Therapeutic Reflections

A weekly book review of clinical (and some non-clinical) book from the lens of a therapist.

In the world of self-help and/or clinical development, there are just TOO many books out there to read! How do you decide which ones are going to be worth your time? Which ones will resonate with your personal experiences? Which ones might support your healing? Which ones will help you to hone your professional specialties? Or maybe you need to expand your awareness into a new topic?

Let me help you with that!

I have a library card and am an avid reader (aka audiobook listener). I like to read the books my clients are reading and apply them as tools in our work together; I also like to recommend books to my clients to supplement our work together. I've spent the better part of my adult life reading books for coursework and to support research. And, let's face it, I'm passionate about my work as a therapist and I'm just plain curious about new, old, or emerging topics.

While I specialize in trauma, addictions, and dance/movement therapy, I find that my practice can benefit from expanding my awareness on a diversity of topics.

Need to catch up on past reviews?

 
 

Scheduled to release 01/03/25

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

Jonathan Haidt, PhD makes some VERY sweeping claims about the “causation” between the introduction/use of smartphones/social media on the onset of the “mental health crisis” of the Gen Z generation. How can we as therapists support the cultivation of healthy boundaries and safety precautions around the use of technology/social media, continue to provide appropriate social-emotional psychoeducation when needed, and/or ensure we are at the table to advocate regarding topics affecting mental health?

 

Scheduled to release 01/10/25

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans

Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD is a correspondent for NPR’s Science Desk and a mom of a young child who, in er travels all over the world and into remote communities, was shocked by parent-child relationship dynamics that appeared in great contrast to her own. With great humility, Doucleff reviews the indigenous wisdom learned and validates with scientific research and personal anecdotes as she returns home to implement the skills she has learned. How can we as therapists support and validate our clients’ experiences as parents even if we do not specialize in family therapy or working with children?

 

Scheduled to release 01/17/25

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture

Dr. Gabor Maté continues to reflect on the prevalence of rising rates of disordered physical and mental health in Western cultures and strives to exemplify how the social and cultural infrastructure of our society has forced us to go against the grain of natural instincts and has created unnatural stressors that are interfering with our capacity to thrive. And our bodies are letting us know. How can we as therapists understand the value of our role within the context of the biopsychosocial(spiritual) model and further encourage our clients to engage in a more holistic approach to healing?

 

Scheduled to release on 01/24/25

Sociopath: A Memoir

Through the combined use of anecdotes and clinical research, Dr. Patric Gagne offers a unique and informative perspective on clinical sociopathology (a condition that is not listed in the DSM-V). Her personal and professional journeys have helped her to cultivate authentic connections with others and fill in the gaps on clinical treatment for a significant subset of the population. As therapists, we can only be trained in so much (which is why we specialize), but how much do we know or should we know about Personality Disorders?

 

Scheduled to release on 01/31/25

The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love

Sonya Renee Taylor provides a powerful and enlightening message as she brings attention to the ways in which a hierarchy of body types has been established in our society as a way to justify the power of some and oppression of others; followed by guidance of how we can de-condition unintentionally internalized social understandings with humility, compassion, and curiosity. As we get into our therapeutic practices, how often are our own biases being challenged? How often are we actually confronting this in our supervision and/or how many of us continue to actively participate in clinical supervision after we become fully licensed?