Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT

A Brief explanation of the book:
This engaging guide explains how our attempts to control anxiety often backfire and feed it instead. Using the metaphor of a noisy “monkey mind,” it helps readers recognize anxious thoughts, stop reinforcing them, and break free from the cycle of fear and avoidance. The author, an experienced therapist, offers a practical, step-by-step CBT-based method to retrain the brain and cultivate inner peace.

Age range:
Ages 16 and up — appropriate for older teens, young adults, and adults who can engage with therapeutic ideas and apply them independently or in therapy.

Recommended for:
Anyone struggling with anxiety, chronic worry, panic, or avoidance. It’s also an excellent tool for therapists and clinicians who want an accessible and effective resource to use with their clients in sessions or as homework.

Evidence-Based Practices:
This book incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It teaches core therapeutic techniques like thought defusion, mindfulness, exposure, and behavioral activation—all supported by research and clinical outcomes.

Why I recommend it:
I recommend this book because it’s clear, relatable, and above all—practical. The metaphor of “feeding the monkey” makes complex mental habits easy to understand. I’ve found it helpful not only for clients who feel trapped in anxious patterns, but also for clinicians seeking straightforward tools to guide effective therapy.

Thoughts and Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life
by Matthew McKay PhD, Martha Davis PhD, and Patrick Fanning

A Brief explanation of the book:
This fully updated 40th anniversary edition is a comprehensive, easy-to-read workbook for managing emotional struggles and transforming your inner world. It includes over twenty evidence-based techniques and a helpful chart that guides readers—based on specific mental health challenges—to the most relevant chapters to begin with, making it both structured and personalized.

Age range:
Ages 17 and up — suitable for older teens and adults who are ready to work actively on their emotional well-being.

Recommended for:
Individuals facing depression, anxiety, anger, low self-worth, or emotional overwhelm, and clinicians seeking a rich, adaptable resource for clients. It’s excellent for self-help, therapy sessions, or as guided reading between sessions.

Evidence-Based Practices:
The book integrates tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, self-compassion, habit reversal, and value clarification. Each approach is backed by research and widely used in therapeutic settings.

Why I recommend it:
This book is a treasure for both clients and therapists—clear, structured, and deeply practical. The guide chart makes it easy to jump in based on your specific need, and the writing is accessible and empowering. I’ve used it often in therapy to help clients understand themselves and make meaningful progress.

The Uncontrollable Child: Understand and Manage Your Child’s Disruptive Moods with Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills
by Matis Miller, LCSW

A Brief explanation of the book:
This insightful and compassionate guide is specifically designed for parents raising emotionally intense and dysregulated children. Grounded in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), it provides practical tools - like mindfulness, validation, limit-setting, and behavior shaping - to help parents respond effectively and lovingly to outbursts, rage, and impulsivity. The book strikes a vital balance between firm structure and deep emotional understanding.

Age range:
Aimed at parents of children and teens aged approximately 6 to 18 who struggle with emotional dysregulation and behavioral challenges.

Recommended for:
Parents of children with explosive tempers, mood dysregulation, or challenging behaviors - particularly those with diagnoses like DMDD, ADHD, or autism spectrum features. Also recommended for clinicians and therapists who work with families navigating emotional and behavioral crises.

Evidence-Based Practices:
This book is rooted in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based treatment approach known for helping individuals with intense emotional responses. It applies DBT skills to the parenting context, offering techniques like radical acceptance, emotional validation, and consistent boundary-setting.

Why I recommend it:
This is one of the best practical resources for parents dealing with truly difficult behaviors. It’s clear, relatable, and deeply validating. I recommend it often to families—and use it myself in clinical work—because it empowers parents with skills and confidence while nurturing a more peaceful, connected home.

Good Inside: A Practical Guide to Resilient Parenting Prioritizing Connection Over Correction
by Dr. Becky Kennedy

A Brief explanation of the book:
This bestselling parenting guide introduces a revolutionary yet deeply compassionate model: that all children (and parents) are good inside. Instead of relying on behavior-based tools like rewards and punishments, Dr. Becky focuses on connection, emotional regulation, and long-term resilience. Through real-life examples and practical tools, she helps parents become sturdy leaders while fostering emotional growth in their children.

Age range:
Geared toward parents of children from toddlerhood through adolescence. Also relevant for educators and therapists working with families.

