Resources for Cope Better Clients
Resources for clients near Rittenhouse, Philadelphia, PA
Alcoholism / Substance Abuse
Alcoholics Anonymous If you are concerned with a drinking problem, wish to learn more about Alcoholics Anonymous or want to find A.A. near you, check out this website.
At Al-Anon / Alateen women, men and children who were once lonely, lost and helpless because of someone’s drinking, today have courage and confidence through Al-Anon and Alateen. They have discovered friends who understand, as few others can. They have found the tools to help themselves – which can indirectly help their alcoholic relatives or loved ones. Contentment, and even happiness, is possible whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not. If you’re interested in attending a meeting, this website provides a list of local support groups in addition to other helpful resources.
The Alcohol Awareness Council (AAC) is dedicated to informing the public about the use and abuse of alcohol. You will find the latest alcohol research, studies and statistical data, brought to you by government agencies, academic institutions, news sources and awareness organizations. You will also find a wealth of alcohol-related resources, support groups, and help lines for those struggling with alcoholism.
DrugAbuse.com provides resources for for substance abuse and addiction treatment. You can speak with a Rehab Specialist directly or look through the online directory for rehabs near you.
Aging
The mission of Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging is to improve the quality of life for older Philadelphians or people with disabilities and to assist them in achieving their maximum level of health, independence and productivity. Special consideration is given to those with the greatest social, economic, and health needs.
Behavioral Health
Healthy Minds Philly is sponsored by the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services. This website offers tools and resources for everyone seeking to support and improve the mental health and well-being of themselves or those they care about.
Resources for Human Development is a national human services nonprofit with a large Philadelphia-based network. This agency specializes in creating innovative, quality services that support people of all abilities and any challenges wherever the need exists. Resources for Human Development provides a host of services to adults with intellectual disabilities, veterans, woman and children, returning citizens, homelessness, addiction and recovery and more.
Cancer
American Cancer Society is a national organization with local branches whose goal is to help cancer patients stay well, get well and fight back through research, education and support. There are many resources on this website that address a multitude of concerns.
Association of Online Cancer Resources is a unique online community. The information on this website is free to anyone impacted by cancer. This online community is for parents, caregivers, family and friends of those affected by cancer. On this site, you can discuss concerns that are both clinical and non-clinical in nature because sometimes you want information and other times you want to be understood.
If you are looking for information on Nipple Reconstruction an Ardmore based organization called BreastCancer.org has a lot of information on their website. Specifically, though, for those who are interested in Nipple Reconstruction through getting a tattoo, the video on this site is a must-watch.
Cancer Care provides counseling, support groups, financial resources and information for caregivers on cancer and how to get connected. Filter by diagnosis or search by your interest.
Cancer.net provides a host of resources for people navigating the complicated world of cancer. I really like this website because it’s diverse. On cancer.net you will find resources ranging from types of cancer to coping with cancer to information on ongoing research and advocacy efforts. Most of my clients find the financial resources section to be very helpful. Additionally, for those who are cancer survivors, there is a whole section dedicated to Survivorship.
Just Great Lawyers is another comprehensive website dedicated to helping cancer patients and their families tackle a host of concerns. If you are looking for legal advice on topics regarding your personal rights as a cancer patient, legal resources for employment, discrimination because of your cancer diagnosis, healthcare rights or estate planning Just Great Lawyers has a lot of information for you. This site is very comprehensive in scope.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has a lot of really good information. Like some of the other sites previously mentioned, this site also boasts a range of topics. Some of the great topics on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network include, understanding clinical practice guidelines, patient and caregiver resources and a list of local support groups for cancer patients and caregivers. My favorite aspect of this website is their resource page on NCCN guidelines, which helps patients make informed decisions and have informed conversations with their medical treatment team.
Mandy Sauler is probably the best skin pigmentation specialist and tattoo artist in the Philadelphia area. Employed by Penn Medicine, Mandy Sauler has an impressive track record and produces beautifully tattooed nipples for women who want nipple or areola reconstruction through 3D design.
The Real Deal, a subgroup of Retail Me Not, has a surprisingly good blog on The Ultimate Guide to Looking Your Best While Overcoming Cancer. Much of the material here is similar to topics reviewed at Look Good, Feel Better workshops hosted by the American Cancer Society. Nonetheless, it’s worth the read.
