’t feel heavy. She also provides a reading guide for a variety of age ranges as well as tips for parents of introverted children and resources for public speaking.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsey Gibson
If you are struggling with your relationship with a parent who may be emotionally immature, this will be an insightful read. At less than 200 pages, this short book packs substantial information. This book will help to identify the different types of emotionally immature parent, how these parents effect their children, and how to navigate a relationship as an adult child of an emotionally immature parent.
Reparenting Your Inner Child by Nicole Johnson
Struggling with childhood trauma as an adult can be difficult. Reparenting Your Inner Child provides the reader with a guide to understanding trauma, your trauma responses, how to reparent your inner child, and how to create self-compassion. Each chapter ends with takeaways and reflective questions to prompt the reader to journal and sit with feelings. This book can be a wonderful resource for in-between therapy sessions!
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
While not considered a therapy or self-help book; I wanted to give an honorable mention to Outliers. We can all fall victim to the comparison trap and wonder why some people are “more successful” than other. This book looks into many factors that can determine a person’s success that are outside of our control, for instance; did you know a person’s success in playing hockey might be determined by their birth month?
