Book Nook
Books can be a crackerjack supplement to personal growth and therapy. The Book Nook is an ever-growing hub for all my mental health-related favourites.
(Books are now linked to independent booksellers; Willow Tree Counselling receives no financial remuneration for purchases made through these links. Please consider supporting local indie bookstores - many of which are fighting to stay open.)
The Internal Family Systems Workbook: A Guide to Discover Your Self and Heal Your Parts
by Richard Schwartz (2024)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) has a reputation for being complex. This workbook, by the therapy’s founder Richard Schwartz, distills down IFS’ main concepts, covering core themes without getting wordy. But more than that, it’s a primer for getting started with IFS independently, helping the reader decide–through exercises and meditations–whether they would like to continue solo or delve deeper with a therapist trained in this therapy.
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma
by Stephanie Foo (2022)
A searing, courageous, no-holds-barred memoir of the author’s lived experience of complex PTSD. She also shares her path to recovery.
The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by Bessel van der Kolk (2014)
Seminal, comprehensive text on the neurobiology of trauma that is approachable and readable. One of the most frequently recommended books on trauma.
8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery: Take-Charge Strategies to Empower Your Healing
by Babette Rothschild (2010)
A gentle approach to trauma resolution, emphasizing the importance of choosing strategies that work well for you personally. Also available in a companion workbook revised in 2022.