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Resources 

For more information or to make an appointment,
Call 310-226-6161 or email
CounselingYourRelationships@verizon.net 

In my private practice, I often have occasion to recommend specific books as a companion to the work we do together in session. There is an abundant supply of material to recommend, but here are some of the many books my clients have found helpful.

DEPRESSION 

Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by
Changing the Way You Think

(paperback workbook)
by Dennis Greenberger, PhD and Christine Padesky, PhD

This revolutionary best-selling workbook shows readers how to improve their lives using cognitive therapy and is one of the most recommended books in its field. The workbook is designed to be used alone or in conjunction with professional treatment. Readers learn to identify, rate, and track changes in their feelings; change the thoughts that contribute to their problems; follow step-by-step strategies to improve their moods; and take action to improve daily living and interpersonal relationships. The book's large-size format facilitates reading and writing ease.

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Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
(Revised and Updated edition)

by David D. Burns, MD
Eminent psychiatrist, David D. Burns, MD, outlines evidence-proven cognitive behavioral techniques for managing and overcoming low moods; dealing with guilt;
handling criticism and negative encounters; over-coming the need for approval; and building self-esteem. While promoting the efficacy of CBT for the treatment of depression, Dr. Burns does not undervalue the concurrent use of psychotropic drugs, when indicated, and he includes a consumer’s guide to anti-depressant medication.

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ANXIETY / WORRY / FEAR 

When Panic Attacks
By David D. Burns, MD

A handbook for anyone plagued by worry, fears, shyness, obsessive doubts, phobias, or panic attacks. Dr. Burns, an adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford Univeristy School of Medicine and author of numerous research studies and books, shares with the reader 40 straight-forward evidence-proven techniques to combat all-or-nothing thinking, challenge distortions, and override the catastrophe thoughts that fuel anxiety and panic.

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Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic: Workbook
(4th Edition, Paperback)

By David H. Barlow, PhD and Michelle H. Craske, PhD
 
Now in its 4th edition, this workbook has been updated to include strategies and techniques for dealing with both panic disorder and agoraphobia. The program outlined is based on the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and is organized by skill, with each chapter building on the one before it.  This workbook is a one-of-a-kind resource that has been recommended for use by public health services around the world. It allows the reader to work alongside the therapist to personalize a treatment strategy and learn lasting recovery skills,

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The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook:
Proven, Step-By-Step Techniques
for Overcoming Your Fear (2nd Edition, Paperback)

by Martin M. Antony, PhD and Richard P. Swinson, MD
 
This workbook offers a comprehensive program to help shy people confront their fears and become actively involved in the social world. Material in the workbook helps readers determine their strengths and weaknesses, explore and examine their fears, and create personalized plans for change. Information about therapy, medications, and other resources is also included.

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Couples/ Partners / Relationships 

Hold Me Tight: Your Guide to the Most Successful Approach to Building Loving Relationships
by Sue Johnson, PhD

Dr. Sue Johnson, a clinical psychologist, researcher, professor, and author is the originator of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and one of the leading innovators in the field of couple therapy.  The EFT approach concerns itself with the emotional component of every relationship by de-escalating conflict, creating a safe interpersonal connection, and strengthening bonds between partners. In this book, Dr. Johnson presents her highly effective therapy model to the reading public via case studies from her private practice, illuminating advice, and user-friendly couple-focused exercises.  

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Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples
(20th Anniversary Edition, Paperback)

by Harville Hendrix, PhD

Harville Hendrix developed what has come to be known as Imago Relationship Therapy, which synthesizes what Hendrix learned from a number of disciplines, including the behavioral sciences, depth psychology, cognitive therapy, and Gestalt therapy.
Divided into three sections, the book covers "The Unconscious Partnership," which details a partnership in which leftover desires and behaviors of childhood interfere with the current relationship; "The Conscious Partnership," which shows a relationship that answers those childhood yearnings in a positive manner; and “The Exercises,” which are 10 interactive exercises that allow you and your partner to replace confrontation and criticism with activities that promote mutual growth and support.

