Title: Queen Bees And Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends & Other Realities of Adolescence

Author: Rosalind Wiseman

Themes: Adult Reference, Anxiety, Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Friendship, Individuation, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: Harry Potter Series

Author: J.K. Rowling

Themes: Anxiety, Bullying, Blended Families, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Gratitude, Grief, Humor, Individuation, Self-Esteem

Age Recommendation: Elementary through High School

Summary: The Harry Potter series is very well-known among adolescents and preteens, but I am finding that many kids under the age of 10 aren't as familiar with it. Chances are, however, if you're reading this post, you are familiar with this series and it's fantastic array of characters and themes! As with most stories, the books are definitely better than the movies, so pick them up and read them if you haven't already! 

Ideas / Interventions: There really are endless ways to use the Harry Potter series for bibliotherapy. My favorite way to reference Harry Potter in a session is to draw similarities between client's fears of ____________ and everyone's fear of Voldemort in the stories. By overcoming the dread of saying Voldemort's, or even Tom Riddle's, name out loud, characters in the story realize a previously untapped power within themselves. The same is true of our own fears and anxieties. When children avoid talking about difficult or frightening topics,their feelings of powerlessness over that event/thought/emotion is increased. When they are coached in talking about the topic in a safe setting, they are empowered - just like saying "Voldemort" empowered characters in the Harry Potter series. Clinically, this process falls under the category of exposure/response prevention techniques.  

Title: Seven Steps to Improve Your Child's Social Skills

Authors: Kristy Hagar, PhD, Sam Goldstein, PhD, & Robert Brooks, PhD

Themes: ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Communication, Bullying, Coping Skills, Depression, Friendship, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Validation

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete Authoritative Guide for Parents

Authors: Russell A. Barkley, PhD

Themes: ADHD, Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Parenting, Social Skills, Self Esteem

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Aspergers Syndrome and Social Communication Problems

Authors: Jed E Baker, PhD

Themes: ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Empathy, Friendship, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Validation

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: The Paper Bag Princess

Authors: Robert Munsch

Themes: Communication, Coping Skills, Friendship, Humor, Individuation, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Validation, Bullying

Age Recommendation: Pre-K through Elementary School

Summary: The Paper Bag Princess is the story of Princess Elizabeth, who is engaged to be married to Prince Ronald, until Ronald is kidnapped by a dragon. Elizabeth is clever, strong, and courageous as she outwits the dragon and rescues Ronald. Ronald, however, then refuses to see Elizabeth until she is "dressed like a real princess." Elizabeth uses her wits, strength and courage to move on from that invalidating relationship!

Ideas / Interventions: This is a fun book to read when discussing social skills with younger kids. Have your client list important qualities they look for in friends; loyalty, kindness, sense of humor, common interests, etc. Then ask them to match those qualities with characters from the story and talk about times when they have noticed those traits demonstrated in others.

Another fun way to use this book is when talking about what it is like to feel misunderstood. For example, Elizabeth is a princess regardless of her appearance, but she is treated unfairly by Ronald because of how she looks after saving him from the dragon. How does this make her feel? Have you ever felt that your great qualities are overlooked by others, or have you ever felt misunderstood? 

Title: Words Are Not For Hurting

Authors: Elizabeth Verdick

Themes: Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Empathy, Friendship, Parenting, Social Skills

Age Recommendation:  Pre-K through Elementary School

Summary: Words Are Not For Hurting is a very basic introduction to prosocial problem solving and social skills development. The text supports the concept that everyone feels frustrated or angry sometimes, and that there are appropriate ways to manage those emotions. The illustrations in the book provide examples of ways to use our words carefully and constructively. This is a good book to use in conjunction with the other title in this series, Hands Are Not For Hitting.

Ideas / Ideation: This is not a particularly interesting book for kids, but it is a great conversation starter. I have used this book in one-on-one sessions with children who struggle with impulsivity and anger, in small social skills groups when discussing how to express feelings, or in classrooms to teach about bullying. It's a handy book to have around, even if it is a little boring! 

Title: Hands Are Not For Hitting

Authors: Martine Agassi, Ph.D. 

Themes: Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Empathy, Friendship, Parenting, Social Skills

Age Recommendation:  Pre-K through Elementary School

Summary: Hands Are Not For Hitting is a very basic introduction to prosocial problem solving and social skills development. The text supports the concept that everyone feels frustrated or angry sometimes, and that there are appropriate ways to manage those emotions. The illustrations in the book provide examples of ways to use our hands carefully and constructively. It is a good book to  use in conjunction with the other title in this series, Words Are Not For Hurting.

