
I read a lot of books. As an introvert, reading is just something I enjoy, feel comfortable doing, and can escape to after a long day of people-ing. And I admit, I read mostly historical fiction, history, science history, and fiction. But, like most counselors, I also make sure that I read books about psychology, the mind, treating different mental illnesses, and the brain itself.
You’ll see here two lists. One is a list of books for adults or even someone in their late teens to understand themselves and their mind. The second is a list of books for children and helping them to understand their mental health. Feel free to look through this list, and if you're interested in any, click the link! Maybe you (or your kid!) might find a new favorite. These books all spoke to me on some level, and I'd love to have others share in the experience.
List One:

I am by no means extremely well-versed in the amount of psychology books out there. In fact, I would say I have a long way to go. But, these are either books that I’ve read in the past few years that have stuck out to me. You’ll notice that a lot of them are about females and/or teenagers/kids– this is because that’s been my biggest interest in the realm of psychology. That’s not to say, though, that there aren’t important components to everyone in each of these books. I recommended The Female Brain to my husband, for example (and I fully intend to purchase The Male Brain as soon as I can!).
All of these books I found fairly easy to understand, and I believe that people from a variety of walks of life could relate to them. They aren’t perfect (what book is?), but they’re great starting places, and there’s plenty of room to understand one another and oneself from reading them. Anyway, feel free to look further into each of these books, and happy reading!
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD
A great book for learning about trauma and how it affects people. It looks into stress, trauma treatment, and everything in between. It’s also easy to understand and I think more people can relate to it than we might realize.
I had to read this book in one of my psych classes in undergrad and report about it. I loved it. It shows us that people, at our best and worst, tend to engage in self-justification. It’s written by social psychologists, too, which adds this whole other level of interest.
The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, MD
As someone who identifies as female, this book taught me a lot about how female brains operate. It also showed me the importance of the female brain as well as the male brain, while still being highly individualized. There’s also The Male Brain, which I have yet to read!
The Powerful Purpose of Introverts by Holley Gerth
As an introvert, this was a comforting novel. I recommend it for introverts themselves who are trying to understand their brains better, as well as people who love an introvert (whether that be a child, partner, or parent). Introverts have, throughout history, been sorely misunderstood, and I think it’s time to understand one another more.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
This is an incredible book written by a man who survived the Holocaust and some of the worst things a person has to face. Frankl is the founder of logotherapy– and though I know you might not read this to know about logotherapy, this books teaches us about resilience and endurance, even in times of tragedy. We also explore finding meaning in life, and happiness.
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Dr. Dan Siegel
A great book for parents and teens to both read (but especially parents). This is about forming relationships between teens and adults, and how to get through this time of hormones and changes in a healthy, productive way. It talks about the science behind changes, too, which can be really beneficial if you’re one to want the facts.
List Two

Now, I also meet with lots of kids. Kids/teens are my speciality when it comes to the counseling world, and I love working with these ages. Kids (think ages 6-10ish) can really struggle to put into words what their feelings might be, so over the past few months I’ve also compiled a lot of books that I recommend parents read with their kids to better understand their emotions. Again, this is not a finished list. It’s ongoing, and it certainly isn’t all-inclusive. But these are books I’ve found helpful in my counseling sessions, and can, at minimum, be an opening for more conversations. They’re all easy for kids to understand and discuss, too (depending on age). Happy reading!
A Little Spot of Worry by Diane Alber
This teaches about useful vs. spinning worries to kids, and how worries are part of life. It also teaches the benefits of recognizing worries that might be problematic or could blow out of proportion.
Sometimes I’m Sad by Dr. Deborah Serani
This book is great for understanding sadness and helping kids explore their emotions. It can also give a little bit of insight into what could be depression. What I like about it, though, is that it really ties in what we can do to feel better (talking to a parent, etc.).
The Invisible String (and The Invisible Leash) by Patrice Karst
A great book on grief, loss, and learning to cope with loss. The Invisible Leash is the same concept, but about pets we lose. Grief can be found in a variety of circumstances, and sometimes kids struggle with it. This book highlights that it is okay to feel sad, and gives a child something to hold onto.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
More than anything, this book is humorous, but it also provides a good lesson in which the main character learns that even the worst day doesn’t last forever.
The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside
This is a book that helps make worries seem a little bit more tangible, as well as more manageable as the main character learns how to cope with worries.
Sweet Tooth by Margie Palatini
Maybe not a typical book on this kind of list, but this is actually a fantastic read when it comes to teaching littles about self-control.
Not So Different by Cyana Riley
I love this one. It might even by my favourite for kids. This book encourages kids to learn to love diversity and highlights acceptance of ourselves and others. All kids (and adults!!) should read this.
Now, you’ve got a lot of options to pick from. If you have kids, I hope you find one of these books helpful. If you don’t, and want to learn about yourself or others, you’ve got some great choices there, too. I advocate for continuous learning, so please check some of these options out, even if reading isn’t necessarily your thing. There are always great audiobooks for the adult books, as well as youtube videos for the kid books.
Happy reading, and happy learning!
JB
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