My favourite resources: October – December 2021
My favourite resources: October – December 2021
Here’s another reminder about the purpose of this blog: I really want this blog to be a useful space where people can find all sorts of therapeutically relevant information, mixed up with a good dollop of personal reflections and ramblings with a sprinkling of humour for good measure. I also want it to be a place where you can find links to all the resources that I share with clients, things that I think have strong therapeutic merit or that are innovative and really want people to see.
Therapy isn’t just about what happens in session. I’m all about being creative with therapy – that’s what the whole ‘therapy. done differently’ is about. I believe that therapy can also come in the form of blogs, podcasts, books and conversations with other people who are important to your healing.
This is the last week of the quarter and I’m again sharing some of my favourite blogs, websites, books, apps etc. with you all – these are the things I’ve been devouring – would love to hear what you think of them!
Podcasts / YouTube interviews:
My new podcast and YouTube channel this quarter has been the accidental discovery of The Weekend University which I’ve been consuming obsessively and sharing wherever I think might be useful. Here are some of my favourite episodes so far:
- Richard Schwartz on Internal Family Systems (IFS) https://youtu.be/Lw1UyTxUENI
- Kristen Neff on Self-Compassion https://theweekenduniversity.com/podcasts/the-science-of-self-compassion/
- Irene Lyon on Polyvagal Theory / The Nervous System https://theweekenduniversity.com/podcasts/polyvagal-theory-irene-lyon/
- Gabor Maté, Richard Schwartz and Marc Lewis on trauma and addiction https://theweekenduniversity.com/podcasts/gabor-mate-richard-schwartz-marc-lewis-rethinking-addiction/
I’m often asked about ADHD and whether I think clients should be having assessments for ADHD – thanks TikTok for shining a spotlight on this one! For people who are interested in having a broader understanding of ADHD and how we can approach it I suggest this resource from Gabor Maté who has ADHD himself but conceptualises it through a trauma lens: https://drgabormate.com/adhd/. As with all mental health diagnoses I’m a big proponent of ensuring clients are informed consumers of their own mental health situation, which includes both diagnosis and treatment.
And lastly for this quarter there’s Esther Perel’s podcast, Where Should We Begin which honestly is a great resource for anyone who has ever loved or anyone who is in a relationship. Esther is one of my therapist crushes and is an incredible couple’s therapist. If you haven’t see her Ted Talk’s I really recommend them too (click here for those)! Esther’s research is around maintaining desire in long-term relationships, monogamy and understanding the dynamics of affairs. Her podcast is really fascinating as each episode is a one-off couple’s therapy session. It’s like listening in on a therapy session, but also like experiencing therapy for yourself in podcast form. Brilliant!
Books:
- No Bad Parts – Richard Schwartz
- Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle – Emily Nagoski
- The Drama of the Gifted Child (The Search for the True Self) – Alice Miller
- Fierce Self-Compassion – Kristen Neff
- The Book of Form and Emptiness – Ruth Ozeki [novel]
Websites:
I think I’ve shared this website before but Kristen Neff’s https://self-compassion.org/ has had a bit of refresh lately, with a ton of new content to coincide with her new book (see above).
Also, at this time of year I’m all over Susannah Conway’s website (click here) as she provides an amazing free workbook to help work through the messy parts of this year combined with a goal setting / intention-focus for the forthcoming year. It is a practice I relish sitting down to every year – if you like a guided, narrative, reflective practice, you will LOVE this.
Apps:
- Headway – key summaries of books
- Sleep Restore – based on bi-lateral stimulation, used in EMDR
- eMoods – mood tracker