Mental Health Self-Management Resources
Resources for Anxiety & Depression
Books:
- Mind over mood by Denis Greenberger & Christine Padesky, (1995)
- Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by Dr. David Burns (1999)
- Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression by William J Knaus and Albert Ellis (2012)
- The 10 Best-ever Anxiety Management Techniques by Margaret Wehrenberg (2012)
- The self-Esteem Workbook by Schiraldi G.R (2001)
- Stop Walking on Eggshells by Paul Mason and Randi Kreger (2009)
- Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder by Marsha M. Linehan (1993)
- I Hate You, Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality by Jerold J. Kreisman, Hal Straus (2010)
Websites:
https://www.nami.org
https://sashbear.org/en
thewellnesssociety.org/free-tools/
https://www.gottman.com/
www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/
https://bouncebackontario.ca
https://www.bigwhitewall.ca
anxietycanada.com
https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au
https://moodgym.com.au
http://www.camh.ca
http://www.dbtselfhelp.com
https://5lovelanguages.com/learn
Apps:
Mindfulness Coach
Take a break! Guided meditation
The Worry box
Optimism
Relax Melodies
eCBT
Guided Mind
iSleep Easy
Psychscope
Thought Diary
Smiling mind
White Noise Lite
Pzizz
Mindshift
Self-Help Anxiety SAM
Breath 2 relax
Adult Colouring Book
Medisafe Medication Reminder
BoosterBuddy
Catch it
Podcasts:
- On Purpose – Jay Shetty
- The School of Greatness – Lewis Howes
- Unlocking Us - Brené Brown
- Where Should We Begin - Esther Perel
Resources for Trauma
Books:
Trauma Is Really Strange, by Steven Haines (2015)
This comic explains trauma and its effects on the brain and body. When a traumatic event occurs, we often dissociate, and our bodies halt normal functions. Using engaging artwork, cat and mouse metaphors, scientific insights, and humor, the narrator explores how trauma confuses the brain and impacts the body. The book discusses trauma resolution, emphasizing the importance of altering the body'ss physiology. It describes techniques like Trauma Releasing Exercises, which help the body release deep-seated stress and trauma through shaking and tension release.
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, by Pete Walker (2013)
An overview of the tasks of recovering, and an illumination of the silver linings that can come out of
effective recovery work. It is also a map of the recovery process and contains a great many practical tools and techniques for recovering from CPTSD.
Getting Past your Past, by Francine Shapiro (2013)
Shapiro, the creator of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), explains personality development and why we often get stuck in unhelpful patterns. Using examples and exercises, readers can understand themselves and others, improve relationships, break emotional barriers, and overcome limitations. The book, written in an engaging and humorous style with real-life stories, simplifies brain science and offers techniques used by top performers. It encourages readers to move beyond unconscious reactions and take control of their lives. Reviews from experts highlight its effectiveness.
The Body Never Lies by Alice Miller (2006)
Psychoanalyst Alice Miller explores the long-term effects of childhood abuse on the body, linking experiences of humiliation and rage to adult illnesses like cancer and stroke. Using patient cases and the lives of literary figures like Virginia Woolf and Franz Kafka, she argues against forgiving abusive parents, urging society to reject harmful childrearing beliefs.
Trauma and Recovery, by Judith Herman (1997)
Revolutionizes the understanding and treatment of trauma. Herman's research connects private traumas, like rape, with public ones, like terrorism, emphasizing the social context of psychological trauma. The book's new afterword discusses its impact and evolving perspectives. Drawing on research in domestic violence and literature on combat veterans and political terror victims, it uses personal accounts and literary references to present a comprehensive view of trauma, making it a powerful and influential work.
Free online version can be found at:
https://beyondthetemple.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/herman_trauma-and-recovery-1.pdf
I Can’t Get Over It, by Aprodite Matsaki (1996)
Explores the widespread impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on not only soldiers but also survivors of various traumas such as crime, accidents, rape, family violence, sexual abuse, and natural disasters. Addressing trauma survivors directly, the book explains PTSD and the healing process. It helps readers identify PTSD, manage anger, grief, and survivor guilt, recognize related issues like depression and substance abuse, identify triggers for flashbacks and anxiety, cope with others' insensitivity, and regain a sense of empowerment and hope.