Vinnie Meyers: If you’ve done your research while looking for one of the best tattoo artists around, the name Vinnie Meyers should be familiar. While he is located in Finksburg, Maryland, it is far worth the drive. Vinnie started as a solo artist doing 3D Nipple and Areola Tattooing to help breast cancer patients complete the last step in reconstruction. Now, Vinnie has a team of trained artists to better meet the vast need for breast reconstruction. I’ve met hundreds of woman (and their partners) who rave about Vinnie, his work and how happy they are with the results. Check out his website for more information.
The Whitney Center for Permanent Cosmetics is a cosmetic center providing nipple reconstruction and scar camouflage medical tattooing. They have offices in NJ, NY and FL.
Psychology
The American Psychiatric Association has a wealth of information on their website. Here you will find warning signs of mental illness as well as information on conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, gambling, eating disorders, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia.
Relationship Concerns
Daughters Of Narcissist Mothers offers resources for healing if your mother/daughter relationship feels impaired, challenged, damaged or broken. If your mother is a narcissist or has narcissistic traits, check out this website for resources and support.
Out Of The Fog is a website that discusses personality disorders and what it feels like to be in a relationship with someone who has a personality disorder. You might be a spouse, partner, father, mother, daughter, son, cousin or friend; the type of relationship is irrelevant. Out Of The Fog provides education on personality disorders, a helpful list of Dos and Don’t and an online community of other people who know what it’s like to share a similar story. This website is a must visit.
Sleep / Insomnia
The American Sleep Association (ASA) provides an interactive forum and comprehensive database of information for the general public, physicians and scientists, allied healthcare professionals, and sleep technologists. The warning signs of sleep conditions are highlighted to raise awareness and encourage follow-up with medical professional and sleep hygienists.
Sexual Abuse Survivors
The mission of AfterSilence.org is to support, empower, validate, and educate survivors of rape, sexual abuse and all types of sexual violence by providing a safe, extensive, reliable and easy-to-read website where victims can find the answers and support they need to heal and reclaim their lives. AfterSilence.org provides a free and safely moderated online support group, message board and chat room where survivors can connect with one another in real time, share their stories, ask questions and, above all, begin their path towards healing and recovery.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) has a comprehensive list of resources for victims and survivors of rape, sexual abuse and incest. Here you will find general information on rape, prevalence and statistics on rape, sexual abuse in addition to resources and support networks for:
- Incest
- Dating / Partner Abuse
- Child Abuse / Sexual Abuse
- Stalking
- Cyber Abuse
- Survivors with Disabilities
- Male Survivors
- LGBTQI Survivors
- Human Trafficking
- Legal Resources
- Sexual Assault Prevention
- Mental Health
- Physical Health
- Military
- College Students
Survivors of Child Abuse
YesICan.org is an organization created to break the silence of child abuse through education and awareness. On this site you will find a community blog where you can read, post and share. On YesIcan.org you will also find facts about child abuse (sexual, physical and emotional) in addition to how to get involved.
Literature for self-improvement for clients
Anxiety
The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques
by Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D
Addressing physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms, Margaret Wehrenberg, a leading mental health clinician, draws on basic brain science to highlight the top ten anxiety-defeating tips. Everything from breathing techniques and mindful awareness to cognitive control and self-talk are included in this book.
The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques Workbook
by Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D
Brimming with information, this workbook provides step-by-step exercises on developing and implementing counter-cognitions, mindfulness meditation, thought-stopping and thought-replacement, affirmations, breathing exercises and more.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Toolbox: A Workbook for Clients and Clinicians
by Jeff Riggenbach, PhD, LPC
This resource guides you through evidence based exercises in CBT. Not a “one strategy fits all” book or approach; it integrates research with practical application and exercises. Tools for depression, anxiety, impulsive and destructive behaviors, problem solving, toxic relationships, stress management and more are included.
Energy Psychology
Drop Into Your Heart: Unlock A World Of Infinite Possibilities
by Diana Rose Kottle
Diana Kottle has written an excellent body of work that seamlessly integrates and weaves together concepts from Quantum Physics, the Law of Attraction, Meridian Tapping and heart-centered consciousness in a way that is simple and easy to understand. You will learn simple ways to open your heart, clean up your inner world of chaos and create a space for infinite potential and possibilities to manifest. As you clean up your inner world, what you see on the outside also changes. If you are looking to transform your life and bring more aligned joy, love, and inspiration into your reality, this book is for you.
