Alphabreaths is brilliant. It’s a colorful alphabet book and a mindfulness book in one. Clinical psychologist Christopher Willard teamed up with family therapist Daniel Rechtsschaffen and illustrator Holly Clifton-Brown to create mindful activities from A to Z. Kids will want to try out these breath and mindfulness techniques because they are so simple, and the illustrations so inviting. You can do each one without any prior understanding of mindfulness or breath techniques.

My favorite pages include: “Question Breath. As you breathe in, ask yourself how you are feeling. As you breathe out, answer.”

“Superhero Breathe. Breathe in and imagine you are a superhero. Breathe out and imagine how you will help someone.”

“Wish Breath. Breathe in and make a happy wish for yourself. Breathe out and send a happy wish to someone else.”

I’m crazy about Clifton-Brown’s illustrations. Her characters express innocence, wonder, and serenity. Her palette is soft yet… show more.

The book is surprising because it is written by a clinical psychologist who, based on his own studies and a wide review of the literature, shows that many aspects of the romantic love notion we construct in movies, songs, and society, in general, are actually biologically and psychologically pathological.

I think this is probably the only book written by a clinical psychologist that truly delivers a deep analysis of romantic love, including its history.  

Psychology is easy to misunderstand. When I decided it was going to be my undergraduate major, it was because I wanted to understand how the mind worked, broadly, what makes people tick, and how they can be guided or helped when they get stuck or have problems. I assumed this knowledge existed and that majoring in psychology would reveal it to me. 

I was more than surprised when I attended my first psychology class. The professor sat cross-legged on top of a desk. He had long hair and a beard (unusual in 1963), and he spoke as if he had just taken a drug, which he likely had. He used profane language, the first time I had heard that word in a public place. He blathered for about 30 minutes, saying nothing of importance to the subject I was interested in. 

I stayed in the class and continued the major… show more.

This book helped me find hope and a path away from anxious thoughts and self-defeating beliefs. And, it helped me focus on academic studies which lead to a valued career as a clinical psychologist. The exercise of control is a model which asserts that daily thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are in the control of each person. The model of learning deemphasizes human pathology. In the Exercise of Control, I found specific strategies helpful to excise doubt, confusion, and fear. With his tools, public speaking became desirable rather than something dreaded. The book lays a foundation for the discovery of self-knowledge. He is recognized as one of the greatest psychologists of all time.

Like many late-diagnosed Autistic women, I don’t see myself reflected in diagnostic criteria that view Autism through a medical pathology lens and focus on identifying “deficits” and “abnormalities”. I find this way of talking about Autism deeply uncomfortable and othering.

By contrast, this book provides a practical and detailed guide to what Autism actually looks like, focusing on our valid differences and difficulties, using neutral, not stigmatizing, language. As a clinical psychologist working with Autistic adults, I appreciate how this book offers examples from people who mask (hide) their more obvious Autistic differences and uses personal stories to illustrate this.

I’m a passionate member of the neurodiversity-affirming movement, and this book makes an important contribution to destigmatizing Autism and improving the care Autistic people experience from health professionals.

The mental game is perhaps the most important part of being a successful founder while also living a sane and happy life. Sherry Walling is an entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and helps us understand how to properly equip ourselves for the startup journey. For full disclosure, I am married to Dr. Walling and credited as a contributing author since we collaborated on several of the ideas that served as the basis for this book. But this book is recommended far and wide by those who read it and understand the need to be aware of how difficult this journey can be.

In far too many stories, Dissociative Identity Disorder is positioned as the antagonist of the story, which results in hideously inaccurate, stigmatizing portrayals.

I was utterly captivated by the way Matthew McKay (a clinical psychologist) did not allow us to flinch from the very real challenges Margaret faced as a result of living with DID, while also highlighting the profound strength that flowed into her life via her alters.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was instrumental in showing me how a portrayal could be both brutally honest and authentically faithful, while avoiding the many pitfalls in which so many portrayals seem to bottom out. 

It is easy especially when young to assume that families are somewhat neutral or generally nurturing. We make our own way through the world and our background is only of some relevance. Oliver James shows how the environment in which we emerge affects every aspect of how we live. But while this is both a self-help book and psychological treatise, James also provides amazing case studies from the celebrity world, including a detailed and uncompromising analysis of how the royal family ended up being so cold-hearted.

This is an inciteful and practical guide, written by clinical psychologist Xavier Amador, that addresses anosognosia—the common inability of people with severe mental illness to recognize their condition. Drawing on his own experience as both a clinician and a family member of someone with schizophrenia, Amador offers compassionate advice for helping loved ones accept treatment without coercion. No small feat when the symptomatic persons truly believe nothing is amiss.

The book introduces the LEAP (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner) approach, a communication strategy designed to build trust and reduce family conflict. It’s a must-read for anyone supporting a sibling or parent with schizophrenia or other psychiatric disorders. I found myself deeply empathetic to family members who experience burnout when the symptoms of psychosis seem insurmountable.

Learning Monkey and Crocodile is an intriguing collection of short stories with immersive African landscapes drawing on vivid imagery that break the bounds of expectation through a rich tapestry of imagination, folklore, dread and desire. Characters are brought to life n the page, with immersive landscapes and storylines delivering poignant messages about humanity, what it means to be human, and what our survival depends upon. A dynamic collection, with textured prose that invites and teases into the extraordinary and the ordinary.