Helpful Resources I Love
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I only point you toward books I have actually read and found meaningful, the ones I would hand a friend across the table. Titles are linked for convenience, and some are Amazon affiliate links.
These are shared for encouragement and education, not as therapy, medical advice, spiritual direction, or a stand-in for professional support.
Books for Faith, Healing, and Self-Worth
For the reader learning to stop shrinking, start healing, and hold onto the truth that her story still counts. Some lean faith-first, some are about plain old courage and worth, and all of them are good company for a hard stretch.
Authentically, Uniquely You by Joyce Meyer For the woman worn out from measuring herself against everybody else. Meyer’s whole case is that God built you on purpose, and you can quit trying to be a copy of someone you were never made to be.
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown on shame, perfectionism, and people-pleasing. If you have spent years trying to earn your worth, this one hands you permission to stop.
Take Back Your Life by Levi Lusko writes from real loss about the war that goes on inside your own head and how to take those thoughts captive instead of letting them run you. Tender ground if you are grieving a child.
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young A daily devotional for the quiet part of the morning. Short readings that keep pointing you back to God’s presence, on the ordinary days and the hard ones both.
Jesus Calling for Moms by Sarah Young That same steady daily encouragement, written for mothers running on fumes who still need a minute with God in the middle of the noise.
Emotional Healing Through Scripture by Nic M. Saluppo Ties the emotional work to Scripture and reflection, for the reader who wants the faith and the feelings tended at the same time.
Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst
For the ache of rejection and feeling left out. TerKeurst writes straight to the person who feels unwanted and keeps reminding them they are still seen and still held.
Broken Crayons Still Color by Shelley Hitz For anybody wondering whether God can still use a life that feels broken. Hitz says the wounded parts still hold purpose, and she means it.
Books for Prayer and Spiritual Encouragement
For the seasons when you want to pray but the words won’t come, and you will take all the Scripture and steady reminders you can get. None of these replace counseling or a good pastor, but they are a place to start.
Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian covering your marriage in prayer with more grace than gritted teeth. A steady companion when you want to pray over your marriage instead of just worry about it.
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian The same idea aimed at your kids. Praying on purpose over their choices, their struggles, and the future you cannot control for them.
Power of Praying Through Fear by Stormie Omartian For when anxiety has the wheel. Omartian walks you through facing fear and uncertainty on your knees instead of alone in the dark.
The Power of a Praying Grandparent by Stormie Omartian For the Lolli’s and the Pop’s who want to pray over their grandbabies and the family legacy coming up behind them.
The Message Deluxe Gift Bible by Eugene H. Peterson paraphrase, easy to read and easy to sink into. Good for when Scripture has started to feel like wallpaper and you need it to land fresh again.
It’s All About Him by Denise Jackson encouragement to keep your eyes on God through the ordinary days and the hard ones both.
Books for Boundaries and Relationships
For the reader learning how to love people without disappearing in the process. Emotional boundaries, hard relationships, and the courage to show up honestly without hauling around what was never yours to carry.
Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend The classic. What is yours, what is not, and how to love people without the guilt running the show. If you only read one on this list, start here.
The Boundaries Flip Chart by Henry Cloud and John Townsend The visual companion. Simple reminders about limits and responsibility for the folks who do better seeing it laid out in front of them.
Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People by Elizabeth B. Brown For the draining, complicated relationships you cannot just walk away from. Brown teaches you to respond instead of react, and to quit handing your peace to somebody who won’t hold it carefully.
Dancing with a Porcupine by Jennie Lynn Owens For loving somebody prickly and staying compassionate without getting poked every single time you get close.
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown on vulnerability and showing up honestly, even when being seen feels like a risk you would rather not take.
Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown On belonging, and on standing in your own truth without shrinking yourself down to fit somebody else’s room.
Books for Parenting and Family
For parents and caregivers who want to understand connection, attachment, and the way our own stories quietly shape how we raise our kids.
Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel J. Siegel and Mary Hartzell on how your own childhood leaks into your parenting before you even notice. It asks you to do some of your own inner work, which is the whole point.
The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson Child brain development explained plain, with real tools for connection, regulation, and discipline that actually fit a small nervous system.