Grief
Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief
by Martha Whitmore Hickman
This easy read provides a daily meditation and short story for each day of the calendar year. This is a great tool for individuals working through grief one day at a time.
Transform Your Loss- Your Guide to Strength and Hope
by Ligia M. Houben, MA, FT, FAAGC, CPC, CHT
This book contains eleven principles of transformation, which is a system that can help you transform your loss and change your life. It also has 60 stories of different losses, including the author’s story, with a propose of bringing readers a message of possibility and hope.
Mindfulness
101 Mindful Ways to Build Resilience: Cultivate Calm, Clarity, Optimism & Happiness Each Day
by Donald Altman, MA, LPC
These simple yet powerful mindfulness practices provide calm, clarity, optimism and happiness through retraining the brain and developing awareness.
Growing Mindful Card Deck
by Mitch Abblett, PhD & Christopher Willard, PsyD
Teaching and incorporating mindfulness into your home, classroom and therapy session is easy with these unique cards that offer 50 unique mindfulness activities to teach awareness and cultivate kindness and curiosity. Great for all ages.
Mindfulness Skills Workbook for Clinicians and Clients: 101 Tools, Techniques, Activities & Worksheets
by Debra Burdick, LCSWR, BCN
Dozens of reproducible activities, exercises and techniques to improve treatment outcomes for depression, anxiety, ADHD PTSD, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, pain, stress and anger are included in this workbook.
One-Minute Mindfulness: 50 Simple Ways to Find Peace, Clarity and New Possibilities in a Stress-Out World
by Donald Altman, MA, LPC
In this fantastic short read, Donald Altman makes mindfulness approachable. With fifty exercises and practices to build awareness and center attention, you will discover how to savor routine pleasures, build fulfillment in your work, enhance and heal relationships, change unhealthy habits, and connect to peace.
The Mindfulness Toolbox: 50 Practical Tips, Tools & Handouts for Anxiety, Depression, Stress & Pain
by Donald Altman, MA, LPC
Featuring over 40 easy-to-use, reproducible handouts and expertly crafted, guided scripts, this book is ideal for clinicians wanting to integrate mindfulness into their work. The awareness boosting methods in this guidebook offer participants a means of reappraising and observing negative and anxious thoughts, habits, pain and stress.
Narcissism
Children Of The Self-Absorbed:A Grown-Up’s Guide To Getting Over Narcissistic Parents
by Nina W Brown EdD LPC
Being a parent is usually all about giving of yourself to foster your child’s growth and development. But what happens when this isn’t the case? Some parents dismiss the needs of their children, asserting their own instead, demanding attention and reassurance from even very young children. This may especially be the case when a parent has narcissistic tendencies or narcissistic personality disorder. From the author of Working with the Self-Absorbed and Loving the Self-Absorbed, this major revision of a self-help classic offers a step-by-step approach to resolving conflict and building a meaningful relationship with a narcissistic parent.
Children of the Self-Absorbed offers clear definitions of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder to help you identify the extent of your parent’s problem. You’ll learn the different types of destructive narcissism and how to recognize their effects on relationships. With the aid of proven techniques, you’ll discover that you’re not helpless against your parent’s behavior and that you needn’t consider giving up on the relationship. Instead, realistic strategies and steps are suggested for learning to set mutually agreed upon behaviors that can help you fulfill your needs and expectations.
Children Of The Aging Self-Absorbed: A Guide To Dealing With Difficult Parents And Grandparents
by Nina W Brown EdD LPC
As your self-absorbed parent grows older and becomes more dependent on you, hurtful relationships may resurface and become further strained. In the tradition of Children of the Self-Absorbed, author Nina Brown offers the first book for adult children of aging narcissistic or self-absorbed parents. You will learn practical, powerful strategies for navigating the intense negative feelings that your parents can incite, as well as tips to protect your children from the criticism, blame, or hostility that may exist between you and their grandparent.
In this book, you will gain greater awareness of how and why your parent’s self-absorbed behaviors and attitudes get worse, and develop strategies to manage the negative feelings that can arise as a result. You’ll also learn to reduce the shame and guilt that may be felt when you feel like you don’t want to be a caretaker. Finally, you’ll learn to set limits with your parent so you can stay sane during this difficult time.
