Nursing Mental Health Resources

The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Nonbinary Children by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper
Book

Generally considered to be “the” resource on care of those living outside of expected gender norms, this title is a broad and thoughtful source of evidence-based information for families wanting to understand and affirm their transgender, gender-expansive, or nonbinary child. This more updated edition, expands coverage of gender development, affirming parenting practices, mental health and wellness, medical decision making, legal advocacy, and how best to ensure school success, from preschool through the high school years.

Why has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith
Book

“Thoughts are not facts. They are a mix of opinions, judgements, stories, memories, theories, interpretations and predictions about the future.” –Julie Smith

This title is a collection of a clinical psychologist’s best coping techniques and practical advice to combat anxiety and depression, deal with criticism, and improve our mental health in small increments, collected from over a decade of 1-on-1 work with patients.

I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye by Brooke Noel and Pamela Blair
Book

Focuses on the unexpected death, the first few weeks and the concept of death as a journey in the cycle of life. Offers grief resources and support. This one may not feel relatable to everyone as a personal understanding of what death and dying entails but it does offer broad coverage in the area of grief.

It’s OK That You’re Not OK by Megan Divine
Book

Written by a therapist who has experienced loss, this title’s premise is that there is a middle path between devastation and the perfect recovery. Full of measures of acceptance for the reader so they do not feel they have to solve grief and they don’t have to suffer through it or from it.

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Tich Naht Hahn
Book

Stories, techniques and tools sums this one up. Draws on Buddhist principles to fill out the discussion on anger in the framework of devastation and of transformation.

Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer
Book

Not quite what you initially think when you read the title. Written by a woman in ED recovery and her therapist, Life without Ed discusses ED like an abusive boyfriend named Ed. Offers suggestions about exercises to do to help you challenge your own ED thoughts and behaviors while allowing you a glimpse inside the mind of a person who struggles with ED.

Understanding Alzheimers: An Introduction for Patients and Caregivers by Naheed Ali
Book

Published a little over a decade ago, this title is an all-in-one subject resource, covering diet and lifestyle, medical interventions and the stages of Alzheimer’s.

Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight by M.E. Thomas
Book

Okay, so according to this book, sociopaths comprise 4% of American society. This book makes one a bit paranoid that you may be surrounded BUT it is a glib read that offers insights into what makes this often alluring personality disorder unique.

What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
Book

Stephanie Foo (the author) is on a journey to heal, to map her experiences onto what literature there is about C-PTSD. In essence, this is an evidence-based account of approaches to trauma in which Foo interviews field experts and tries a variety of therapies. This title has a particular focus on immigrant and generational trauma on the community. “Ultimately, she discovers that you don’t move on from trauma–but you can learn to move with it.” – Book Cover

The Collected Schizophrenias by Esme Weijun Wang
Book

This title considers the medical community’s own disagreement about labels and procedures for diagnosing those with mental illness – in particular schizoaffective disorders from an autobiographical standpoint. Wang examines the manifestations of schizophrenia in essays that discuss using fashion to present as high-functioning and failures of the higher education system as well as dangers of institutionalization and the complexity of compounding health factors.

One Friday in April: A Story of Suicide and Survival by Donald Antrim
Book

What leads someone to a rooftop and what happens after you come down? Considers suicide as a consequence of trauma and personal isolation, rather than the choice of a depressed person… written as frank memoir. This title also discusses the effects of hospitalization and different forms of therapy such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
Book

In short vignettes, Haig details an existence of unbearable, unsustainable melancholy. Not as weighty and horrid to wade through as you might think, the phases he considers are along the lines of Falling, Landing, Rising, Living, and simply Being with spells of depression – many less than a page long (ex. “Things you think during your 1,000th panic attack”). Haig lists markers of his ‘invisible’ disease, considers self concept and self-actualization and assess advances in neuroscience towards understanding depression with an engaging tone that leaves the reader feeling as if they have sat in on a conversation with one of the world’s most eclectic (and interesting!) minds.

The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power Of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
e-Book

A self-help title that discusses the various aspects linked to the concept that “in order to build a world that works for everyone, we must first make the radical decision to love every facet of ourselves.” This title includes stories from Taylor’s travels around the world and offers specific tools, actions, and resources for confronting racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia. Downloadable workbook included

Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
e-Book

Drawing from history, personal and professional experiences, and interviews, the author pushes home the point that what really drives success is not “genius” but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance. Covers a range of human experience to illustrate this discussion. NY Times Bestseller 2016/17

Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel Siegel
Book

In 2 parts – the path to well-being and the path to change – this title is a behavioral change, self-help book confronting uncertainty and mortality with the ultimate goal of “expanding the self”.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
e-Book

A discussion on habit formation and the internal system of change. The title purports to be a practical guide to assist you in making time for new habits, overcoming a lack of motivation, and getting back on track when you get distracted. NYTimes Bestseller 2018

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
e-Book

Named by Forbes magazine (2018) as one of the “Five Books That Will Actually Change Your Outlook On Life”. This book encourages self-discovery, personal growth, and boundless love in the face of fear, embarrasment and personal insecurities.

Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying by Maggie Callanan & Patricia Kelley
e-Book

Drawn from lived experiences, hospice nurses share their stories of interactions with patients at the end of life

On Grief and Grieving by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
e-Book

From the now-deceased Swiss psychiatrist who developed the 5 stages of grieving concept, this title is intended as a guide for those who have either recently lost someone themselves or for those who know someone mired in one of the more immediate stages of grief, this title validates what behavior is normal and offers supportive universal advice.

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters In the End by Atul Gawande
e-Book

Full of some thought-provoking standalone quotes (seriously!), this title is not as depressing as you might think. A quickread meditation on the quality of end of life care, our current health care systems and the newer generation faced with these decisions for themselves or those they care for. Gawande encourages the reader to reflect on what we fear most and what value we place on what we can/can’t live without.