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Intimacy & Desire:
Awaken the Passion in Your Relationship (Paperback)

by David Schnarch, PhD

A recently published and highly praised book from one of the foremost experts on sexual desire and healthy intimacy. Dr. Schnarch offers practical evidence-based advice, wisdom, and inspiration for those seeking to reinvigorate their intimate connection, all the while avoiding the familiar bromides and quick-fix solutions so common to the self-help arena.  
 
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Ten Lessons to Transform Your Marriage:
America's Love Lab Experts Share Their Strategies
for Strengthening Your Relationship (Paperback)

by John M. Gottman, PhD, Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD, and Joan Declaire

In the1990s, Dr. John Gottman and his colleagues at the University of Washington made the startling announcement that through scientific observation and mathematical analysis, they could predict—with more than 90 percent accuracy—whether a marriage would succeed or fail. The only thing they did not yet know was how to turn a failing marriage into a successful one, so Gottman teamed up with his clinical psychologist wife, Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, to develop intervention methods.

This book, written for the non-clinician, illustrates those intervention methods. In the book, the Gottmans present an intimate look at 10 couples who have learned to work through potentially destructive problems—extramarital affairs, workaholism, parenthood adjustments, serious illnesses, lack of intimacy—and examine what they’ve done to improve communication, get their relationships back on track and discover renewed hope in the future.

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Wired for Love:
How Understanding Your Partner’s Brain Can Help You
Defuse Conflicts and Spark Intimacy (Paperback)

by Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT

This highly anticipated book -- written by a reknowned clinician, researcher, and teacher whose specialty is adult primary attachment relationships -- will be published in early 2012.

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Divorce 

The Good Divorce (Paperback)
by Constance Ahrons, PhD

Despite a potentially off-putting title, this author’s landmark longitudinal study of randomly selected postdivorce families offers hope that splitting spouses may be able to handle their breakup in a way that will permit both "adults and children [to] emerge at least as emotionally well as they were before the divorce." Ahrons blends insights from her own research with experience from 25 years as a therapist to dispel myths, articulate the challenges divorcing spouses face, and suggest steps to make a "good divorce" more likely.

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Dating for Marriage 

How to Get Married After 35:
A User’s Guide to Getting to the Altar (Paperback)

by Helena Rosenberg, MFT

For women 35 and over who don't want to leave their personal lives to fate, a step-by-step guide that addresses: taking responsibility for your future; assessing what’s in your way; understanding what you need in a partner; assessing a man for his marriage potential; avoiding destructive relationships; and dating for a purpose rather than dating to pass the time. The book does not assume that everyone wants to be -- or should be – married. However, those who do wish to find a committed life partner will find a vision and game plan that tips the scales in that direction.

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For More Information or to Set an Appointment
Call 310-226-6161, or Email
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Parenting / Attachment 

Parenting From the Inside Out (Paperback)
by Daniel Siegel, MD and Mary Hartzell, M.Ed.

Drawing upon recent findings in neurobiology and attachment research, child psychiatrist Daniel Siegel and early childhood expert Mary Hartzell explore the extent to which our childhood experiences shape the way we parent. They explain how interpersonal relationships directly impact the development of the brain. The book offers parents a step-by-step approach to forming a deeper understanding of their own life histories, which will in turn help parents foster loving secure relationships with their children.  

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The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View From Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology (Paperback)
by Daniel Stern, MD

Dr. Stern, an expert in the mother-infant relationhip, integrates clinical and experimental science in a book that is now considered a classic and that challenged traditional notions of child development and revolutionized theory, research and therapeutic work with children.

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When Children Don’t Sleep Well: Interventions for Pediatric Sleep Disorders (Parent Workbook, Paperback)
by Vincent Mark Durand

This user-friendly workbook is designed to be used in conjunction with outside professional help. The goal is to help you effectively manage your child's sleep problems without the use of drugs. Each module describes a different problem and gives options for treating it. Bedtime disturbances, night waking, sleep terrors, nightmares, and other sleep-related issues are all addressed. The book also includes a module on bedwetting. Working with your therapist, you will choose the best intervention options for your family.

