Throughout the course of graduate school and our careers in the mental health field we read lots of books. Given all that we read, I am curious about what stands out to us the most and why. I’ve been wondering what books would appear on a list of the most influential books for mental health providers. I invited colleagues from across the country to share their thoughts.
The providers who shared their thoughts are from California, New York and Minnesota. I love that I received no duplicate responses and how each of the books shared by each of the mental health providers reflects the unique nature of the work that they are doing.
The question I posed was: What books do you believe strongly influenced your work? Here are the answers I received:
What are some of the most influential books for mental health providers?
Gina Della Penna, LMHC shared two books that she identified as the most influential to her work with adults and adolescents in Garden City, New York. The first book that Gina mentioned was On Being a Therapist by Jeffrey A Kottler. Gina said, “I read this (well actually listened to it, via Audible) when I was preparing to start a private practice. It takes you inside the thoughts and experiences of a therapist and helped me feel more comfortable with my own vulnerabilities and doubts. Reading it was like having a heart-to-heart conversation with another therapist, letting me know that what I was thinking and feeling was okay.” The second book that Gina believes influenced her was Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Gina explains “This discusses how exposure to nature is vitally important to the well-being of children and adults. This book reconnected me to the links I had to the natural world when I was a child and helped me to plug in to nature again as an adult. This has been invaluable not only for my own self-care as a therapist, but in helping my clients to see how nature can be an inexpensive, accessible component of their own self-care practices.”
Hanin Ailabouni, M.S. Ed., LPC, NCC shared that Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help your Children Live Together so you Can Live Too by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish has influenced her greatly. Hanin uses this book in her work with parents in her St. Paul, Minnesota Practice. She explains, “I believe this book has influenced my work with parents by providing tons of helpful material and techniques for children of all ages. The case studies draw from the authors own parenting trials and through those of the thousands of parents who have attended their workshops. It is easy for parents in my office to relate to these personal stories. The cute cartoons illustrate the communication “do’s” and “don’ts” with quibbling siblings. It provides practical ways to build the child’s relationship with each other and their parents. I, not only feel more competent as a parent, but also as a therapist equipping other parents with new strategies and tools.”
New York therapist Leslie Jay, MA, LMHC described The Gift of Therapy by Irvin D. Yalom, MD as her most influential read. Leslie writes, “This book was gifted to me by a fellow therapist. Both of us were newer to the field, 4 years in and already experiencing burn out. Reading this book refreshed my sense of hope and dedication to doing therapeutic work. Yalom is real and encouraging, and speaks to concepts that some teachers wouldn’t dare discuss, like how clients also help therapists, avoiding diagnosis, and allowing your clients to matter to you. It is validating to read these emotions are normal to have when therapists are often taught the opposite. It is a book I will re-read for years to come.”
Renee Beck, LMFT had lots of books on her list of most influential, so she tried to pick a few and shared a brief summary of each. Renee does Dreamwork and Transpersonal Therapy in her California practice and it is clearly reflected in her list.
- The Jungian-Senoi Dreamwork Manual by Strephon Kaplan-Williams. Renee explains that this book contains exercises to do with your dreams. Renee’s main take-away from this book is about grounding your Dream Wisdom in daily life.
- Psychosynthesis: A Manual of Principles and Techniques by Roberto Assagioli. Renee shared that this book explores “imaginal work with the Will, the Deeper Self, and subpersonalities”. Renee says “One of the truly transpersonal modalities I learned, it combines mystical teachings with psychotherapy.”
- For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence, and Thou Shalt Not Be Aware: Society’s Betrayal of the Child are both books written by Alice Miller. Renee says that these books provided her with an “introduction to the field of Psychohistory, and how we keep child abuse in Shadow and how therapists unconsciously collude with child abusers”.
Thank you Gina, Hanin, Leslie and Renee for sharing your most influential books with us.
Reflection Questions
What books have you read that think influenced you the most?
Why do you find those particular books to be the most influential?
What books do you think should be on a list of the most influential books for mental health providers?
Please leave a comment and let us know! Feel free to email me at sarah@sarahleitschuhcounseling.com if you’d like to write a guest blog post about a book that has influenced your work as a mental health provider.
If you are interested, check out my post How A Book Influenced My Practice to find out which book has influenced me the most and why.
Happy Reading!
Sarah