Relationships, Parents, and Families
The following books, podcasts, and resources are ones I use with my clients and have read or used personally. This list is not extensive nor comprehensive, but a place to start, and I’ll continue to update it. I’ve linked books to two purchasing websites (I don’t make money off of this), but most should be available at your spectacular local library.
Relationship and Family Support
Romantic Relationships
The Seven Principles That Make Marriage Work, Dr. John Gottman and Nan Silver- BookShop or Amazon
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love, Dr. Sue Johnson - BookShop or Amazon
Strengthening Love: Gottman Method for BIPOC Relationships (article), Dr. Noelle Chappelle
Navigating Relationships: A BIPOC Perspective on Fostering Love and Understanding (article), Justine Astacio, LMHC
Love Is Respect - website and resources focused on healthy and safe LGBTQ+ relationships with lots of excellent articles, tips, tools, and support.
The 36 Questions That Lead to Love - Exercise in developing or rebuilding connection. Use the exercise as outlined in the instructions, or use the questions for fun date night conversation.
Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence, Esther Perel - Why sexual intimacy often fades in relationships and how to keep the fire burning - BookShop or Amazon
Gottman Method Webinars and Other Resources - Free sources (including their blog) of help from some of the world’s leading relationship experts, as well as reliable and empirically-supported paid trainings and webinars
General Relationships
Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find - and Keep - Love, Amir Levine and Rachel Heller - BookShop or Amazon
The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More In Any Conversation You Find Yourself, Jefferson Fisher - BookShop or Amazon You can also check out his podcast on Spotify
Jimmy On Relationships - Jimmy is not a counselor, but a self-taught expert on repairing relationships after an affair or other conflicts and on improving communications and emotional regulation. Via YouTube, he provides insights supported by therapeutic and empirical guidance and research in a non-judgmental, humorous, and relatable way.
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel - Podcast featuring real people in relationship conflict working with renowned therapist, Esther Perel (features siblings, parent/child, romantic partners, friendships, and all the complexities of two lives intertwined)
For Parents and Caregivers
Good Inside, Dr. Becky Kennedy - help navigating and safely correcting emotional dysregulation in kids - BookShop or Amazon (also free on Spotify Premium)
Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself, Dr. Morgan Cutlip - BookShop or Amazon
Angry Dad, Frustrated Mom! Emotionally Dysregulated Parents’ Impact on Children, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It (article), Katherine Silvey Bates, LPC
The Whole Brain Child, Dr. Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson - Understanding and supporting childhood development - Dan Siegel’s Website or Amazon
Kate’s Research and Writing Project on Parental Burnout and the Personal Side of Parenting - You can take her parental burnout survey here.
Specifically for Parents of Teens
The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt - Addresses the post-covid global spike in anxiety and depression in teens due to smartphones and social media - BookShop or Amazon
Generation Anxiety, Dr. Lauren Cook - Addresses the post-covid impact on social skills and isolation, political and environmental anxiety, and living in the digital era for GenZ, Millennials, and beyond - BookShop or Amazon
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training with Adolescents: A Practical Workbook for Therapists, Teens & Parents, Jean Eich - BookShop or Amazon
Family Systems and Support
It Didn’t Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, Mark Wolynn - BookShop or Amazon
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, Dr. Richard C. Schwartz - BookShop or Amazon
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD - BookShop or Amazon She also has a workbook.
Culture-Based Resources and Groups for LGBTQ+ Individuals and Families via LGBTQ Family Acceptance site.
Intergenerational Trauma Workshops (aka Family Constellation Workshops)
A supportive, experiential group therapy practice for adults, developed by Burt Hellinger, that works from the theory that we humans carry residual trauma from our ancestors. Look to the Hellinger Institute for general information, or locally/regionally for a practitioner in your area.
For those in Tulsa, Oklahoma, visit The Continuum Thread for upcoming workshops hosted by Lynda Jacobs, LPC, and Michelle Bias, LPC.
Intergenerational Trauma Workbook: Strategies to Support Your Journey of Discovery, Growth, and Healing, Drs. Lynne Friedman-Gell and Joanne Barron- BookShop or Amazon
For more information on trauma, I have additional resources here.