Below you will find a list of books that we like and often suggest to our clients. We do not guarantee that any book will be appropriate for you but instead hope that you can find something useful.

(Disclaimer: This book list is provided as a service to our visitors. However, inclusion of these books does not imply any kind of endorsement of either the material itself or the appropriateness for the individual. SPA does not control and is not responsible for their content.)

ADHD Driven to Distraction, Edward Hallowell, M.D. Good description of ADHD symptoms. Helps parents and adult ADHD clients understand the syndrome. ANXIETY & PANIC Don't Panic, R. Reid Wilson Excellent explanation of the physical/emotional connection in anxiety and panic attacks. It also has helpful techniques to help take control of this painful disorder. CHILDREN & PARENTING Without Spanking or Spoiling, Elizabeth Crary Practical parenting advice for toddlers & preschoolers. Your Defiant Child, Russell Barkley, Ph.D. Behavioral program for the more difficult or ADHD child. Get Out of My Life, But First Could You Take Me And Cheryl To The Mall?, Anthony Wolf, Ph.D. Much needed parenting skills for raising teenagers (when you are ready to pull your hair out!). Children the Challenge, Rudolf Dreikars Practical ideas for raising healthy and responsible children. Parent Effectiveness Training, Thomas Gordon Learn how to hear what your child is saying and not saying as well as speaking so your children will hear you. Gesell Institute of Child Development, Series of books: Louise Bates Ames and Frances L Ilg. Helpful in gauging the development of your child.   COGNITIVE THERAPY Feeling Good /Feeling Good Workbook, David Burns A very practical guide to dealing with depression and anxiety based on cognitive behavioral practices. Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel By Changing The Way You Think, Dennis Greenberger & Christine Padesky. This is a client workbook that explains the principles of cognitive therapy and provides lots of worksheets and exercises. An invaluable resource.   When Am I Going To Be Happy?, Penelope Russianoff You can change the emotional bad habits that make you unhappy and learn to stop being your severest critic. COUPLES 20 Communication Tips For Couples, Doyle Barnett This little book provides the ABC's of communication in 30 minutes of reading. It's a quick and painless way to gain a common sense approach to difficulties in your communication style. Couple Skills, Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning, Kim Paley Variety of skills found effective in research. Why Marriages Succeed or Fail, John Gottman, Ph.D. Perspective on his research on long-term marriages - what works, what are some of the pitfalls. The Dance of Anger, Harriet Goldhor Lerner Specific strategies for making meaningful and lasting changes in important relationships. Co-dependent No More, Melody Beattie Overview of co-dependency which offers hope and guidance. Offers options for controlling behavior. The Verbally Abusive Relationship, Patricia Evans Validation, understanding and encouragement for efforts to change situations. The Good Marriage: How and Why Love Lasts, Judith Wallerstein Ideas for making love last. Infidelity, a Survival Guide, Don-David Lusterman Discusses and offers guidance. Violent Voices, 12 Steps to Freedom From Emotional and Verbal Abuse, Kay Porterfield Gives specific steps on changing patterns of abuse. Are You The One For Me?, Barbara DeAngelis Good sourcebook and helpful techniques to measure your relationship. Women Who Love Too Much, Robin Norwood Ten point recovery program to free yourself from destructive loving. Divorce Busting: A Step-by-Step Approach to Making Your Marriage Loving Again, Michelle Weiner-Davis Positive approaches to making your marriage work. Intimate Partners, Maggie Scarf Insightful look at causes and cures of marital distress. The Dance Of Intimacy: A Woman's Guide To Courageous Acts Of Change In Key Relationships, Harriet Goldhor Lerner Passionate Marriage, David Snarch Provides an encompassing model of intimacy. For Each Other, Lonnie Barbach Helps couples increase their sexual pleasure. Tell Me No Lies, Ellen Bader and Pete Pearson Describes how couples can make their marriage terrific. Teaches how to increase openness by partners. DEPRESSION When Someone You Love is Depressed, Laura Rosen and Xavier Amador Coping strategies. How to Cope With Depression, J. Raymond DePaulo and Keith Ablow Explains ways to cope with depression. How You Can Survive When They're Depressed, Anne Sheffield Coping strategies when your family member is diagnosed with depression. Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Daniel Amen The book is filled with "brain prescriptions" (among them cognitive exercises and nutritional advice) that are geared toward readers who've experienced anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, excessive anger or worry, and obsessive behavior. DIVORCE Crazy Time, Abigail Tratford Helpful in separation/divorce process. The Single Mothers' Book, Joan Anderson Guidance for single mothers. Mom's House, Dad's House, Isolina Ricci Guidance for single parents. Growing Up With Divorce, Neil Kalter Practical strategies. Life After Divorce, Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse Good explanations/strategies. How to Help Your Child Overcome Your Divorce, Elissa Benedek Good information for parents on the child's needs. GRIEVING The Courage to Grieve, Judy Tatelbbaum One of my favorite books regarding losing a loved one. How It Feels When a Parent Dies, Jill Krementz Contains stories by preteens and teens about losing a parent. The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, Leo Buscaglia Lovely