Addictions
Understanding Addiction Known Science – No stigma By Dr Chuck Smith and Jason Hunt
Why we like this book:
Smith and Hunt, two highly educated medical professionals present addiction as a medical condition, akin to diseases like diabetes or heart disease.
Their medical background and lived experience with addiction gives them a unique take on addiction which is evident throughout the book. The book delves into various aspects of addiction, including risk factors, screening methods, detoxification processes, treatment strategies, and the pros and cons of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. This comprehensive approach equips readers with knowledge to better navigate the complexities of addiction.
The authors firsthand encounters with the challenges of addiction add authenticity and empathy to the discussion and makes this book a resource for anyone seeking to understand addiction beyond the surface level.
Grief and Loss
Resilient Grieving by Lucy Hone
Why we like this book:
Hone is a practicing psychologist and grief researcher who provides a practical, compassionate approach to navigating grief and loss.
Based her own experience of loosing her 12 year old daughter, Hone offers a refreshing perspective on how to cope with profound loss through a scientifically backed framework for grieving. Hone introduces the concept of resilient grieving—a way of grieving that allows us to honour the depth of our pain while also learning to rebuild and move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and meaning.
This framework empowers grievers to understand that they don’t have to be stuck in their grief forever, and it’s possible to feel both sorrow and strength at the same time. The book is not just about enduring grief, but about thriving after loss. Hone encourages readers to find new ways to live fully, even while carrying the weight of their grief.
Throughout Resilient Grieving, Hone offers hope, but it is not the kind of hope that promises everything will be okay or that time will magically heal all wounds. Instead, it’s a realistic, grounded hope: the hope that with time, support, and resilience, individuals can rebuild their lives in meaningful ways, despite—and often because of—their loss.
Parenting
The teenage brain: a Neuroscientists survival guide to raising adolescents and young adults by Frances Jensen and Amy Nutt
Why we like this book:
The Teenage brain is written by a mother and neuroscientist who gives her own unique dual perspective which helps us understand the perplexities of the changes that occur during the teenage years.
The book makes sense of classic teenage behaviour—risk-taking, impulsiveness, emotional outbursts—by explaining how the adolescent brain is still developing. Despite being based on neuroscience, the book is written in an engaging, readable style.
Jensen offers practical advice on; How to communicate effectively with teens, understanding the risks of drugs, alcohol, and screen time on the adolescent brain and how to supporting teenagers with mental health struggles. This book provides us with practical parenting wisdom and helps parents learn how to respond to their teenagers in ways that support healthy development.
Good inside: A Practical Guide to Becoming the Parent you Want to Be by Dr Becky Kennedy
Why we like this book:
Dr Becky provides a must read book for all parents looking for practical strategies to use with their children. At the heart of Dr. Becky’s approach is a powerful idea: “All kids are good inside—even when their behaviour is hard.” She blends insights from clinical psychology, attachment theory, neuroscience, mindfulness.
She explains why kids behave the way they do (e.g., tantrums, lying, sibling rivalry) and how to respond in ways that support emotional development—not just immediate compliance. The book is packed with real life examples, sample scripts and step by step advice for challenges like bedtime battles, separation anxiety, or emotional meltdowns.
Dr. Becky’s tone is warm, supportive, and empowering. She normalizes the messy, imperfect reality of parenting and offers tools—not shame—to help parents improve while building resilience and strength in our kids.
Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different – And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men by Steve Biddulph
Why we like this book:
Author Steve Biddulph is both a psychologist and a father, and in this book he combines developmental psychology, neuroscience and common sense parenting to provide us with a book that is research informed and incredible relatable.
Raising boys addresses the unique emotional, psychological, and developmental needs of boys. It explains; How boys develop differently from girls (especially neurologically and hormonally),the importance of male role models and why boys often struggle with emotional expression along with how to support them. the book emphasizes the emotional lives of boys—an area often overlooked and encourages parents to; validate emotions, help build emotional literacy, foster kindness, empathy and resilience.
