Read Anything Good Lately?

Bibliotherapy and Your Therapist’s Favourite Books

By Lindsey Novakowski

Self-help books are an incredibly popular genre, and can often be useful for enhancing what you might be learning about or practicing in therapy. Many counsellors employ bibliotherapy, which involves recommending specific books or readings that can be used in conjunction with more traditional talk therapy approaches as a way of helping clients meet their goals. This can be especially helpful for clients who already enjoy reading as a hobby, or for those who are looking for more resources and support outside of therapy.

Books can help with understanding different perspectives, learning more about a specific issue, or even feeling less alone and for relating to other people who may have gone through a similar experience as you. There are a mountain of self-help and psychology books out there to choose from, so we asked our counsellors to recommend some of their favourite books for clients to read. This list encompasses a wide variety of topics, so take a look and maybe you’ll find your next great read.

What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

“I often recommend What Happened to You? because it’s such a helpful way to understand how our past experiences shape the way we think, feel, and react today. It shifts the focus from “what’s wrong with me?” to “what happened to me?” — which can take away a lot of the shame people feel about their struggles. The book explains the impact of stress and trauma on the brain in a really clear and compassionate way, and many clients have found it reassuring and empowering as they work through their own healing.” – Alana Cotterall

Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents by Eli R. Lebowitz

“I like this book as it fosters the connection between the parent and child and places the parent as the key factor in their child’s growth and progress. It is extremely difficult and painful for a parent to watch their child struggle with fears and anxiety and it can feel like an uphill battle with what seems like many slips backwards. In this book, parents are shown how to replace their own accommodating behaviours (which allow anxiety to flourish) with supportive responses that demonstrate both acceptance of children’s difficulties and confidence in their ability to cope. The macaroni and cheese of support is acceptance and confidence.” – Bridget McDermott

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price

“This book is a great read for anyone that is high masking Autistic or is wanting to better understand a loved one that is. Dr. Price does an amazing job of explaining the experience of masking in Autism and celebrating neurodiversity. He provides a lot of great insight and strategies for understanding yourself and how you mask, finding safe and helpful ways to unmask, and celebrating autistic uniqueness and joy.” -Victoria Cory

The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better by Thatcher Wine

“This book was tremendously helpful for me. My thoughts are like my computer, I have several tabs open and I am constantly flitting between them. I find it hard to do one thing at a time. I’m always tempted to do multiple things in the name of productivity and efficiency. Thatcher gently eases the reader into the concept of monotasking – which is simply doing one thing at a time for a short period of time to train our brains. This book is chock full of mantras, helpful tips and loads of encouragement to help the reader be more present and focused while practicing 12 different monotasks. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels the pull of busyness, who feels overwhelmed by life’s demands, or who feels pressure to be doing and striving for more.” -Kristi Turner

Fierce Self-Compassion: How to Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Your Power, and Thrive by Kristin Neff

“I often recommend this book to female-identifying clients struggling with burnout and guilt as they juggle the pressures of being a good partner/parent/family member etc. while also trying to care for themselves. These challenges can often be tied to depression, anxiety, and feelings of failure for not being able to “do it all.” I appreciate that this book explores both the neuroscience of mindful self-compassion and the influence of socialized gender roles, showing how guilt, shame, and perfectionism can keep many women feeling “stuck”. While written with women in mind, the exercises are valuable for anyone interested in incorporating more self-compassion into their mindfulness practice.” -Lindsey Novakowski

Bonus recommendation: Fiction!

Although nonfiction can be tremendously helpful for learning something new or for gaining tools and practices, the mental health and cognitive benefits of reading fiction are not to be dismissed. Reading a great story has been shown to increase empathy (Wimmer et al., 2024), self-reflection (Currie, Wilkinson, & McGeown, 2025), and feelings of wellbeing (Carney & Robertson, 2022). When you are drawn into another world and you really connect with the characters, not only can it be fun and relaxing, it can also increase your understanding of other people. Trying to make sense of a character’s motivations or guessing what they might do next can be directly applicable to understanding your own behaviour and emotions, and the people around you. If the thought of sitting down to read a nonfiction book fills you with dread, try picking up a great thriller or fantasy, knowing that getting lost in another world will also increase your ability to understand your own.

Carney, J., & Robertson, C. (2022). Five studies evaluating the impact on mental health and mood of recalling, reading, and discussing fiction. PloS one, 17(4), e0266323. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266323

Currie, N.K., Wilkinson, K. and McGeown, S. (2025), Reading fiction and psychological well-being during older adulthood: Positive affect, connection and personal growth. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.605

Wimmer, L., Currie, G., Friend, S., Wittwer, J., & Ferguson, H. J. (2024). Cognitive effects and correlates of reading fiction: Two preregistered multilevel meta-analyses. Journal of experimental psychology. General, 153(6), 1464–1488. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001583