Resources | Helena de Klerk Psychology

Bibliotherapy refers to self improvement and maintaining wellbeing through reading and writing. You might find it helpful to engage with a range of resources before, during, after or instead of engaging with therapy.

Below you will find a list of resources including a list of books, videos, podcasts and websites that you might find useful.

It is not an exhaustive list and some material may not be suitable to everyone. I have also included videos of relaxing and grounding exercises for you to try at home.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Books

For adults

The Whole Brain Child: 12 Proven Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Siegel & Payne Bryson - the science behind what children need to develop and how to support this development

Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby’s Brain by Sue Gerhardt - exploration of early relationships in childhood and the effects of early life on later emotional and physical wellbeing

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry - thoughts on parenting and how your own upbringing can influence parenting and your children’s development

Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How it Can Help you Find and Keep Love by Amir Levine & Rachel Heller - learn about attachment styles and how yours affects your relationships

Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Sue Johnson - explores relationships within the context of Emotionally Focused Therapy and attachment

Mind the Gap: The Truth About Desire and How to Futureproof your Sex Life by Karen Gurney - explores the science and preconceptions around sex

Rewriting the Rules: An Anti Self-Help Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships by Meg-John Barker - an exploration of relationships

Life Isn’t Binary: On Being Both, Beyond and In-Between by Alex Iantaffi & Meg-John Barker - an exploration of the effects of binary thinking and how to be less rigid

Speak Peace in a World of Conflict: What You Say Next Will Change Your World by Marshall Rosenberg - learn how to communicate better, improve your relationships and live a more fulfilling life

The Marshmallow Test: Understanding self control and how to master it by Walter Mischel - exploration of self control based on the classic Marshmallow experiment (check this out on YouTube) and how this affects our behaviour

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig - a personal exploration of depression and hopelessness

Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig - exploration of anxiety, mental health and a world that triggers stress

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig - exploration of how to self-love and develop emotional resilience

Unshame: Healing Trauma Based Shame Through Psychotherapyby Carolyn Spring - a personal journey with trauma based shame and how psychotherapy helped

The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk - an exploration of the effects of trauma on the mind and body

Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine - an exploration of stressful life events and trauma with a specific focus on physical sensations and the body’s response

When The Body Says No by Gabor Maté - explores the mind-body link and connects the dots between stress, emotions and the body

Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker - a personal exploration of living with c-PTSD

Reinventing Your Life: The Breakthrough Program to End Negative Behavior and Feel Great Again by Jeffrey Young & Janet Klosko - using schema therapy to explore patterns in life that get in the way of you meeting your needs

The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz - an exploration of life through the work of Grosz and his clients

Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy by Irivin Yalom - an exploration of life through the lens of Yalom’s work with his clients

How to Be an Existentialist or How to Get Real, Get a Grip and Stop Making Excuses by Gary Cox - explores the philosophy behind existentialism and offers self help advice in line with the existentialist approach

Haruki Murakami - a range of novels that explore different experiences relating to life and humanity

Books

For adolescents

Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill - a retelling of classic fairytales from a different perspective that explores gender stereotypes

Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty - a personal exploration of depression, hopelessness and the connection with nature from the perspective of someone living with autism

His Dark Materials (Northern Lights) Trilogy by Philip Pullman - a coming of age story where identity and development play a prominent feature

I Had a Black Dog: His Name was Depression by Matthew Johnstone - a description of what life is like with depression