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Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children (Paperback)

by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, JD

This well-researched and popular book challenges contemporary society's most accepted strategies for raising children, which the authors show are at odds with scientific findings about child development and human behavior. Myths about child-rearing are addressed in 10 thought-provoking chapters that cover such issues as the inverse power of praise (effort counts more than results); why kids lie; and why siblings really fight (to get closer). The book is written in a breezy style but the underlying research and case studies are solid.

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Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach (Paperback)

by Howard Glasser, MA and Jennifer Easley

Despite a title that seems to reinforce the negative, this is an essential book for parents of intense hard-to-manage children who have been diagnosed or labeled as ADHD. The authors demonstrate why the standard methods parents use to deal with these challenging children in fact backfire, promoting the very behaviors that parents are trying to eradicate. The book advocates nothing short of a paradigm shift, in which parents transform their own parenting style. Dispensing with timeouts, nagging, threats, reminders, and other energy-draining tactics that have not worked, parents are coached to begin noticing, commenting on, and rewarding the positive. Using phrases such as “catch them being good”, the authors provide a roadmap to take parents who are at their wits end onto a new path.    

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How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk (Paperback)
By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

The title says it all. This is a clear and supportive guide that can enrich the quality of your relationship with your children.

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UnCommon Sense for Parents With Teenagers (Paperback)
by Michael Riera, PhD

This title has sold over 100,000 copies and tackles everything from text messaging and the Internet, to eating disorders, single parenting, divorce, and more. Beginning with overviews of the parent-teenager relationship, the adolescent world, and high school, the bulk of the book comprises a series of responses to questions commonly asked by parents. Based on his 19 years as a teacher, counselor, dean of students, and parent, Riera opens a window on adolescence that gives parents new insights into their teen and optimism about the future.  

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Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep Them Talking to You and How to Hear What They’re Really Saying (Paperback)

By Michael Riera, PhD

The key to staying connected, Dr. Riera demonstrates, is to first understand that inside your teenager lives two very different people -- the regressed child and the emergent adult. The emergent adult is seen at school, on the playing field, in his or her first job, and in front of friends' families. Unfortunately, parents usually see only the regressed child -- moody and sometimes defiant. The author offers ingenious advice to parents on how to coax the more attractive of the two teen personalities into the home, how to stop being a “manager” and start being a “consultant,” and in essence bring out the best in a teen, and therefore, in the family as a whole.

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Call 310-226-6161, or Email
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Trauma / Neurobiology 

8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery:
Take-Charge Strategies to Empower Your Healing (Paperback)

By Babette Rothchild, LCSW

This book is appropriate for both clients and therapists and helps the reader understand and implement eight keys to successful trauma healing, among them being mindful; recognizing survival; having the option to not remember; forgiving not being able to stop the trauma; and understanding and sharing shame.

This is not a book promoting a new method or type of treatment; rather, it is a companion to self-help and professional recovery programs and therapies and is designed to put the reader in the driver’s seat as regards recovery.

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Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma (Paperback)
by Peter A. Levine, PhD, with Ann Frederick

Peter Levine’s book draws lessons from nature to explain the process of healing trauma. Why are animals in the wild rarely beset by trauma, he asks? By understanding the dynamics that make wild animals virtually immune to traumatic symptoms, the mystery of human trauma is revealed.

This book normalizes the symptoms of single incident trauma (as opposed to chronic trauma) and the steps needed to heal them. People are often traumatized by seemingly ordinary experiences. The reader is taken on a guided tour of the subtle, yet powerful impulses that govern our responses to overwhelming life events. Heightening our awareness of our bodily responses can have a healing influence on our lives.

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Eating Disorders 

Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship With Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling
(Paperback)

By Anita A. Johnston, PhD

By weaving practical insights and exercises through a rich tapestry of multicultural myths, ancient legends, and folktales, Anita Johnston helps the millions of women preoccupied with their weight discover and address the issues behind their negative attitudes toward food. This beautifully written book speaks to the essence of true nourishment and offers hope that there are healthy ways to experience validation and love.

