Therapy Books
Below is a list of some of my favorite therapy books I recommend to my clients and other therapists. Happy reading!
The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love — Vienna Pharaon
Explores how family-of-origin patterns shape adult relationships and offers tools to break inherited relational dynamics.
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving — Pete Walker
A practical recovery guide for adults healing from chronic childhood trauma, focusing on emotional flashbacks, the inner critic, and self-compassion.
Trauma and Recovery — Judith Lewis Herman
A foundational book explaining how trauma impacts individuals and outlining stages of recovery and empowerment.
The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk
Explains how trauma affects the brain and body and explores evidence-based approaches for healing.
What My Bones Know — Stephanie Foo
A memoir that blends personal story and research to explore healing from complex PTSD.
Good Morning, Monster — Catherine Gildiner
A therapist shares powerful case stories of clients overcoming profound trauma and adversity through therapy.
Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor E. Frankl
A psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor explores how the search for meaning can sustain people through suffering.
Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief — Joanne Cacciatore
A compassionate guide that helps readers understand grief and navigate the emotional reality of loss through personal stories and professional expertise.
Atlas of the Heart — Brené Brown
Defines and explains dozens of emotions to help you develop emotional literacy and deeper connection.
The Gifts of Imperfection — Brené Brown
Encourages readers to cultivate self-compassion and authenticity by letting go of shame and perfectionism.
Healing the Shame That Binds You — John Bradshaw
Examines how toxic shame develops within families and offers pathways toward healing and self-acceptance.
Practices for Embodied Living — Hillary L. McBride
Offers reflective practices for reconnecting with the body and cultivating integrated, holistic emotional healing.
Attached — Amir Levine & Rachel Heller
Explains attachment theory and the three main attachment styles (secure, anxious, and avoidant) and how they shape romantic relationships.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace — Nedra Glover Tawwab
Provides practical guidance for establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries.
Codependent No More — Melody Beattie
A classic recovery book helping readers recognize and break patterns of codependency.
Stop Walking on Eggshells — Paul T. Mason & Randi Kreger
Offers strategies for navigating relationships with someone who has borderline personality disorder traits.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents — Lindsay C. Gibson
Helps adult children understand emotionally immature parenting (distant, rejecting, or self-involved parents) and develop healthier boundaries.
Rewire Your Anxious Brain — Catherine M. Pittman & Elizabeth M. Karle
Explains the neuroscience of anxiety and offers strategies for retraining the brain’s fear response.
Beyond Anxiety — Martha Beck
Provides tools for moving beyond chronic anxiety into creativity, curiosity, and emotional freedom.
The Anxious Generation — Jonathan Haidt
Examines how smartphones and social media have contributed to rising anxiety and mental health challenges among young people.
When Food Is Comfort — Julie M. Simon
Explores emotional eating patterns and provides tools for developing healthier coping strategies.
Life Without Ed — Jenni Schaefer
A recovery-focused book that helps readers separate their identity from their eating disorder.
The Whole-Brain Child — Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
Explains children’s brain development and offers practical parenting strategies to support emotional regulation.
Breaking Free of Childhood Anxiety and OCD — Eli R. Lebowitz
Teaches parents how to help children overcome anxiety and OCD by reducing accommodation behaviors.
No Bad Parts — Richard C. Schwartz
Introduces Internal Family Systems therapy and explains how understanding and compassionately relating to our inner parts promotes healing.
Altogether You — Jenna Riemersma
Integrates Internal Family Systems therapy with Christian spiritual formation to help readers understand and heal their inner parts.
Group — Christie Tate
A memoir about the author’s transformative experience in long-term group therapy.
I hope you found this helpful! If you are interested in learning more about working with me, I would love to hear from you! Reach out today!