Boundaries with Teens by Henry Cloud and John Townsend For the teen years. Limits and consequences and communication that does not have to turn into a shouting match by bedtime.
The Parent’s Handbook to Effective Parenting by Don Dinkmeyer Sr., Gary D. McKay, and Don Dinkmeyer Jr. Practical, everyday help with discipline, communication, and the family expectations that keep a house running.
Books for Trauma, Grief, and Survival Stories
These are not light reads, but they hold real weight. Trauma, grief, survival, and what it takes to keep going after life has been rearranged on you. Some can feel heavy or activating, so read slow, take breaks, and reach for support if you need it.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. The one everybody names, for good reason. How trauma lives in the body and the nervous system, not just in the story you tell about it. Heavy, so go slow and don’t read it alone if you can help it.
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté, M.D., with Daniel Maté on how stress, trauma, and the culture we swim in shape our health and our insides. Thoughtful, and worth sitting with a while.
What Happened to You? by Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. and Oprah Winfrey It swaps the whole question from what is wrong with you to what happened to you, and it will soften how you read pain and behavior, your own and everybody else’s.
Workbook for What Happened to You? by Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. and Oprah Winfrey
The companion workbook. Room to sit with your own patterns, your resilience, and your healing at your own pace.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom A faith-filled survival story about courage, forgiveness, and holding onto God through the unimaginable.
Night by Elie Wiesel Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir. Short, unforgettable, and it asks one thing of you, to bear witness.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris A survival story set in the worst place on earth, about love and endurance and the stubborn will to keep going.
The Life We Never Expected by Andrew and Rachel Wilson For parents raising children with disability and learning to trust God in a life that looks nothing like the one they planned.
Books for Forgiveness, Rejection, and Emotional Healing
For the reader working through rejection, betrayal, resentment, and relationships that left a mark. These help you name what happened, set down what was never yours to carry, and heal without pretending the hurt did not count.
Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst on the tangled work of forgiving real hurt, betrayal and resentment included, without pretending the pain did not matter. This one lines up with the way I think about forgiveness.
Workbook for Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst The companion workbook. Journaling room and prompts to actually walk it out instead of just reading about it and closing the cover.
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins on letting people make their own choices and quitting the chase, so you stop handing your peace to folks who were never going to hold it gently.
The Art of Mindful Thinking by Julie Lillis, LMHC On slowing down, noticing your own thoughts, and being present instead of living three steps ahead of yourself.
The Hidden Life Code by Mason Beckerman O. A reflective read for the person curious about the patterns running quietly underneath their own choices.
Isaac Melber
Welcome to the most amazing author and lover of Jesus. My sweet nephew. One of the greatest humans I have ever had the privilege to love.
Twice Delivered: A Story of Two Families, Two Worlds, and One Redeeming Love by Isaac Melber A moving memoir about adoption, identity, grief, faith, and redemption. Isaac Melber shares his journey from early loss in Ethiopia to adoption in Kentucky, wrestling honestly with belonging, pain, and God’s purpose. This book is a powerful reminder that God wastes nothing and is always writing a greater story than we can see.
Professional, Counseling, and Business Resources
These lean professional, for therapists and students. People who are heading toward licensure. Anybody building a practice or sharpening how they talk about mental health. Up front: none of this is official licensing guidance, legal advice, or supervision. It does not replace checking your own state board.
The National Licensing Exam for Marriage & Family Therapy by Dr. Lucas A. Volini A study companion for MFT students and clinicians prepping for the national exam.
MFT Exam Flashcards by Marriage and Family Therapy Exam Secrets Test Prep Team. For reviewing theories, ethics, and treatment-planning concepts in bite-sized pieces. Good for the drive or the waiting room.
Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller on clarifying your message and building a marketing plan without overcomplicating the whole thing. Useful if you are growing a practice.
Bad Therapy by Abigail Shrier A pointed, contrarian take on modern therapy culture and mental health parenting. Worth reading with a discerning eye and a willingness to think hard.
Looking for the books I have written myself? They are gathered on my My Books page.
These resources are shared for encouragement and education only. They are not therapy, medical advice, or a substitute for professional care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.