presentation of death for children. How to Survive the Loss of a Love, Melba Colgrove, Ph.D., Harold Bloomfield, M. D., P. McWilliams A wonderful book to cope with loss of relationship. It is composed of short chapters, with helpful hints, poetry, etc. Very easy to read. INCEST & SEXUAL ABUSE Surviving with Serenity, T. Thomas Affirmations for incest survivors. Secret Survivors, E. Sue Blume  Survivors and Partners: Healing the Relationships of Sexual Abuse Survivors, Paul A. Hansen Ways to handle sexual relationships. The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse, Wendy Maltz The Courage to Heal/The Courage to Heal Workbook, Laura Davis, and Ellen Bass Excellent guide for women survivors of child sexual abuse. Outgrowing The Pain, Eliana Gil A book for and about adults abused as children. Trauma And Recovery, Judith Lewis Herman This sensitive book describes the impact of emotional trauma including physical, sexual and emotional abuse. It also gives advice on the recovery process. MEN'S ISSUES The New Male Sexuality, Bernie Zilbergeld Still the best encyclopedic work by a compassionate man who helps dispel a number of myths. Wrestling With Love: How Men Struggle With Intimacy With Women, Children, Parents, And Each Other, Sam Oherson A well written, interesting and frank book that looks at these subjects openly and gently. The Passions Of Fatherhood, Sam Oherson Explores the relationship between fathers and sons. MISCARRIAGE Coping with a Miscarriage, Hank Pizer and Christine Palinski Helpful for those experiencing the pain of miscarriage. MISCELLANEOUS Boundaries: Where You End And Begin, Anne Katherine A classic book that helps. You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too, Lillie Weiss, Ph. D. Excellent resource for dealing with bulimia. It Will Never Happen To Me, Claudia Black, Ph.D. Wonderful reference for adult children of alcoholics. Your Perfect Right, R. Alberti, M. Emmons A guide to assist the reader in taking control of one's own life. Rather than reacting in relationships, this book promotes the concept of choosing to respond in ways that enhance the 'self' and promotes understanding. If You Meet The Buddah On The Road, Kill Him!, S. Kopp This book takes the reader on a pilgrimage through the process of psychotherapy. When Bad Things Happen To Good People, H. Kushner The author offers a humane way of looking at the suffering and trials that each of us face. The reality that "life isn't fair" must be accepted and integrated. The Road Less Traveled, M. Peck Peck articulates that confronting and solving problems is a painful process which most of us attempt to avoid.This avoidance leads to greater pain and the inability to grow mentally and spiritually. The Feisty Women's Breast Cancer Book, Elaine Bratner Recommended by many breast cancer survivors. Practical Dreaming, Lillie Weiss, Ph.D. A step by step method of dream interpretation. When Am I Going To Be Happy?, Penelope Russianoff How to break emotional bad habits that make you miserable. OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER Brain Lock, Jeffrey Schwartz Easy to read, self-help guide to understanding and overcoming obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing: The Experience and Treatment of OCD, Judith L. Rapoport The author describes numerous varieties of obsessive and compulsive behavior and offers a behavioral slant in her treatment options. PMS, PERIMENOPAUSE, MENOPAUSE The Power of Perimenopause, Stephanie Bender Explanation and suggestions. The PMS and Perimenopause Sourcebook, Lori Futterman and John Jones Good ideas on coping. The Perimenopause Handbook, Carol Turkington Another good book on coping with perimenopause Perimenopause, James Huston and Darlene Lanka Helpful regarding changing symptoms. Menopause, Annette Doran Good sourcebook. POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION This Isn’t What I Expected: Overcoming Posptpartum Depression, R. Kleiman and Valerie Raskin The authors present thorough description of postpartum emotional problems and their treatment in a comprehensive new book. POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences, Peter Levine and Ann Frederick The book explains how traumatic wounds can heal when the physical and mental letting go occur in tandem. I Can’t Get Over It: A Handbook for Trauma Survivors, Aphrodite Matsakis A quick guide for trauma survivors through the healing process one step at a time EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress and Trauma, Francine Shapiro and Margot Forrest Provides a overview of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Secret, Lies, Betrayals: The Mind/Body Connection, Maggie Scarf The author writes how life traumas impact both body and mind and discusses treatment alternatives. SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS The Art of Happiness, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M. D. Methods to achieve happiness from the Dalai Lama. Friendship with God, Neale Donald Walsch Focus on acceptance and joy. TEENS A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain, Merilee Strong Based on dozens of interviews with “cutters”, the author explores the reasons for cutting and treatment options. Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation, Steven Levenkron For therapists, parents and friends of cutters, the book explores causes and treatment for cutting behaviors. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, Mary Pipher The author describes the struggles faced by adolescent girls and offers suggestions by which girls can builld a strong sense of self.   Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self, Sara Shandler Written by and for adolescent girls, the book echoes their deepest concerns.