This page will be added to over time. Recommended books and links are listed, for clients and counsellors. Often they will be helpful for both. They are not listed in any order of importance or significance. There are many other books I have read and studied. The books listed here I have greater personal appreciation for.
Personal development – good for clients and counsellors
- The Little Book on Authenticity by Nina Burrowes
- I Thought it Was Just Me (but it isn’t) Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy and Power by Brené Brown
- The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown
- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
- Rising Strong by Brené Brown
- Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
- The Power of Focusing: Finding Your Inner Voice by Ann Weiser Cornell
- The Radical Acceptance of Everything: Living a Focusing Life by Ann Weiser Cornell
- Focusing: How To Gain Direct Access To Your Body’s Knowledge: How to Open Up Your Deeper Feelings and Intuition by Eugene T. Gendlin
- Black Rainbow: How words healed me: my journey through depression by Rachel Kelly
- Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body by Peter Levine
Person-centred counselling – mainly for counsellors/therapists
- Person-centred Counselling in Action by Dave Mearns and Brian Thorne
- A Way of Being by Carl Rogers
- On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers
- Counselling and Spiritual Accompaniment: Bridging Faith and Person-centred Therapy by Brian Thorne
- Working at Relational Depth in Counselling and Psychotherapy by Dave Mearns and Mick Cooper – 2nd edition
- Person-Centred Therapy Today: New Frontiers in Theory and Practice by Dave Mearns and Brian Thorne
- Person-centred Counselling Training by Dave Mearns
- Developing Person-Centred Counselling by Dave Mearns
- Skills in Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy by Janet Tolan
- Client Issues in Counselling and Psychotherapy: Person-centred Practice editors Janet Tolan and Paul Wilkins
- Practicing Client-Centered Therapy: Selected Writings of Barbara Temaner Brodley editors Kathryn A Moon, Marjorie Witty, Barry Grant and Bert Rice
- Carl Rogers Helping System: Journey and Substance by Godfrey T Barrett-Lennard
- Mystical Power of Person-Centred Therapy: Hope Beyond Despair by Brian Thorne
- Person-centred Counselling: Therapeutic and Spiritual Dimensions by Brian Thorne
Focusing – mainly for counsellors/therapists
- The Power of Focusing: Finding Your Inner Voice by Ann Weiser Cornell
- The Radical Acceptance of Everything: Living a Focusing Life by Ann Weiser Cornell
- Focusing in Clinical Practice: The Essence of Change by Ann Weiser Cornell
- Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A Manual Of The Experiential Method by Eugene Gendlin
- Focusing: How To Gain Direct Access To Your Body’s Knowledge: How to Open Up Your Deeper Feelings and Intuition by Eugene T. Gendlin
- Integrating Spirituality in Counseling A manual for using the Experiential Focusing Method by Elfie Hinterkopf
- 8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery: Take-Charge Strategies to Empower Your Healing by Babette Rothschild
- Theory and Practice of Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: Beyond the Talking Cure by Greg Madison
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk
- Waking The Tiger by Peter A. Levine
Sexual Abuse
- The Courage to be Me: A Story of Courage, Hope and Self-Compassion After Rape or Sexual Abuse by Nina Burrowes
- Nina Burrowes also has a great YouTube channel about recovering from sexual abuse.
- Making Out Like a Virgin: Sex, Desire & Intimacy After Sexual Trauma by Catriona McHardy
GSRD & LGBTQ+
- Sexuality and Gender for Mental Health Professionals: A Practical Guide by Meg John Barker
- Queer: A Graphic History by Meg John Barker and Julia Scheele
- How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide for Exploring Who You Are by Meg John Barker and Alex Iantaffi
- Velvet Rage by Alan Downs
- Just One Letter by Kirstie McEwan
- Gay Affirmative Therapy for the Straight Clinician: The Essential Guide by Joe Kort
- Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows by Christine Burns
- This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
Relationships and sex
- LoveSex: An Integrative Model for Sexual Education by Cabby Laffy
- The Secrets of Enduring Love: How to Make Relationships Last by Meg John Barker
- Rewriting the Rules: An Integrative Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships by Meg John Barker – 2nd edition
- Enjoy Sex (How, when and if you want to) A Practical and Inclusive Guide by Meg John Barker and Justin Hancock
- Mediated Intimacy: Sex Advice in Media Culture by Meg-John Barker and Rosalind Gill
Self-harm
- Our Encounters with Self-Harm edited by Charley Baker, Clare Shaw and Fran Biley
- Safe with Self-Injury by Kay Inckle
- Beyond Fear and Control: Working with Young People Who Self Harm by Helen Spandler
Full disclosure. I’m a Wordery affiliate, receiving 5% of any book sales. The purpose being to allow me greater flexibility in rates for counselling sessions.