This emotional focus helps challenge outdated stereotypes of “toughness” and supports more balanced development which we in the field of psychology love to see. Raising boys is the perfect book to help parents raise emotionally strong, connected, and confident boys in a world that often gives them confusing messages about manhood.
Raising Girls in the 21st Century: From Babyhood to Womanhood – Helping Your Daughter to Grow Up Wise, Strong and Free by Steve Biddulph
Why we like this book:
Much like Raising Boys discussed above, in Raising Girls, Biddulph addresses the specific emotional, psychological, and developmental needs of girls in today’s world.
Biddulph focuses on the distinct challenges and pressures girls face, including; body image, self-esteem, peer pressure, social medical, emotional sensitivity, early sexualisation and mental health. Biddulph emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence, nurturing relationships, and open communication. He helps parents learn how to be emotionally present, validate their daughter’s feelings and help her build confidence, empathy, and resilience.
He speaks to both mothers and fathers, encouraging positive role modelling, strong boundaries, and open, respectful relationships. He shows how both parents—and extended family—can help raise girls who feel seen, strong, and safe. It helps parents raise girls who are confident, compassionate, and emotionally healthy in a culture that can be confusing and harsh.
Mental Health Treatment/Management
Reinventing your life: How to break free from negative life patterns and feel good again by Jeffery Young, Janet Klosko and Aaron Beck.
Why we like this book:
Reinventing your life is a fundamental book to support anyone undergoing schema therapy with their psychologist or looking to change lifelong patterns of behaviour. he book introduces “life-traps” (deeply ingrained patterns developed in childhood) and shows how they impact adult behaviour.
The book describes 11 common lifetraps (like abandonment, mistrust, dependence, unrelenting standards, etc.) and helps readers; recognize which ones affect them, understand where these patterns come from and learn strategies to break free. It’s not just about understanding the past—it gives you tools and exercises to challenge and change your thinking and behaviour. That combination of reflection and action is key to real change.
One of the reasons we love this book so much is that it can be used solo or in conjunction with your therapy with a trained psychologist. Both Natalie and Teri here at Creative Cognitions are huge advocates of schema therapy and use this model regularly in their practice.
The Happiness Trap: Stop struggling start living By Russ Harris
Why we like this book:
Author Russ Harris is the leading advocate of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a therapy widely used by thousands of therapists worldwide. The book teaches you how to deal with negative emotions like anxiety, stress, and depression in a way that doesn’t add to the problem.
Harris challenges the common belief that you should always be happy or that happiness is a goal to strive for. The book reframes happiness, arguing that life is about experiencing a full range of emotions—both good and bad—not just chasing positive feelings. It’s a refreshing perspective for those who feel pressure to always be “happy” in a culture that prioritizes positivity.
The book offers a wealth of practical, evidence-based techniques and exercises. These are designed to help you deal with difficult emotions, reduce self-criticism, and take committed action toward your goals. Harris provides clear and actionable steps, making it easy for readers to apply the concepts in their everyday lives. The book also helps you learn how to focus on living a meaningful life based on your values, rather than being trapped by the pursuit of happiness or avoiding pain at all costs.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk
Why we like this book:
Bessel van der Kolk is a leading expert in the field of trauma, and his book combines scientific research with personal stories to make complex concepts about trauma more understandable for both professionals and lay readers.
One of the most powerful ideas in The Body Keeps the Score is that trauma isn’t just something that lives in the mind, but it manifests physically in the body. Van der Kolk explains how traumatic experiences can affect the brain’s structure and functioning, particularly in areas related to memory, emotions, and stress response. The book delves deeply into the wide-ranging effects of trauma on an individual.
It doesn’t just describe what happens to trauma survivors but also explores the neurological and psychological mechanisms behind those symptoms. This helps readers understand not just the “what,” but the “why” of trauma-related difficulties.
Personal Development
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
Why we like this book:
In this book, Dweck proposes the concept of fixed vs growth mindsets as it applies to students, professionals, parents, teachers, athletes, performers and leaders. The core message of the book is that effort, learning, and persistence matter more than talent.
It reframes failure as a natural and essential part of growth and that mistakes are an opportunity to learn, rather than a reason to give up or to take another path (and beat up on ones-self).