Having an aging parent can be stressful enough, but dealing with an aging narcissistic or self-absorbed parent is especially challenging. This essential guide will help you through.
Emotional Blackmail: When People In Your Life Use Fear Obligation And Guilt To Manipulate You
by Susan Forward
“If you really loved me. . .”
“After all I’ve done for you. . .”
“How can you be so selfish. . .”
Do any of the above sound familiar? They’re all examples of emotional blackmail, a powerful form of manipulation in which people close to us threaten to punish us for not doing what they want. Emotional blackmailers know how much we value our relationships with them. They know our vulnerabilities and our deepest secrets. They are our mothers, our partners, our bosses and coworkers, our friends and our lovers. And no matter how much they care about us, they use this intimate knowledge to give themselves the payoff they want: our compliance.
Susan Forward knows what pushes our hot buttons. Just as John Gray illuminates the communications gap between the sexes in Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, and Harriet Lerner describes an intricate dynamic in The Dance of Anger, so Susan Forward presents the anatomy of a relationship damaged by manipulation, and gives readers an arsenal of tools to fight back. In her clear, no-nonsense style, Forward provides powerful, practical strategies for blackmail targets, including checklists, practice scenarios and concrete communications techniques that will strengthen relationships and break the blackmail cycle for good.
Mothers Who Can’t Love: A Healing Guide For Daughters
by Susan Forward
With Mothers Who Can’t Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters, Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of the smash #1 bestseller Toxic Parents, offers a powerful look at the devastating impact unloving mothers have on their daughters—and provides clear, effective techniques for overcoming that painful legacy.
In more than 35 years as a therapist, Forward has worked with large numbers of women struggling to escape the emotional damage inflicted by the women who raised them. Subjected to years of criticism, competition, role-reversal, smothering control, emotional neglect and abuse, these women are plagued by anxiety and depression, relationship problems, lack of confidence and difficulties with trust. They doubt their worth, and even their ability to love.
Forward examines the Narcissistic Mother, the Competitive Mother, the Overly Enmeshed mother, the Control Freak, Mothers who need Mothering, and mothers who abuse or fail to protect their daughters from abuse.
Filled with compelling case histories, Mothers Who Can’t Love outlines the self-help techniques Forward has developed to transform the lives of her clients, showing women how to overcome the pain of childhood and how to act in their own best interests.
Warm and compassionate, Mothers Who Can’t Love offers daughters the emotional support and tools they need to heal themselves and rebuild their confidence and self-respect.
Narcissistic Predicaments: A Biblical Guide To Navigating The Schemes, Snares And No-Win Situations Unique To Abusive Families
by Renee Pittelli
Adult Children of narcissistic families often find themselves in predicaments that people with normal families never have to face. They spend a lifetime being stuck in no-win situations, forced to make uncomfortable choices, and then being made to live through the consequences with no support and no appreciation. Offering encouragement, comfort and wisdom, and filled with helpful suggestions, step-by-step guides, and just-right scripture verses, Narcissistic Predicaments is exactly what you need to help you set boundaries and free yourself in accordance with biblical principles. Including The 21 Rules of No Contact and 102 Questions to Ask Yourself When Deciding Whether to End an Abusive Relationship, here are the answers you’ve been looking for.
When you try to set boundaries, have you been accused of not being a “good Christian,” because:
– You are not honoring your father and mother?
– You have to “forgive and forget,” even though your relatives refuse to stop their abuse?
– You must forgive unrepentant evildoers because Jesus said “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do?”
– You are taking revenge by enforcing consequences?
– You have to “love your enemies?”
In Narcissistic Predicaments, the author will help you let go of the guilt, learn effective strategies for protecting yourself, and find out what the Bible really says about dilemmas such as:
– Should you let your estranged relatives have contact with your children?
– Dealing with the family meddler who tries to intervene between you and your abuser
– Working in the family business
– What to expect when you upset the apple cart by getting married
– What to do about holidays, weddings, and family celebrations
– Does your abuser’s apology automatically cover those who took her side against you?
– What to expect from estranged relatives who want to drag you back in
– Reconciling on your terms, not theirs
– If you leave, who will take care of your abusive parents in their old age?