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Healing the Hungry Self: The Diet-Free Solution to Lifelong Weight Management (Paperback)
by Deirdra Price, PhD

A comprehensive workbook with real-life stories, checklists, questionnaires, and journaling opportunities for those who starve themselves to lose weight, use compensatory behaviors such as vomiting for weight management, or binge-eat for emotional comfort and relief. Those struggling with food issues and committed to overcoming them will find this an excellent support for their journey toward mental and physical health.

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For More Information or to Set an Appointment
Call 310-226-6161, or Email
CounselingYourRelationships@verizon.net
 

Bipolar Disorder 

The BiPolar Disorder Survival Guide, 2nd Edition:
What You and Your Family Needs to Know (Paperback)

By David J. Miklowicz, PhD

Patients and family members alike cite this best-selling book from trusted authority Dr. David Miklowicz as being an invaluable source of information and practical problem-solving advice. The book addresses a wide range of topics such as: “How can you distinguish between early warning signs of bipolar mood swings and normal ups and downs?”; “What medications are available and what are their side-effects?”; “How can you tell your coworkers about your illness without endangering your career?”; and “If you have a family member with bi-polar disorder, how can you provide constructive help and support?”
 
The 2nd edition of this book includes an expanded discussion of parenting issues for bipolar adults, as well as a new chapter, "For Women Only”.

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Anger 

When Anger Hurts: Quieting the Storm Within, 2nd Edition (Paperback)
By Matthew McKay, PhD, Peter D. Rogers, PhD, and Judith McKay, RN

This is a guide to changing habitual anger-generating thoughts while developing healthier, more effective ways of meeting your emotional needs. It does not dwell on historical reasons for your anger but rather focuses on recognizing and standing up to the triggers that prompt your angry responses in your current life. The book addresses the "two-stage" model of anger production and helps the reader recognize pre-existing stress-producing conditions that often lead to angry moments without directly causing them. A very useful book for readers who are tired of feeling like victims of their own short fuses.

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For More Information or to Set an Appointment
Call 310-226-6161, or Email
CounselingYourRelationships@verizon.net
 

Books Written for Children 

What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety
(Paperback)

by Dawn Huebner, PhD and Bonnie Matthews (illustrator)
This interactive self-help book guides children and parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques used in the treatment of anxiety and is an excellent resource for educating, motivating, and empowering kids to overcome their overgrown worries.  

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What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD
(Paperback)

by Dawn Huebner, PhD and Bonnie Matthews (illustrator)

This interactive self-help book uses cognitive-behavioral tools to turn kids into super-sleuths who can recognize OCD's tricks. Engaging examples, activities, and step-by-step instructions help children master the skills needed to break free from the sticky thoughts and urges of OCD, and live happier lives.

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What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger (Paperback]

by Dawn Huebner, PhD and Bonnie Matthews (illustrator)

The author addresses temper using cognitive-behavioral tools and the metaphor of anger as a fire that can blaze out of control. In step-by-step lessons, she teaches "anger dousing" methods aimed at cooling angry thoughts and controlling angry actions, resulting in calmer, more effective kids. In this scenario, children become the active agents of their own improved behavior.

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It’s So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families
(Paperback)

By Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley (illustrator)

Geared for the kindergarten through fourth grade child, this delightful oversized guide on reproduction and birth answers children’s common questions such as "Exactly what is sex?" and "Where does the baby actually come out?" The familiar enthusiastic bird and reluctant bee narrate the comic cartoon panels, eventually deciding that the miracles of birth, families, and love are just "so amazing." People are represented with a variety of body shapes and ethnicities, and the author discusses sexual preferences and alternative family situations. While the illustrations are engaging and often hilarious, factual information is presented in a clear, nonjudgmental tone that will inform and assure young readers. Topics covered include basic anatomy, conception, fetal development, birth, genetics, adoption, and love.

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I look forward to hearing how I
can be of help to you!
For More Information or to Set an Appointment
Call 310-226-6161, or Email
CounselingYourRelationships@verizon.net