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: Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope and Optimism in Your Child

Authors: Robert Brooks, PhD & Sam Goldstein, PhD

Themes: Anxiety, Communication, Coping Skills, DBT, Depression, Gratitude, Individuation, Mindfulness, Self-Esteem

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook

Authors: Edmund Bourne, PhD

Themes: Anxiety, Autism, Communication, Coping Skills, Parenting, Depression, Developing Perspective, Gratitude, Individuation, Mindfulness, Self-Esteem, Validation

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

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: Seven Steps to Help Your Child Worry Less

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

Themes: Anxiety, Autism, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Mindfulness, Parenting, Self-Esteem

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: Face Your Fears: A Proven Plan to Beat Anxiety, Panic, Phobias, and Obsessions

Authors: David Tolin, PhD

Themes: Anxiety, Autism, Communication, Coping Skills, DBT, Depression, Grief, Individuation, Mindfulness, Parenting, Self-Esteem

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook

Authors: Martha Davis & Elizabeth Robbins Eshelmen

Themes: Anxiety, Coping Skills, DBT, Depression, Mindfulness

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: The Incredible 5 Point Scale: Assisting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Understanding Social Interactions and Controlling Their Emotional Responses

Authors: Kari Dunn Buron & Mitzi Curtis

Themes: Anxiety, Autism, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: Far From The Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

Authors: Andrew Solomon

Themes: Autism, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Individuation, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Validation

Age Recommendation: Adult Reference

Title: The North Star

Authors: Peter H. Reynolds

Themes: Anxiety, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Gratitude, Individuation, Mindfulness, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Validation

Age Recommendation: Elementary through High School

Summary: The North Star is a sweet story that follows a boy from infancy through adolescence as he follows his own path to becoming his best self.

Ideas / Interventions: Adolescents secretly love this book; some of them might not want to admit it, but they can relate to the main character in the story and are asking some of the same questions about life that that he is. When working with teens, I use the same tactic as I do with any other picture book, which is to ask them to just listen and watch for the underlying message, even though it might seem "too little kid" for them.

If I have time, I like to use this book in conjunction with art therapy.  Encourage clients to identify what the specific points on their stars are; some choose to list coping skills, some list values, others point out internal qualities. If you are using this book for group therapy or in a classroom setting, invite kids to share details about their star with others and utilize it as an opportunity to appreciate individual differences. 

Title: What Are You So Grumpy About?

Authors: Tom Lichtenheld

Themes: Anxiety, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Perspective, Gratitude, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Humor

Age Recommendation:  Elementary through Junior High School

Summary: What Are You So Grumpy About? is essentially a list of common kid complaints, accompanied by illustrations that highlight the difficulties they perceive in their circumstances. When you read this with children, plan to spend quite a bit of time examining the illustrations together; they are the key to having fun with this book! The author's humor is spot on for gently introducing the concepts of cognitive distortions, thinking errors, and negative automatic thoughts.

Ideas / Ideation: This is a great book to use with clients who suffer from anxiety or depression and present with symptoms of irritability. Helping children and their parents understand that when a kid is being "grumpy" there is typically an underlying cause that needs to be addressed is important; doing so helps parents develop perspective into the nature of their child's (oftentimes difficult) behaviors, and supports children as they develop self-awareness and learn communication skills to appropriately express their feelings.

As mentioned above, this is also a book that could be used when introducing the concept of cognitive distortions and helping clients develop skills to challenge negative automatic thoughts. Read this together in a session and ask your client to identify the name of the thinking error used on each page, and then help them create an alternative realistic yet positive response to the events depicted. 

Title: Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book

Authors: Grumpy Cat

Themes: Anxiety, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Friendship, Social Skills, Validation, Humor

Age Recommendation:  Elementary through High School

Summary: Grumpy Cat is a compilation of photographs of, you guessed it, Grumpy Cat, each of which has a pessimistic thought attached to it. So what is it doing on a bibliotherapy blog? 

Ideas / Interventions: Most kids think Grumpy Cat is funny, but teenagers who protect themselves with sarcasm absolutely relate to this book! I use this book frequently in sessions with depressed teens. If they are ambivalent to therapy, asking them to relate some of their worldviews via this cat works amazingly well. If they are engaged in the therapeutic process already, ask them to identify which cognitive distortion the cat is employing in each statement; this is a trick question because the cat isn't always mistaken in it's assessment of a situation. Having your client diagram the statement into facts and opinions is a good way to introduce the skill of parsing up confusing communication when they encounter it in their own lives. 

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: 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.