– Visiting a dying abuser
– When your abuser or estranged relative dies- funerals, condolences, obituaries
Just as a single narcissistic abuser refuses to allow others their autonomy apart from him, the narcissistic family does not see and accept its members as separate individuals. The uniqueness of each person and their differences are not celebrated. Instead, individuality and free-thinking are perceived as threatening and not allowed. Anyone who breaks from the group mentality will be shut up or shunned. There is one way of thinking, one opinion for all. If you offend one of them, you offend them all. If you set a boundary and say something to one, it’s as if you said it to the whole clan. If one is mad at you, they’re all mad at you. If one isn’t speaking to you, they’re all not speaking to you. And if one suddenly decides that they are speaking to you again, then everybody is speaking to you again. The only wild card they never consider is whether you will want to speak to them again. They simply assume that you will passively go along with whatever the group decides, just like all of them do.
In the Bible, God instructs his children on how he wants them to relate to and live in peace with each other. He is not instructing the children of God on how to be loving and forgiving toward, live in peace with, and maintain relationships with the children of Satan. As Christians, we are to take up the full armor of God and fight the dark forces of evil, not peacefully co-exist with them. A breath of fresh air for Adult Children of abusive families, this compelling book will help you find the peace our heavenly Father promised you, His beloved child.
Stop Caretaking The Borderline or Narcissist: How To End The Drama And Get On with Your Life
by Margalis Fjelstad
You can find a paperback version here:
People with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality Disorders have a serious mental illness that primarily affects their intimate, personal, and family relationships. Often they appear to be normally functioning at work and in public interactions, and Narcissists may even be highly effective, in the short term, in some work or social situations. However, in intimate relationships, they can be emotional, aggressive, demeaning, illogical, paranoid, accusing, and controlling—in the extreme. Their ability to function normally or pleasantly can suddenly change in an instant, like flipping a switch. These negative behaviors don’t happen once in a while, they happen almost continuously in their intimate relationships and most often, and especially with their Caretaker family member.
Here, Margalis Fjelstad describes how people get into a Caretaker role with a Borderline or Narcissist, and how they can get out. Caretakers give up their sense of self to become who and what the Borderline or Narcissist needs them to be. This compromises the Caretaker’s self-esteem, distorts their thinking processes, and locks them into a Victim-Persecutor-Rescuer pattern with the Borderline or Narcissist. The book looks at the underlying rules and expectations in these relationships and shows Caretaker’s how to move themselves out of these rigid interactions and into a healthier, more productive, and positive lifestyle—with or without the Borderline/Narcissistic partner or family member. It describes how to get out of destructive interactions with the Borderline or Narcissist and how to take new, more effective actions to focus on personal wants, needs, and life goals while allowing the Borderline or Narcissist to take care of themselves. It presents a realistic, yet compassionate, attitude toward the self-destructive nature of these relationships, and gives real life examples of how individuals have let go of their Caretaker behaviors with creative and effective solutions.
The Drama Of The Gifted Child: The Search For True Self
by Alice Miller
Why are many of the most successful people plagued by feelings of emptiness and alienation? This wise and profound book has provided thousands of readers with an answer—and has helped them to apply it to their own lives.Far too many of us had to learn as children to hide our own feelings, needs, and memories skillfully in order to meet our parents’ expectations and win their ”love.” Alice Miller writes, ”When I used the word ’gifted’ in the title, I had in mind neither children who receive high grades in school nor children talented in a special way. I simply meant all of us who have survived an abusive childhood thanks to an ability to adapt even to unspeakable cruelty by becoming numb… Without this ’gift’ offered us by nature, we would not have survived.” But merely surviving is not enough. The Drama of the Gifted Child helps us to reclaim our life by discovering our own crucial needs and our own truth.
The Emotionally Absented Mother: A Guide To Self-Healing And Getting The Love You Missed
by Jasmin Lee Cori
Was your mother too busy, too tired, or too checked-out to provide you with the nurturing you needed as a child? Men and women who were “undermothered” as children often struggle with intimate relationships, in part because of their unmet need for maternal care. The Emotionally Absent Mother will help you understand what was missing from your childhood, how this relates to your mother’s own history, and how you can fill the “mother gap” by:
- Examining the past with compassion for yourself and your mother
- Finding the child inside of you and learning to mother yourself
- Opening to the archetype of the Good Mother
- Allowing friends and loved ones to provide support, guidance, and other elements of good mothering that you missed.