The body keeps the score, Brain, Mind and the Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk (2015)
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
Websites:
Apps & Podcast:
Resources for Parenting
Books:
- Differently wired by Deborah Reber (2018)
- Raising Human Beings by Ross W. Greene Ph.D. (2017)
- The Explosive Child by Ross W Greene PhD (2014)
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber (2012)
- The incredible Years by Carolyn Webster-Stratton ( 2006)
- Children Are from Heaven by John Gray (2000)
- Connected Parenting by Jennifer Kolari (2009)
- Helping your anxious child by Ronald Rapee (2008)
Websites:
Apps & Podcast:
Resources for Bereavement , Grief & Loss
Books:
- Understanding Your Grief by Alan D. Wolfel (2004)
- The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James , Russell Friedman (2017)
- Making Loss Matter by Rabi David Wolpe ( 2000)
- It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine (2017)
- Moving Through Grief by Gretchen Kubacky (2019)
http://www.mygrief.ca/
https://www.aftertalk.com/
https://www.centerforloss.com
https://www.jagvillage.com/
https://www.stjosephshospice.ca/
https://grief.com
Apps & Podcasts:
Grief Refuge
Resources for Addictions & Recovery
Books: For Clients:
- Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (1997)
- In the realm of hungry ghosts by Dr. Gabor Mate (2009)
- Daily Reflections by Alcoholics Anonymous (1990)
- Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Richmond Walker (2011)
- Tweak by Nic Sheff (2007)
- The 5am Club by Robin Sharma (2018)
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (1997)
- The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie (1990)
- The Resilience Factor by Karen Reivich & Andrew Shatte (2002)
- Codependent No More by Melody Beattie (1986)
- One Day at a Time by Al Anon Family Group (1978)
- Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
- Where to Draw the Line by Anne Katherine (2000)
- Rebuilding Relationships in Recovery by Catherine Patterson-Sterling (2004)
- The Family Recovery Guide by Stephanie Brown, Andrew Liotta, Virginia Lewis (2000)
- It Will Never Happen to Me! by Claudia Black (1987)
- Don't Let Your Kids Kill You: A Guide for Parents of Drug and Alcohol by Charles Rubin (2007)
Websites:
www.connexontario.ca/en-ca/
www.westovertreatmentcentre.ca/
https://www.addictionresource.net/
https://www.aasarnialambton.com/
https://www.smartrecovery.org/
APPS:
Podcasts:
- Let’s Talk Addictions & Recovery -Hazelden Foundation
- Busy Living Sober – E. Chance
- Armchair Expert – Dax Shepard
- That Sober Guy – Shane Ramer
- Addiction Podcast –Point of No Return
- Recovery Unscripted -by Foundations Recovery Network
- Love over Addiction – Michelle Anderson
- Lisa Inside Addiction
- Addiction Support Podcast – Melissa Sue Tucker
Faith based Resources
Books
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (2017)
The book explores the ten essential laws for establishing healthy limits in relationships to foster greater health and happiness. Includes a chapter on managing boundaries in the digital age, online dating, single
parenting, and the workplace, providing readers with practical strategies to maintain balance and control in various aspects of their lives.
Holy Noticing by Charles Stone (2019)
This book teaches readers how to cultivate mindfulness through a Christian perspective, focusing on becoming more present in everyday life. The book offers practical guidance for reducing stress, improving engagement with God, and recognizing Christ’s presence in each moment. Using the BREATHe model,
Dr. Stone reclaims the ancient Christian practice of holy noticing, emphasizing its roots in biblical tradition and its benefits for living a more attentive and spiritually enriched life.
Simplify by Bill Hybels (2013)
The book addresses the overwhelming pace of modern life that often leads us to focus on work rather than what truly matters. He argues that simplifying life involves more than physical decluttering—it requires a deeper, spiritual uncluttering to realign with God’s purpose and build a meaningful legacy. Hybels provides practical steps to help readers clear mental and emotional clutter, prioritize essential values, and live a life grounded in what truly counts.
You'll Get through This by Max Lucado (2013)
offers practical guidance for overcoming life's challenges. Drawing from the story of Joseph in Genesis, Lucado illustrates that even in the darkest times, God is present and can redeem our struggles. The book emphasizes finding hope in hardship, relying on community support, and trusting in God's ability to restore and transform our lives. With a compassionate tone, Lucado reassures readers that they can navigate adversity with faith and resilience.
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer (1997)
explores the power of thoughts and their impact on our lives. Meyer argues that the mind is a battleground where we confront negativity, doubt, and fear. Through practical advice and biblical wisdom, she provides strategies to overcome mental obstacles, develop a positive mindset, and align thoughts with God’s promises. The book offers tools for transforming one's thinking to achieve spiritual and emotional well-being.
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman (2015)
reveals that people express and receive love in five distinct ways: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. Chapman argues that understanding and speaking
your partner's primary love language can strengthen relationships and enhance emotional connection. Through practical examples and advice, the book helps readers identify their own and their partner’s love languages, aiming to improve communication and deepen intimacy.
Journey of the Soul by Bill and Kristi Gaultiere (2021) The healthy Christian life is one of continuing spiritual, emotional, and relational growth. But so many of us feel stuck or stagnated at one stage of the journey. It's not always clear to us where or why we are stuck, making it difficult to take the next step on our journey of the soul.
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazarro (2014).
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality is for those desiring to take steps in their Christian life and discipleship, to break free from bondage to the past and experience healing.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (2019)
Jesus invites all of us to take up the “easy” yoke. He has-on offer to all-an easy way to shoulder the weight of life with his triumvirate of love, joy, and peace. What if the secret to a happy life―and it is a secret, an open one but a secret nonetheless; how else do so few people know it? what if the secret isn’t “out there” but much closer to home? What if all you had to do was slow down long enough for the merry-go-round blur of life to come into focus? What if the secret to the life we crave is actually easy?
Handouts:
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Video Resources:
EMDR/ Trauma recovery:
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Stress Management /Relaxation Strategies:
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Deep Breathing (3 minutes)
Body scan -mindfulness practice (17 minutes)
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Progressive Muscle Relaxation (25 minutes)
Progresive muscle relaxation (5 minutes)
Body scan (3 minutes)
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Overcoming Depression and Anxiety:
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Behavioral Activation ( CBT for Depression)
Anxiety Management
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Black Dog
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ?
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Communication:
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A tale of two brains.
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Five love languages.
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It is not about the Nail
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Addictions:
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Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong.
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Addiction explained by Kiwi bird
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Dr. Gabor Mate : The Power of Addiction and Addiction of Power
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Another Perspective regarding Addiction: Neuroscientist Marc Lewis
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Parenting:
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First impressions: childhood trauma.
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The child of divorce.
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