Psychology Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Stepping Out the Other Side by Peter Bell

Part memoir, part self-help guide, and part philosophical treatise, Stepping Out the Other Side: Finding Purpose Through Adversity by Peter Bell is the engrossing story of the author’s journey through mental illness, which could have stalled or shattered his life, but instead drove him to new levels of purpose and fulfillment.

The journal style of writing at the start of the book is a visceral dive into the emotions and processes of mental illness and professional counseling, while the recovery and resurgence segments of the book are written in a more traditional narrative. The storytelling is unique in its raw, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-28T08:55:43+02:00September 28th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Psychology Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: Surviving the Darkness by Robert Nicholls

Having recovered from a battle with “the black dog,” as depression is sometimes known, author Robert Nicholls shares the discoveries gained in that difficult process in Surviving the Darkness: Lessons Learned from a Battle with Depression and Anxiety.

Nicholls was a successful business owner, a specialist in business law, and former prosecutor, who had made significant headway in life as a husband, father, and professional. In pursuing his ambitions, he began to neglect all aspects of life except his work – he took less time for recreation, became chronically tired, gained weight, became fearful about social connections, and began […]

SPR2020-08-18T02:40:42+02:00August 16th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Health Book Reviews, Psychology Book Reviews|

Accepting Life on Life’s Terms: Taoist Psychology for Uncertain Times by Chris L. McClish

Basing his advice on the Eastern philosophy of the Tao Te Ching, counselor Chris L. McClish presents an appealing guide to self-help psychology in Accepting Life on Life’s Terms: Taoist Psychology for Uncertain Times.

An explanation of Taoism winds through the narrative, with an emphasis on accepting what is and what isn’t doing harm. McClish declares that it may be relatively easy to accept that we can’t control circumstances, but it is harder to control ourselves. Always exploring the roads less traveled, McClish has established a list of self-limiting factors he calls ACE: Avoiding, Controlling, and Escaping. He counters […]

SPR2019-01-23T12:06:30+02:00January 22nd, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Psychology Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

What Your Therapist Is Really Thinking by Mirel Goldstein, MS, MA, LPC

Though the title may not suggest it, What Your Therapist Is Really Thinking is a work of fiction that aims to answer questions patients may have when entering into therapy.

Shira, a single mom, begins therapy with Dr. G. after the breakup of her marriage to an abuser. The doctor observes Shira’s different moods and aspects – sometimes open and affable, at other times silent, hostile, or frozen. Shira’s parents, with whom she lives, are overbearing, immediately seeing the negative “what-ifs” in every situation. Dr. G helps her see that she is accustomed to feeling guilty and inferior, and Shira […]

Barbara Scott2018-04-17T11:49:04+02:00April 17th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Psychology Book Reviews|

Review: Lunacy and Death by Tom Dombrock

Outside of a personal tragedy or affliction, the average person rarely gets a deep look into the complexities of mortality and mental illness. However, in Lunacy and Death, the insightful new book Tom Dombrock, readers are welcomed into the author’s world, which has been defined by these challenging topics for decades.

As both a Psych Aide in a locked psychiatric ward and a technician in a Medical Examiner’s Office, Dombrock has seen more shattered realities than most people could ever imagine. This book is not a flashy or dramatic vision of a psych ward, à la One Flew Over […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T15:12:54+02:00April 13th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Psychology Book Reviews, Social Science Book Reviews|

Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution by Dr. David Lee Fish

Author and doctor David Lee Fish presents an innovative method to overcome performance anxiety in Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution.

A student of Zen, Fish promotes the concept of mindfulness, now an accepted process among some psychologists. The basic theory of mindfulness is living in the present moment, which seems anathema to anyone suffering from stage fright, who wants to do anything but live in the present moment.

Stage fright, Fish asserts, is a combination of one’s perceptions about the audience, plus concerns about the judgment that results from one’s performance and the implied threat to one’s […]

Barbara Scott2018-03-23T11:12:57+02:00March 22nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Psychology Book Reviews|

Review: CBT Worksheets for Anxiety (2nd Edition) by Dr. James Manning & Dr. Nicola Ridgeway

Dr. James Manning and Dr. Nicola Ridgeway once again provide their expertise on mental health in an update to one of their first books, CBT Worksheets for Anxiety. A revised manual, this book is an all-purpose guide to “CBT,” short for “Cognitive behavioral therapy.” This is a type of psychological therapy designed to alleviate anxiety, as well as other psychological issues.

CBT employs goal-setting and incremental, step-by-step rebuilding of unhealthy thought processes and problematic thought patterns, and is currently considered one of the most effective approaches to psychotherapy. This volume focuses on what benefits this approach can have for […]

James Grimsby2019-02-11T09:39:12+02:00October 2nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Psychology Book Reviews|

Review: Love Yourself Love Your Life by A.P. Filosa, Psy.D.

Dr. A.P. Filosa is a licensed clinical psychologist based privately in Virginia, using and refining her techniques in the day-to-day operation of her therapeutic practice. She brings over 25 years of clinical experience to the table and incorporates every part of this into the composition of her book, Love Yourself Love Your Life, which aims to bring a revolutionary method of self-help to readers called “shattered analysis.”

Many of the core tenets of Filosa’s doctrine stem from longstanding traditional beliefs and practices in psychological health, to the degree that various claims and general references to scientific findings are rarely […]