Through reflections, exercises, and clear explanations, psychotherapist Jasmin Lee Cori helps adult sons and daughters heal the wounds left by mothers who failed to provide the essential ingredients that every child needs. She traces perceived personal “defects” back to mothering deficits, relieving self-blame. And, by teaching today’s undermothered adults to cultivate the mothering they missed, she helps them secure a happier future—for themselves and their children.
Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life
by Susan Forward
Are you the child of toxic parents?
When you were a child…
• Did your parents tell you you were bad or worthless?
• Did your parents use physical pain to discipline you?
• Did you have to take care of your parents because of their problems?
• Were you often frightened of your parents?
• Did your parents do anything to you that had to be kept secret?
Now that you’re an adult…
• Do your parents still treat you as if you were a child?
• Do you have intense emotional or physical reactions after spending time with your parents?
• Do your parents control you with threats or guilt? Do they manipulate you with money?
• Do you feel that no matter what you do, it’s never good enough for your parents?
In this remarkable self-help guide, Dr. Susan Forward draws on case histories and the real-life voices of adult children of toxic parents to help you free yourself from the frustrating patterns of your relationship with your parents — and discover a new world of self-confidence, inner strength, and emotional independence.
You’re Not Crazy- It’s Your Mother
by Danu Morrigan
Do you find yourself feeling emotionally bruised, upset and confused after being in contact with your mother? Are you left doubting yourself – feeling crazy – as she remembers some incidents totally differently to how you remember them, and denies other events even happened at all? Do you somehow feel like you’re not a real person in her company? Does it seem that she gets cross, angry or upset when good things happen in your life? And does she seem happy and energised if you have a trauma or crisis? But maybe that’s your imagination, you tell yourself, because of course your own mother isn’t going to be glad when you suffer, right? And round and round go your feelings and emotions and half-formed thoughts, till you think you must truly be crazy. And still you end up emotionally bruised and confused and hurt. If this resonates with you, it is possible that your mother has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. You’re Not Crazy – It’s Your Mother explains what that it is, and what it means to you in your life. It will help you to undertake a journey of recognition and recovery: of moving on, healing, and claiming your own self as the wonderful, vibrant woman you really are.
Why Is It Always About You?: Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism
by Sandy Hotchkiss
In this groundbreaking book — the first popular book on narcissism in more than a decade — clinical social worker and psychotherapist Sandy Hotchkiss shows you how to cope with controlling, egotistical people who are incapable of the fundamental give-and-take that sustains healthy relationships. Exploring how individuals come to have this shortcoming, why you get drawn into their perilous orbit, and what you can do to break free, Hotchkiss describes the “Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism” and their origins. You will learn to recognize these hallmarks of unhealthy narcissism — Shamelessness, Magical Thinking, Arrogance, Envy, Entitlement, Exploitation, Bad Boundaries — and to understand the roles that parenting and culture play in their creation.
Whether the narcissist in question is a coworker, spouse, parent, or child, Why Is It Always About You? provides abundant practical advice for anyone struggling to break narcissism’s insidious spread to the next generation, and for anyone who encounters narcissists in everyday life.
Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing The Daughters Of Narcissist Mothers
by Dr. Karyl McBride Ph.D.
The first book for daughters who have suffered the abuse of selfish, self-involved mothers, Will I Ever Be Good Enough? provides the expert assistance you need in order to overcome this debilitating history and reclaim your life. Drawing on more than two decades of experience as a therapist specializing in women’s health and hundreds of interviews with suffering daughters, Dr. Karyl McBride helps you recognize the widespread effects of this emotional abuse and create an individualized program for self-protection, resolution, and complete recovery.
Narcissistic mothers teach their daughters that love is not unconditional, that it is given only when they behave in accordance with maternal expectations and whims. As adults, these daughters have difficulty overcoming feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, emotional emptiness, and sadness. They may also have a fear of abandonment that leads them to form unhealthy romantic relationships, as well as a tendency to perfectionism and unrelenting self-criticism or to self-sabotage and frustration. Dr. McBride’s step-by-step program will enable you to:
- Recognize your own experience with maternal narcissism and its effects on all aspects of your life
- Discover how you have internalized verbal and nonverbal messages from your mother and how these have translated into over-achievement or self-sabotage
- Construct a personalized program to take control of your life and enhance your sense of self, establishing healthy boundaries with your mother and breaking the legacy of abuse
Warm and sympathetic, Dr. McBride brings a profound level of authority to Will I Ever Be Good Enough? that encourages and inspires you as it aids your recovery.
