As an armchair psychologist, I am always pretty interested in how to better understand people.

I came across a pretty good list today of a number of counseling-related books that I’ve either heard good things about or read, so I thought I would also share it here.  Many of these resources  are from a Christian perspective, which should make sense since it is from within that context that I house much of my own thinking about meaning in life and the mechanics of human behavior.  Irregardless, there is plenty of wisdom here to help those who are looking for some answers to issues and concerns that are impacting their sense of identity and/or relationships.

Addiction

• Addictions–A Banquet in the Grave: Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel.  Edward T. Welch, 2001
• Every Man’s Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time. Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker, 1973
• Every Woman’s Battle: Discovering God’s Plan for Sexual & Emotional Fulfillment. Shannon Ethridge & Stephen Arterburn, 2003
• False Intimacy. Harry W. Schaumburg, 1997
• Hope After Betrayal: Healing When Sexual Addiction Invades your Marriage. Meg Wilson, 2007
• It Will Never Happen to Me. Claudia Black, 1981
• Pure Desire. Ted Roberts, 1999
• The Twelve Steps: A Spiritual Journey. RPI Publishing, Inc., 1988

Anger

• The Anger Workbook. Les Carter & Frank Minirth, 1993
• Angry Men and the Women Who Love Them. Paul Hegstrom, 1999

Anxiety

• The Anxiety Cure. Archibald D. Hart, 1999
• The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook. Edmund J. Bourne, 2011
• Hope and Help for Your Nerves. Claire Weekes, 1969
• The OCD Workbook–Your Guide for Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Bruce M. Hyman & Cherlene Pedrick, 2010

Borderline Personality

• The Angry Heart: Overcoming Borderline and Addictive Disorders. Joseph Santoro & Ronald Cohen, 1997
• Lost in the Mirror: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder. Richard Moskovitz, 1996
• Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder. Shari Manning, 2011
• Sometimes I Act Crazy: Living with BPD. Jerold Kreisman & Hal Straus, 2004
• Stop Walking on Eggshells. Paul Mason & Randi Kreger, 2010

Boundaries

• Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No. Henry Cloud & John Townsend, 2004

Codependence

• Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No, To Take Control of Your Life. Cloud & Townsend, 1992
• From Bondage to Bonding. Nancy Broom, 1991
• Love is a Choice. Hemfelt, Minirth, Meier, 1989

Depression

• A Stubborn Darkness. Edward T. Welch, 2004
• The Cry of the Soul. Dan Allender & Tremper Longman III, 1999
• Unmasking Male Depression. Archibald D. Hart, 2001

Domestic Violence

• Battered But Not Broken: Help for Abused Wives and Their Church Families.  Patricia R. Gaddis, 1996
• FaithTrust Institute (Center for Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence): www.faithtrustinstitute.org

Emotional and Spiritual Healing

• Connecting. Larry Crabb, 1997
• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Peter Scazzero, 2006
• False Assumptions: Relief from 12 “Christian” Beliefs that can Drive You Crazy. Cloud & Townsend, 1994
• Healing is a Choice. Stephen Arterburn, 2005
• Healing for Damaged Emotions. David Seamands, 1982
• The Healing Path. Dan B. Allender, 1999
• Inside Out. Larry Crabb, 1988
• The Search for Significance. Robert S. McGee, 1985

Grief

• Good Grief. Granger Westberg, 1997

Marriage

• A Lasting Promise. Stanley, Trathen, McCain, Bryan, 2002
• A Sacred Marriage. Gary Thomas, 2000
• Bold Love.  Dan Allender, 1992
• Boundaries in Marriage. Cloud & Townsend, 2002
• The DNA of Relationships for Couples. Greg Smalley & Robert Paul, 2006
• The Five Love Languages. Gary Chapman, 1973
• For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women. Shaunti Feldhahn & Jeff Feldhahn, 2006
• For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives
  of Men. Shaunti Feldhahn, 2004
• Healing the Hurt in Your Marriage. Gary & Barbara Rosberg, 2004
• His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage. Willard F. Harley, 2011
• How We Love. Mylan & Kaye Yerkovich, 2008
• If Only He Knew: Understanding Your Wife. Gary Smalley, 1979
• Love & Respect. Emerson Eggerichs, 2004
• Love Busters: Protecting Your Marriage From Habits That Destroy Romantic Love. Willard F. Harley, 2008
• Marriage Builders: www.marriagebuilders.com
• Men and Women: Enjoying the Difference.Larry Crabb, 1991
• Men are Like Waffles Women are Like Spaghetti. Bill & Pam Farrel, 2001
• The Mystery of Marriage. Mike Mason, 2005
• Rescue Your Love Life. Cloud and Townsend, 2009
• Rocking the Roles. Robert Lewis, 1999
• Sacred Marriage. Gary Thomas, 2002
• Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts: 7 Questions to Ask Before and After You Marry. Les Parrott, 2006
• Why Marriages Succeed or Fail. John Gottman, 1994

Parenting

• Boundaries with Kids. Henry Cloud & John Townsend, 1998
• Parenting Teenagers: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting of Teens. Dinkmeyer & McKay
• Parenting Young Children: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting of Children Under Six. Dinkmeyer, McKay,
  et.al.

Relationships

• Avoiding Mr. Wrong. Stephen Arterburn, 2000
• Beyond Boundaries: Learning to Trust Again in Relationships. John Townsend, 2011
• Boundaries in Dating: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Relationships. Cloud & Townsend, 2000
• Hiding From Love: How to Change the Withdrawl Patterns that Isolate and Imprison You. John Townsend, 1996
• Safe People: How to Find Relationships That Are Good for You, and Avoid Those that Aren’t. Henry
  Cloud & John Townsend, 1996

Sexual Abuse

• On the Threshold of Hope. Diane M. Langberg, 1999
• The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse.  Dan Allender, 1990

Sexuality

• Every Man’s Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time. Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker, 1973
• Every Woman’s Battle: Discovering God’s Plan for Sexual & Emotional Fulfillment. Shannon Ethridge & Stephen Arterburn, 2003
• Sexual Identity. Mark Yarhouse & Lori Burkett, 2003

Step-Families

• The Smart Step-Family. Ron L. Deal, 2002

Trauma

• Betrayal Bond. Patrick J. Carnes, 1997

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The original source of this list is from the Christian Counselors Collaborative, who provide their basic list of resource books here.