My Reading Lists

I am a HUGE book nerd.  I love to read - whether it's in print, digital, or audio, fiction or non-fiction -- I'm into it.  Below, I have listed many of the books I have enjoyed or learned from in my journey as a therapist & human.  I have tried to link directly to author's websites when possible.

---

Books: (listed in no particular order.  This is not an exhaustive list of books)

• Ain't I a Woman? Black Women & Feminism by bell hooks
• How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
• Black Fatigue by Mary-Frances Winters
• Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• In an Unspoken Voice by Peter Levine Ph.D
• The Secrets of the Yoga Sutra by Pandit Rajamani Tigunait Ph.D
• I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
• Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Meditation and Psychotherapy: A Professional Training Course for Integrating Mindfulness into Clinical Practice by Tara Brach
• Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
• The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works by Shinzen Young
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brene Brown 
• Braving the Wilderness:The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD 
  • I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR CLIENTS TO READ
  • IT IS VERY TRIGGERING - FULL OF TRAUMA TRIGGERS
  • There are less triggering books on trauma out there
  • I am listing it because it did add a lot to the conversations about trauma and it was valueable at the time.  There are so many more great books out there now though. 
    
• The Dharma of the Princess Bride: What the Coolest Fairy Tale of Our Time Can Teach Us About Buddhism and Relationships by Ethan Nichtern
• Esther Perel's Where Should We Begin?: The Arc of Love an Audible Original by Esther Perel
• It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine
• Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD
• Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga by David Emerson and Dr. Elizabeth Hopper
• The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You by Karla McLaren
  • The Sounds True audio edition of this book is slightly different from the print version, but contains all the same content and is just as good.
• The Psychology of Zelda edited by Anthony Bean, PhD.
• Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths, Metaphor, and Storytelling by Dr. Anita Johnston
• No Bad Parts; Healing Trauma & Restoring Wholeness with Internal Family Systems by Richard Schwartz, PhD
• The State of Affairs; Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perrel
• Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay Gibson, PsyD
• Wordslut: a feminst guide to taking back the english language by amanda montell

• The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe by Dr. Stephen W. Porgess
• A Guide to Gender (2nd edition): The Social Justice Advocate's Handbook by Sam Killermann
• A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
• The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy by Deb Dana
• Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection: 50 Client-Centered Practices by Deb Dana
• How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett
• My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Meankem
• Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant, PhD
• The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise by Martin Prechtel
• Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice by Jennifer Mullan, PsyD​
  

Early on, just as I was deciding to start school for counseling, I read these couple of books and they helped me decide this was the right direction.

• The Making of a Therapist by Louis Cozolino
• The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients by Irvin Yalom