Parenting
The Whole-Brain Child Workbook: Practical Exercises, Worksheets and Activities to Nurture Developing Minds
by Daniel J. Siegel, MD & Tina Payne Bryson, PhD
The Wholebrain Child Workbook has a unique, interactive approach that allows readers not only to think more deeply about how the ideas fit their own parenting approach, but also develop specific and practical ways to implement the concepts. Including dozens of clear, practical and age specific exercises and activities to assist in brain development. This is a great book for clinicians, parents, educators, grandparents and caregivers to raise calmer, happy children.
Self-Compassion
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
by Kristin Neff, PhD
This book offers advice on how to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects, enabling you to achieve your highest potential and a more fulfilled life.
Sexual Wellness
Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life
by Emily Nagoski, PhD
An essential exploration of why and how women’s sexuality works—based on groundbreaking research and brain science—that will radically transform your sex life into one filled with confidence and joy.
Researchers have spent the last decade trying to develop a “pink pill” for women to function like Viagra does for men. So where is it? Well, for reasons this book makes crystal clear, that pill will never be the answer—but as a result of the research that’s gone into it, scientists in the last few years have learned more about how women’s sexuality works than we ever thought possible, and Come as You Are explains it all.
The first lesson in this essential, transformative book by Dr. Emily Nagoski is that every woman has her own unique sexuality, like a fingerprint, and that women vary more than men in our anatomy, our sexual response mechanisms, and the way our bodies respond to the sexual world. So we never need to judge ourselves based on others’ experiences. Because women vary, and that’s normal.
Second lesson: sex happens in a context. And all the complications of everyday life influence the context surrounding a woman’s arousal, desire, and orgasm.
Cutting-edge research across multiple disciplines tells us that the most important factor for women in creating and sustaining a fulfilling sex life, is not what you do in bed or how you do it, but how you feel about it. Which means that stress, mood, trust, and body image are not peripheral factors in a woman’s sexual wellbeing; they are central to it. Once you understand these factors, and how to influence them, you can create for yourself better sex and more profound pleasure than you ever thought possible.
Mating in Captivity
by Ester Perel
Drawing on more than twenty years of experience as a couples therapist, Perel examines the complexities of sustaining desire. Through case studies and lively discussion, Perel demonstrates how more exciting, playful, and even poetic sex is possible in long-term relationships. Wise, witty, and as revelatory as it is straightforward, Mating in Captivity is a sensational book that will transform the way you live and love.
Sex At Dawn
by Christopher Ryan & Cacilda Jetha
“Sex at Dawn challenges conventional wisdom about sex in a big way. By examining the prehistoric origins of human sexual behavior the authors are able to expose the fallacies and weaknesses of standard theories proposed by most experts. This is a provocative, entertaining, and pioneering book. I learned a lot from it and recommend it highly.” — Andrew Weil, M.D.
“Sex at Dawn irrefutably shows that what is obvious—that human beings, both male and female, are lustful—is true, and has always been so…. The more dubious its evidentiary basis and lack of connection with current reality, the more ardently the scientific inevitability of monogamy is maintained—even as it falls away around us.” — Stanton Peele, Ph.D.
A controversial, idea-driven book that challenges everything you (think you) know about sex, monogamy, marriage, and family. In the words of Steve Taylor (The Fall, Waking From Sleep), Sex at Dawn is “a wonderfully provocative and well-written book which completely re-evaluates human sexual behavior and gets to the root of many of our social and psychological ills.”
Teen & Children Literature for Self Improvement
Mindfulness
Be Mindful Card Deck for Teens: Reduce Stress, Improve Self-Care and Find Focus
by Susan P. Epstein, LCSW
This card deck offers 50 ways to be present to your life as it is actually taking place. These cards help teens be in he here and now with less thinking about the past or worrying about the future. These daily mindfulness meditations provide strategies to work through feeling anxious, moody, angry or the need to relax. This is a great tool for everyday stress.
Mindfulness Skills for Kids & Teens: A Workbook for Clinicians & Clients with 154 Tools, Techniques, Activities & Worksheets
by Debra Burdick, LCSWR, BCN
This expertly crafted resource features a collections of more than 150 prove tools and techniques, presented in a simple step-by-step building format. Burdick blended the latest research and best practices to create this straight-forward guide for improving self-awareness, self-regulation, mental health and social connectedness.