It is an easy to grasp concept yet its implications are deep and far-reaching. It changes how people view intelligence, talent, failure, and success.
How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
Why we like this book:
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is considered a classic and enduringly good book because it offers timeless, practical advice on communication, relationships, and human behaviour. It taps into universal truths about human nature people want to feel important, appreciated, and understood.
Carnegie’s core advice still works today, both personally and professionally. In the book Carnegie gives concrete techniques to use in interpersonal situations to improve communication skills, build empathy, increase active listening, handle difficult situations more effectively, influence without manipulation and make stronger connections with people.
We love this book because interpersonal skills are vital in our day to day lives and we all need an easy to read handbook on how to improve our skills in these areas because lets face it, not all of us have been taught these skills throughout our lives.
Brene Brown – imprecation – the gifts of imperfection
Why we like this book:
At its core, this book offers a bold and refreshing message: “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.” Rather than striving for perfection, Brené Brown encourages readers to embrace who they really are—with all their flaws, vulnerability, and humanity. Brené writes in a down-to-earth, honest, and often humorous tone.
She shares her own struggles with perfectionism, shame, and vulnerability, which makes the book feel more like a conversation with a wise and makes it deeply relatable. The book is based on extensive research in social work, shame, and vulnerability. Brown explores how shame, fear, and the need for approval get in the way of true joy, connection, and self-worth.
She introduces the idea of “Wholehearted living” and identifies 10 guideposts for cultivating a more authentic and meaningful life, such as; cultivating self-compassion, letting go of comparison, embracing creativity and finding meaningful work. It helps readers stop performing, start belonging (to themselves), and live more bravely and authentically.
The let them theory by Mel Robins
Why we like this book:
The book introduces a transformative mindset shift encapsulated in two simple words: “Let Them.” This approach encourages individuals to relinquish the need to control others’ behaviours and judgments, focusing instead on personal responses and actions.
It helps you recognise how much effort you waste into trying to change or control others and teaches you to re-direct that energy towards your own value-based behaviour. The book encompasses two main components of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which is acceptance and committed action towards value-based behaviour.
When we accept what we cannot control (in this case, other people including their perceived thoughts, judgements etc) and focus on ensuring our behaviour remains committed to our values, we find inner peace and reduce our stress.
A Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Why we like this book:
Author Viktor Frankl is a Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who in this book provides an exploration of the human quest for purpose and meaning in life. Throughout the book, Frankl shows that humans are incredibly resilient, and that the ability to find meaning in our experiences is what allows us to survive and thrive, even in the worst conditions.
He presents that resilience is not about ignoring pain, but about learning to make sense of it. Frankl presents that we are responsible for finding meaning in our own lives and that we must act with that awareness. Meaning isn’t handed to us; it’s something we have to discover, and often that discovery comes through action. The emphasis on taking responsibility for our lives, regardless of external circumstances, is both humbling and motivating.
This book is an inspiration read for anyone going through hardship who wants to learn how to use their hardships to build resilience and make their hardships mean something of growth and beauty moving forward.
Relationships and Marriage
Seven Principals for Making a Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John Gottman.
Why we like this book:
John and Julie Gottman are well renown as the guru’s of marital and relationship counselling. Their Gottman method of relationship counselling is practiced by thousands of therapists worldwide and is deep routed in evidence based principles founded from over 40 years of research including longitudinal observations in his famous “Love Lab.”
Gottman focuses this approach on what successful couples do right. He identifies small, everyday behaviours and emotional habits that build long-term connection and trust.
The book outlines seven specific, evidence-based principles that help couples improve their relationship. Each principle comes with exercises, quizzes, and tools couples can use to improve their relationship right away. Gottman emphasizes that conflict is normal and doesn’t necessarily mean a relationship is broken. What matters more is how couples manage conflict—especially through mutual respect and emotional connection. Instead of “fixing” a marriage with big changes, Gottman shows how small, everyday moments of connection—shared jokes, thoughtful gestures, listening—create a strong foundation over time. It gives couples real tools—not fluff—for building a relationship that lasts, with more empathy, connection, and joy.