Ideas / Ideation: This is not a particularly interesting book for kids, but it is a great conversation starter. I have used this book in one-on-one sessions with children who struggle with impulsivity and anger, in small social skills groups when discussing how to express feelings, or in classrooms to teach about bullying. It's a handy book to have around, even if it is a little boring! 

Title: Hound Dog True

Authors: Linda Urban

Themes: Anxiety, Blended Families, Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy, Friendship, Gratitude, Self Esteem, Social Skills, Validation

Age Recommendation:  Elementary through Junior High School

Summary: Hound Dog True is the story of Mattie, a little girl with a sensitive temperament and clinical levels of anxiety who changes schools frequently; the story opens as Mattie starts at yet another new school, dreading what she assumes will be another awful year. Mattie has been the victim of bullying in the past, which reinforces her natural tendency to isolate herself from her peers. Mattie is an avid writer and the book is essentially her journal. There are some painful, yet realistic, depictions of bullying and it's effects on self esteem in this book, but overall it is a sweet, hopeful story.

Ideas / Interventions:  Read this story with clients who struggle with self esteem, have been the victims of bullying, are dealing with adjustment issues, or who spend much of their energy each day just managing their anxiety. Because this is written as a personal narrative, cognitive distortions are expressed regularly. Have your client or child identify these negative automatic thoughts and suggest replacement thoughts for Mattie. 

Title: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Authors: Jack Gantos

Themes: ADHD, Anxiety, Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Gratitude, Individuation, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Elementary through Junior High School 

Summary: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is the story of a boy being treated for ADHD and mood swings. Joey is a character that most kids with mood disorder and/or ADHD diagnoses will relate to. Joey takes medication for his ADHD, which he refers to as "dud meds" because he doesn't believe they help him manage his impulsive behaviors at all. Joey has a good relationship with his mom but struggles in school; this is the first book in the Joey Pigza series and I recommend all of them.  

Ideas / Interventions: As an intervention, either read portions of this book with your client during therapy sessions, or assign your client to read a section with a parent between visits. Often, kids who struggle with severe ADHD don't enjoy reading, so it's okay to move very slowly through this book. As your client develops skills for managing their impulses, have them problem solve for Joey. Ask you client to make suggestions for what Joey could have done differently in situations that lead to trouble. 

Title: Dead End In Norvelt

Authors: Jack Gantos

Themes: Bullying, Coping Skills, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Gratitude, Individuation, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: Dead End In Norvelt is an autobiographical coming of age story. After getting in an argument with his parents, the young Jack Gantos is "grounded for life" one summer and ends up being given the task of helping the town's elderly medical examiner with her duties, which include writing obituaries. Over the course of the summer, Jack learns invaluable lessons about the importance of hard work, the hard work of relationships, and the rewards inherent in devoting himself to a cause larger than himself.

Ideas / Interventions: This is another book that 'readers' will enjoy. Gantos's sense of humor will appeal to younger teens especially. There are endless themes to pursue; have your client diagram relationships in the book and then diagram relationships in their own lives, or ask them to complete a values ranking activity for one of the characters and compare that to their own values. 

Title: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen: (Who Is Only Writing This Because His Therapist Said He Had To, Which Stinks)

Authors: Susin Nielsen

Themes: Anxiety, Bullying, Communication Skills, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy, Friendship, Gratitude, Junior High through High School, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Validation, Grief

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen: (Who Is Only Writing This Because His Therapist Said He Had To, Which Stinks) is a remarkable book, though a little bit graphic. Henry's older brother is a victim of relentless, cruel bullying, who snaps one day and takes their dad's hunting rifle to school and kills two students. The story takes place after Henry's family has relocated to a new city where no one knows their past. This book is Henry's therapy journal. It is honest, witty, and sad in turns and poignantly captures the feelings of a vulnerable but resilient boy. 

Title: Okay For Now

Author: Gary D. Schmidt

Themes: Communication, Parenting, Developing Empathy, Validation, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Developing Perspective, Grief, Individuation, Coping Skills, Bullying, Gratitude, DBT, Depression

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School 

Summary: Okay for Now is another beautiful coming of age story by Gary D. Schmidt. The main character, Doug, is an adolescent with all the odds stacked against him. Doug develops courage and compassion as he discovers the art of Audubon, finds solace in a library, and creates deep but unlikely friendships. 

