Whether you’re looking to educate yourself about mental health or work through a particular life issue, bibliotherapy can be a terrific adjunct to counseling. Bibliotherapy is just a fancy word for reading books and other types of literature recommended by your therapist to support your mental health goals. It can entail any genre, from fiction to memoir to self-help. It might be recommended for clients struggling with any number of clinical issues, including mood and anxiety disorders, relationship challenges, disordered eating, and more.
If you’re on the hunt for a good read to add to your self-care repertoire, you’re probably aware that there are A LOT of books out there that fit the bill. So many, in fact, that it might be overwhelming. To help get you started, we have compiled a list of our personal favorites —therapist-recommended books that have both enriched us professionally and helped our clients deepen their understanding and learn new skills.
10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness by Alanna Collen
Recommended by Elevate Counseling + Wellness founder Carolyn Ball, this riveting book breaks down the science of the mind-gut connection in an easy-to-read way. Carolyn loves how Collen combines story-telling and research to explain how our microbiome — the bacteria and fungi that comprise 90% of the cells in our bodies — play a huge role in how we feel both physically and mentally. You’ll learn how gut health relates to conditions like ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, and more. More importantly, you’ll learn ways to change your microbes for the better.
Learn more on Goodreads.
Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart by Amy Chan
Staff therapist Kirsty MacPherson recommends this informative guide to navigating breakups. She appreciates how Chan explains the science of love and relationship loss, drawing on psychology, neurobiology, and attachment theory to help readers better understand why breakups are so painful. What Kirsty finds especially beneficial for clients is that the book also empowers the reader to use that pain as a catalyst for growth, providing inspirational stories and helpful exercises to support emotional processing and active healing.
Learn more on Goodreads.
Healing Your Attachment Wounds: How to Create Deep and Lasting Intimate Relationships by Diane Poole Heller
This audiobook selection from staff therapist Emily Gibson offers a deep-dive into the science of attachment and trauma, giving listeners insight into why they might find themselves repeating problematic dynamics in their relationships. As someone who specializes in couples counseling and relationship issues, Emily finds this a valuable resource for helping both clients and clinicians better understand how attachment styles learned in early childhood inform the way we interact and bond with others later in life — and how traumatic events can interfere with healthy attachment by amplifying our emotional reactivity.
She especially appreciates that the audio program balances easy-to-follow educational elements with experiential exercises that can help listeners break free from unhelpful patterns and move towards secure attachments.
Learn more on Goodreads.
Teens in Therapy: Making It Their Own: Engaging Adolescents in Successful Therapy for Responsible Lives by Richard Bromfield
A helpful guide for mental health clinicians, this recommendation from staff therapist Alexis Jackson is also a great read for parents of teens in counseling who want to better understand the therapeutic process. Alexis appreciates that Bromfield writes from the dual perspectives of both the adolescent client and the clinician, providing practical tips and techniques to help teens make the most out of therapy. As a mental health provider with a focus on helping young people, she praises the book’s emphasis on empowering teenage clients and learning to speak their language.
Learn more on Goodreads
The Divorce Recovery Workbook: How to Heal from Anger, Hurt, and Resentment and Build the Life You Want by Mark S. Rye and Crystal Dea Moore
Marriage and Family Therapist Whitney Henderson often recommends this excellent resource to clients. An essential read for anyone navigating the challenges of divorce, it is filled with information and exercises addressing the many facets of change that accompany the end of a marriage. Whitney appreciates the plethora of worksheets that help individuals work through anxiety, depression, grudges, co-parenting concerns, and more. Rooted in mindfulness and positive psychology, it offers hope and practical guidelines for getting “unstuck” after a divorce.
Learn more on Goodreads.
The F*ck It Diet: Eating Should Be Easy by Caroline Dooner
Our final recommendation from staff therapist Kelly Kenna is an accessible and sassy introduction to the anti-diet and body liberation movements. In this hilariously uncompromising takedown of diet culture, Dooner outlines why diets fail (spoiler alert: it’s not your fault!), how the pursuit of thinness harms us, and what you can do to heal your relationship with food. Kelly loves how it guides readers through the process of learning to trust and honor your body, feel your feelings, process the traumatic effects of fatphobia, and connect to your values to live a richer, fuller life.
A must-read for anyone who struggles with disordered eating, poor body image, and/or obsession with food, body, and weight, it’s also a helpful resource for therapists wanting to support clients around these issues.
Learn more on Goodreads.
While all of these books make wonderful independent reading projects, it can be particularly beneficial to process what you have read with a mental health professional. Such discussions can help you find new perspectives and make personal connections to the text that you can apply to your life. If you are interested in doing bibliotherapy with one of our licensed therapists, reach out today to get connected.