Educate Yourself
This page is a curated collection of resources that I find useful and often recommend and/or use in therapy. As an Amazon Associate affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and resources I find value in, not for the sole purpose of earning a commission. You are under no obligation to purchase any book, product, or service recommended on this site. I am not responsible for the quality or satisfaction of any purchase.
General Information
Child Development
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
Toilet Training in Less Than A Day by Nathan Azrin
Let's Get This Potty Started by Heather Wittenberg
Favorite Podcasts
Raising Good Humans by Aliza Pressman
Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting
Parenting
Raising Good Humans Dr. Aliza Pressman
Resilience, Motivation, and Family Relationships: Dr. Robert Brooks
Rebecca Sparrow: Helping Teens have a better life experience.
BOOKS:
What am I Feeling? by by John Gottman PhD and Talaris Research Institute (for younger children)
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel
How to Talk so Your Child Will Listen and How to Listen so Your Child Will Talk by Adele Farber and Elaine Mazlish
No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids by Laura Markham
Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein
Smart Parenting for Smart Kids by Eileen Kennedy Moore
Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind by Michael J. Bradley
Family Rules: Raising Responsible Children by Kenneth Kaye
Resilience and Mental Wellness
The Invisible Riptide - Resources to Build Mental Wellness Together
BOOKS:
From Surviving to VIbing: Filling in the Gaps by Dr. Caroline Danda and Carron Montgomery
The Invisible Riptide by Carron Montgomery
Your Life, Your Way: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills to Help Teens Manage Emotions and Build Resilience by Joseph Ciarrochi and Louise Hayes
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens by Joseph Ciarrochi, Louise Hayes, and Ann Bailey
Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens by Sheri Van Dijk
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Hound by Charlie Mackesy (now on Apple TV too)
Big Panda and Tiny Dragon and The Journey by James Norbury
Understanding Your Brain
Brain-Body Parenting by Mona Delahooke
The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy
FOR KIDS:
Dear You, Love From Your Brain by Karen Young
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak, PhD
My Fantabulous Brain by Julia Cook
The Little Brain People and the Hug that Got Stuck by Andrew Newman
Growth Mindset and Gratitude
Mistakes are How I Learn by Kiara Wilson
I Can Do Hard Things by Gabi Garcia
Bubble Gum Brain by Julia Cook
Thanks for the Feedback by Julia Cook
Trying by Kobi Yamada (and his other books)
Feeling Grateful and Finding Muchness and Chasing Dreams by Kobi Yamada
The Candy Dish by Kobi Yamada
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) & Learning
Let’s Talk Kids Health ADHD info for parents and courses for kids and parents to take together
Learn with Dr Emily: information about how neurodivergent children develop, play, and learn
How to ADHD: tips, tricks and insights into the ADHD brain in fun YouTube Videos
ADHDKC (Local Support Group)
Podcast about Medication: Adderall, Stimulants & Modafinil for ADHD: Short- & Long-Term Effects - Huberman Lab This is a super in-depth look at the science and brain functioning in those with ADHD and the meds used for them.
ADHD Medications for Kids (Attitude Mag) - Great general information about ADHD medication used for kids.
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
Brain Function and ADHD: Why Medicine Helps Those with ADHD
BOOKS FOR PARENTS:
Parenting ADHD with Wisdom and Grace by Tish Taylor
ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction--from Childhood through Adulthood by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents (Fourth Edition) by Russell A. Barkley PhD
Understanding Girls with ADHD, Updated and Revised: How They Feel and Why They Do What They Do by Kathleen Nadeau, Ellen Littman, and Patricia Quinn
Your Kid's Gonna Be Okay: Building the Executive Function Skills Your Child Needs in the Age of Attention by Michael Delman
BOOKS FOR KIDS:
Be Where You’re Feet Are by Julia Cook
All Dogs Have ADHD by Kay Hoopman
Attention Girls: A Guide to Learn All About Your ADHD by Patricia Quinn
Hey Sigmund - Building Courage in Kids and Teens
Worrywise Kids (great info)
Anxiety Canada (great education, strategies, and programs for children/teens and their parents)
Cool Little Kids (web-based program for parents of anxious children aged 3-6)
Anxiety Challenger app (set up challenges to support coping and rewards)
BOOKS:
Growing Up Brave by Donna Pincus
If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents by Edna B. Foa and Linda Wasmer Andrews
Super-Powered by Renee-Jain
For Kids:
Anxiety and OCD Support: Natasha Daniels (lots of YouTube videos and resources)
Hey Warrior by Karen Young
Please Explain Anxiety To Me by Laurie E. Zelinger and Jordan Zelinger
What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner and Bonnie Matthews
Outsmarting Worry by Dawn Huebner
What Do You Do with a Problem by Kobi Yamada
For Teens:
Put Your Worries Here: A Creative Journal for Teens with Anxiety by Lisa Schab
Stuff that Sucks: A Teen’s Guide to Accepting What You Can’t Change and Committing to What you Can by Ben Sedley
Brave: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety by Sissy Goff
Fear of Throwing Up (Emetophobia)
Guts: A Graphic Novel by Taina Telgemeier
Facing Mighty Fears About Throwing Up by Dawn Huebner
Perfectionism
What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake by Claire A.B. Freeland and Jacqueline B. Toner
Nobody’s Perfect: A Story for Children about Perfectionism by Ellen Flanagan Burns
What to Do When Good Enough Isn’t Good Enough: The Real Deal on Perfectionism: AGuidee for Kids by Thomas S. Greenspoon
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
Penelope Perfect: A Tale of Perfectionism Gone Wild by Shannon Anderson
Mistakes are How I Learn by Kiara Wilson
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF)
AT Parenting Survival: Help for Kids of All Ages with anxiety and OCD
Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Powerful, Practical Program for Parents of Children and Adolescents by Tamar Chansky