Ideas / Interventions: Like The Wednesday Wars, this is a good book to use with kids who enjoy reading. It is a story that pulls readers in quickly and keeps their attention. Okay For Now is a fun book to use for bibliotherapy. Doug's circumstances align well with the DBT assumption that: "I did not cause all my problems, and I need to deal with them anyway." One of the ways Doug deals with his problems is through his dry sense of humor, which resonates with a lot of adolescents. 

Use this book in conjunction with education about common thinking errors. Have clients choose a character from the book that they would like to track cognitive distortions for. As they learn to notice these negative automatic thoughts expressed by that character in the book, discuss examples from their own lives of times they have employed specific thinking errors. 

Title: The Wednesday Wars

Author: Gary D. Schmidt

Themes: Communication, Parenting, Developing Empathy, Validation, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Developing Perspective, Grief, Individuation, Coping Skills, Bullying, Gratitude

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School 

Summary: The Wednesday Wars is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader in the late 60's, living in suburban Long Island. Holling is required to spend his Wednesday afternoons at school, alone with his English teacher Mrs. Baker, while all of the other students attend mass or synagogue. Over the course of the school year, Holling not only acquires a love for Shakespeare but also learns important truths about himself, the world beyond his small town, and life in general. 

Ideas / Interventions: This is a good book to use with kids who enjoy reading. It is a compelling story, and an excellent tool for bibliotherapy in the classic sense. Holling is an easy character to relate to, and the struggles he faces are fairly universal in nature. 

With books like this, I like to have clients choose a character and list their strengths, their challenges, and decide how they can use their strengths to moderate challenges. Once they have completed this exercise for a character in the book, clients should complete the same exercise for themselves and process that experience in session. 

Title: Wonder

Author: R.J. Palacio

Themes: Self-Esteem, Anxiety, Social Skills, Bullying, Individuation, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy, Validation, DBT, Friendship

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Wonder is a poignant story in it's own right, but has particular value as a bibliotherapy resource for generating discussions about individuation and perspective. Wonder tells the story of August, an intelligent young man with physical disabilities who is enrolling in school for the first time as a junior high student. By inviting readers to view discrete events through the varying perspectives of August, his family members, teachers, and peers, the author reinforces an assertion of DBT, namely, that many truths about any situation can exist at once. 

One of August's teachers challenges his students to develop and follow personal precepts that will guide their decisions and attitudes. If you are using this book in a clinical or educational setting, one fun activity is to help your clients/students author their own precepts. Start with a values clarification exercise (there are many free versions online) and guide your clients/students in connecting the dots between their values and the precepts they author. 

Another useful intervention to use with this book is to have clients choose one character in the book that they relate to and list five strengths and five challenges that the character has; then have your client describe how the character uses their strengths to overcome their challenges. Once they have completed this activity, have your client list five of their own strengths and challenges; then help your client choose one challenge they would like to work on and support them in developing strategies for moderating that challenge by accessing their strengths. Many clients enjoy creating a visual component to go with this exercise, such as a Power Point presentation or even just a simple chart, so they can share their ideas and progress with others. This project is harder than it sounds but is very rewarding for kids, so, if necessary, break the task into smaller portions and spend just part of a series of sessions working on it. 

I can't resist adding my favorite quote from this book: "In the future you make for yourselves, anything is possible. If every single person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary - the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God" (p. 301). 

Title: Sam Is Never Scared

Author: Thierry Robbrecht 

Themes: Social Skills, Anxiety, Friendship, Bullying, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective

Age Recommendation: Elementary School

Sam Is Never Scared tells the story of a kid who presents as a show-off and subtle bully but who actually uses those behaviors to protect his own feelings of inadequacy and shame. 

In the first half of the book, Sam seeks a lot of attention and puts his friends down. He pretends to be tough so that his peers don't see his vulnerabilities and fears. Then readers learn that Sam's bravado is false; he is afraid of the dark and of spiders, among other things. My favorite character in this book is Sam's friend, whom he eventually shares his fears with, and who treats Sam with kindness and empathy. 

Besides being a good introduction to some basic social skills, this book provides opportunities to introduce cognitive behavioral concepts such as distorted thinking (such as always/never) and managing anxiety by developing perspective.