In the therapy field we are lucky to have some really talented communicators. This is certainly not a comprehensive list but here are some resources that have interested, entertained, moved, and/or educated me. There are also some practical links here for trustworthy information and practical advice on various issues.
These are listed in no particular order, and I’m adding to it all the time. I hope you also find something useful, inspiring or meaningful here.
Please know, to be totally transparent, that some of the links are affiliate links but ALL the choices WITHOUT ANY DOUBT have been made solely on the basis of my high regard of the content.
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker: For people who have experienced abuse or difficult relationships in child or adulthood this is a very readable, affirming and supportive description of how deep and intense the impact of those experiences can be. It also, and importantly, talks about the many ways we can recover and thrive following such adverse experiences. This is also available as an unabridged audiobook that I would also recommend if you prefer that format.
Period Power by Maisie Hill and her associated content on Maisehill.com This book and associated content – podcast, group support and blog – represents Maisie Hill’s refreshing voice calling out for a different approach to the menstrual cycle. Thinking about this part of some people’s experience differently can dramatically change our relationship with ourselves. I found this point of view years after I began to need it but luckily it’s never too late to change your perspective on anything in life.
The tick of two clocks by Joan Bakewell is a memoir about making active decisions about moving into the last period of life to make sure that it can be lived with autonomy and fulfilment. Too often (and even once is too often in my opinion) I have watched people be forced by circumstances into compromise, loss of dignity, or worse because they didn’t actively engage with their own aging, and the changes that very-old-age brings. This is a real-life story from a wise and brave woman, that reflects how I hope to face my own choices when they come.
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb: This is a novel/memoir of a therapist based in Los Angeles, USA. It gives a really lovely insight into the realities of a therapy relationship. Obviously it is partly fictionalised, and written to entertain but if you would like to read a novel that deals with therapy and demystifies the whole thing I would really recommend this. It was also recommended on Radio 4 so I’m not alone in enjoying it, and again it is also available as an unabridged audiobook.
Where Should We Begin – this is a podcast that contains real couples therapy sessions with a world renown therapist Ester Perel. It’s not always easy listening because it’s real people, struggling with real pain and problems in their relationships. But the episodes are very senstively created and it results in some powerful content.
Citizens advice – Citizens advice are a UK charity who offer free and impartial advice on all sorts of issues, such as debt, legal advice, housing. You can access individual advice by telephone or meeting but their website is also excellent and most importantly for internet information – it’s reliable and trustworthy.
nhs.uk website – The NHS website has lots of information about medical conditions, diagnoses, and medications, all expressed in very clear and down-to-earth language. It can be helpful to build understanding of our own health or the health of other people important to us.
Jo Cook Therapy 