Talking Back to OCD: The Program that Helps Kids and Teens Say "No Way" and Parents to Say "Way to Go" by John March and Christine Benton
Up and Down the Worry Hill: A Children's Book about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and its Treatment by Aureen Pinto Wagner and Paul A. Jutton
What to do when your Child has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Strategies and Solutions by Aureen Pinto Wagner
What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD by Dawn Huebner and Bonnie Matthews
Stuff that’s Loud by Ben Sedley & Lisa Coyne
The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD by Zurita Ona
Tourette Syndrome
Tic Talk: Living with Tourette Syndrome: A 9-Year-Old Boy's Story in His Own Words by Dylan Peters, Paul Howey and Zachary Wendland
Tic Helper (an 8 week self-guided therapy program for families of children with tics)
Trichotillomania (Hairpulling)/Skin-picking
The Hair Pulling "Habit" and You: How to Solve the Trichotillomania Puzzle, Revised Edition by Ruth Goldfinger Golomb and Sherrie Mansfield Vavrichek
Body Image
The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald
The Body Image Book for Girls by Charlotte Markey
Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys by Charlotte Markey, Daniel Hart and Douglas Zacker
Mindfulness, Meditation, and Relaxation apps
Mindfulness Resources for Teens
BOOKS and GAMES
Pause Power by Jennifer Law
Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer
Peaceful Piggies by Kerry Lee MacLean
Catching Thoughts by Bonnie Clark
Master of Mindfulness: How to be Your Own Superhero in Times of Stress by Laurie Grossman
Noticing by Kobi Yamada
Mindfulness for Kids in 10 Minutes a Day: Simple Exercises to Feel Calm, Focused, and Happy by Maura Bradley (ages 8-12)
A Still Quiet Place for Teens: A Mindfulness Workbook to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions by Amy Saltzman
Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness, Focus, and Calm
Depression, Suicide, and Grief
The Columbia Light House Project: Identify Risk. Prevent Suicide. Provides evidence-based language to start conversations with kids about suicide, divided into age groups, starting as young as pre-school.
988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline Confidential Support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources, and best practices for professionals OR 1-800-273-8255 or Johnson County Crisis Line 913-268-0156
Speaking of Suicide. A site for suicidal individuals and their loved ones, survivors, mental health professionals, & others who care
Jason Foundation. Resources for students, educators, coaches, youth workers, and parents to help each other. Keeping Dreams Alive is their Tagline. Developed App A Friend Asks.
The Trevor Project Provides 24/7 crisis support services to LGBTQ youth. You can reach out to a counselor if you’re struggling, find answers and information, and get the tools you need to help someone else.
Speak Up: Break the Silence: Local organization offering multiple resources, support, and programming
The Solace House and The Dougy Center offer resources for grief
Apps
Better Stop Suicide: App designed to help you get your OK back. Offers tools such as recording a life-saving message, emotional check in, ways to calm and slow your mind, calming audio files, creating a gratitude list, and key support phone numbers.
A Friend Asks app designed to give kids confidence on how to talk to friends who are struggling.
Raising Good Humans: Ep 95: Suicide Prevention with Dr. Kelly Posner and Founder—Director of the Columbia Lighthouse Project. An urgent episode empowering all parents, caregivers and practitioners to feel armed with information about suicide prevention with Dr. Kelly Posner talks about suicide prevention.
Books
The Invisible Riptide by Carron Montgomery (free Discussion Guide)
From Surviving to Vibing: Filling in the Gaps by Carron Montgomery and Caroline Danda
Depression: A Teen’s Guide to Survive and Thrive by Jacqueline Toner
Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens by Mary Karapetian Alvord and Anne McGrath
Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking by Tamar Chansky
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Blueloon by Julia Cook (a book for young kids about feeling sad)
Internet and Social Media
Screenagers (podcast, website, and movie)
Devorah Heitner: Mentoring Kids in a Connected World
Common Sense Media (reviews and age ratings of of games, TV, movies, books)
Screen Sanity - Tips and Tools for Raising Digital Natives
American Psychological Association Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence and Recommendations
Aha Parenting: The First Cell Phone: Rules for Responsibility
PODCAST: S2 Ep 43: ANYTHING BUT MY PHONE, MOM! With Dr. Roni Cohen-Sandler
BOOKS
Parenting in the Screen Age: A Guide for Calm Conversations by Delaney Rushton
Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World by Devorah Heitner
iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy — and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood — and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Jean M Twenge
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport (for adults to model effective screen use)
Friendships, Social Skills, and Bullying
Good Friends Are Hard to Find: Help Your Child Find, Make, and Keep Friends by Fred Frankel
The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Make Friends by Natalie Madorsky Elman and Eileen Kennedy Moore
Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them (American Girl) by Patty Kelley Criswell and Stacy Peterson
A Smart Girl's Guide to Knowing What to Say (American Girl) by Patti Kelley Criswell and Angela Martini
A Smart Girl's Guide to Friendship Troubles by Patti Kelley Criswell (Author), Angela Martini (Illustrator)
Making Friends is An Art! by Julia Cook (for autism spectrum children)
Growing Friendships by Eileen Kennedy-Moore
Kid Confidence: Help Your Child Make Friends, Build Resilience, and Develop and Real Self-Esteem by Eileen Kennedy-Moore
Gastrointestinal Disorders and Pain Management
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD)
Conquering Your Child's Chronic Pain: A Pediatrician's Guide for Reclaiming a Normal Childhood by Lonnie K. Zeltzer and Christina Blackett Schlank
Managing Pain Before It Manages You by Margaret Caudill, MD, PhD, MPH
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