The focus for Mental Health Awareness Week this year is kindness. Although we all know the importance of displaying kindness to others, it can sometimes be difficult to show the same kindness to ourselves. These books and resources will help both adults and kids who might be struggling with their mental health to work through challenging situations, giving them the tools they need to manage their symptoms and ultimately be kinder to themselves.
Books for adults
Unlock Your Resilience
This book lays out 12 key skills that give you everything you need to unlock and develop your resilience, from self-esteem and self-care to emotional regulation and stress management. Every key skill draws on various psychological techniques including CBT, positive psychology and solution-focused interventions.
The Anxiety Survival Guide
An accessible, easy to use anxiety survival guide for young people becoming adults aged 18-25. Co-authored by psychologists and a young person with anxiety, it looks at the causes of anxiety and offers simple strategies and exercises to reduce anxious feelings.
Suicide Prevention Techniques
“This invaluable book is not a top-down medicalised view of how to save lives but rather a compassionate account of immensely practical lessons from someone who has experienced suicidal crisis and has used her knowledge and understanding to so effectively support others.”
Interactive workbooks for adults
The CBT Art Activity Book
This activity book contains 100 creative, therapeutic worksheets to explore issues such as self-esteem, coping with loss, problem solving, personal reflection and goal setting, based on prevalent CBT and art therapy principles.
From the same author: The CBT Art Workbook for Managing Stress and The CBT Art Workbook for Coping with Depression. Both workbooks use
art therapy and CBT theories to help readers manage their symptoms through writing, drawing and colouring in.
You can download some free worksheets from the Depression workbook here, and watch author Jennifer Guest explain how to get the most out of the activities, here.
Books for children & teens
Something Bad Happened
When children learn about something big and bad – even when they hear only bits and pieces – their brains get busy trying to make sense of it. Where did it happen? Why did it happen? And especially, will it happen again?
For children and parents to read together, this one-of-a-kind resource by child psychologist and best-selling author Dawn Huebner provides comfort, support and next steps for children learning about troubling world events.
Talking to Children About the Coronavirus: Actual Words for Actual Parents – In this exclusive blog post, Dawn has shared a script from the book that can be used for explaining the coronavirus pandemic to children.
You can also watch Dawn read aloud from Something Bad Happened on YouTube, here.
The Parents’ Guide to Managing Anxiety in Children with Autism
“Autism and anxiety walk hand in hand. If we are to help autistic children fulfil their full potential as adults, it is vital parents have the resources to tackle anxiety early on. This authoritative, wide-ranging guide is an essential contribution to any carer’s toolkit. I’ve no doubt it will have a positive impact on many young lives.”
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workout for Teens
This easy-to-understand, engaging guide arms teens with healthy thinking habits and coping strategies for staying on top of their mental health. Using tried and tested therapeutic techniques, readers are given the tools to build their own personalised mental health ‘workout’ to boost their emotional resilience and wellbeing.
Activity books for children & teens
CBT Doodling for Kids
50 illustrated, entertaining characters help children explore and process their emotions – such as Stomper who loves to dance, or the Balloon Brothers who lift away sad feelings. These tried and tested communication tools are particularly helpful for children with autism or additional needs, or children suffering from anxiety or bullying.
The Can-Do Kid’s Journal
Packed full of tried-and-tested activities and strategies that will empower children aged 7-11, this illustrated journal is perfect for developing resilience, confidence and a growth mindset. It offers kids a multitude of small changes they can make that will make a big difference in their day-to-day lives.
The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD
This workbook is the first to use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for teens aged 12-18 struggling with OCD. It helps guide the reader to overcome compulsive and avoidant behaviours in everyday situations, with top tips, examples of other teens’ experiences and lots of fun and practical activities throughout.
Of course, all of our books on mental health can be found on our website. Or you can sign up to our mailing list to receive updates on new books and content from our authors.