Recommended for:
Parents who feel overwhelmed, burnt out, or unsure how to handle daily struggles like tantrums, anxiety, sibling fights, or big emotions. It’s also valuable for clinicians seeking a modern, emotionally-attuned parenting model to share with clients.

Evidence-Based Practices:
While written in an accessible tone, the book is built on principles from attachment theory, emotional regulation, internal family systems (IFS), and trauma-informed care. It emphasizes co-regulation, validation, and long-term skill-building—backed by psychological and developmental research.

Why I recommend it:
I recommend Good Inside because it validates both parents and children while offering clear, actionable guidance. It shifts the focus from controlling behavior to building relationships and emotional strength. It’s become a go-to in my work with parents who want to raise resilient, connected, and emotionally secure children.

Bullies to Buddies: A Torah Guide for Turning Your Enemies into Friends by Izzy Kalman

A Brief explanation of the book:
This Torah-based guide offers a powerful, practical approach for Jewish students who face bullying, ridicule, or exclusion. Drawing on timeless Torah values and modern psychology, Izzy Kalman teaches readers how to understand social dynamics, disarm cruelty, and turn hostility into friendship—all through the transformative power of ve’ahavta lere’acha kamocha.

Age range:
Ideal for ages 10 to 18—especially suited for talmidim and talmidos in elementary and high school settings.

Recommended for:
Children and teens in yeshivos or Jewish schools who are experiencing bullying, social difficulties, or peer conflict. It’s also recommended for parents, mechanchim, and clinicians who want a Torah-aligned, emotionally intelligent approach to help children navigate challenging social situations.

Evidence-Based Practices:
While steeped in Torah values, the book is grounded in principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), conflict resolution, and social-emotional learning. It teaches readers to remain calm, confident, and non-reactive—proven methods for reducing bullying dynamics.

Why I recommend it:
I personally use Bullies to Buddies with my clients and have seen firsthand how empowering it is. It teaches children to stand tall without fighting back, and to change social dynamics by changing their own reactions. It's practical, deeply aligned with Torah values, and life-changing for anyone struggling with peer rejection or bullying.

ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
by Russ Harris (Foreword by Steven C. Hayes, PhD)

A Brief explanation of the book:
This fully updated second edition is a clear, accessible guide to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It explains the six core ACT processes—such as defusion, acceptance, values, and committed action—in a user-friendly, practical way. With scripts, metaphors, worksheets, and real therapy transcripts, it equips therapists to apply ACT in-session and help clients make meaningful, lasting change.

Age range:
Best suited for mental health professionals, graduate students, and advanced practitioners. Also useful for clients seeking to understand ACT in plain language.

Recommended for:
Therapists, social workers, coaches, and clinicians looking to integrate ACT into their practice or deepen their existing ACT skills.

Evidence-Based Practices:
ACT is a third-wave behavioral therapy with strong empirical support across multiple diagnoses, including anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, and personality disorders. The book emphasizes mindfulness, acceptance, values clarification, and psychological flexibility—core mechanisms shown to promote clinical progress and emotional resilience.

Why I recommend it:
I personally use ACT Made Simple in my clinical work and find it incredibly effective. It breaks down complex theory into relatable, usable tools for real sessions. Whether you’re just starting with ACT or looking to sharpen your skills, this book is an invaluable guide to helping clients move from stuckness to meaningful action.

Life Is Now: Creating Moments of Joy, Courage, Kindness, and Serenity by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

A Brief Explanation of the Book:
This uplifting book guides the reader toward a more joyful and fulfilling life by embracing the power of the present moment. Rabbi Zelig Pliskin encourages readers to shed regrets of the past and worries about the future, and instead focus on what they can do now to live meaningfully. Through stories, insights, and practical advice, the book shows how to cultivate gratitude, serenity, self-acceptance, and emotional resilience.

Age Range:
Ages 16 and up — suitable for teens, adults, and seniors looking for emotional growth and spiritual clarity.

Recommended for:
Individuals struggling with stress, self-criticism, or low mood; positive psychology, or self-help literature; therapists and educators looking for gentle, values-based approaches to personal development.

Evidence-Based Practices:
While not an academic or clinical text, the book promotes mindfulness, cognitive reframing, gratitude practice, and self-compassion — all of which are strongly supported by contemporary psychological research, especially in the fields of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), positive psychology, and CBT.

Why I Recommend It:
Rabbi Pliskin has a uniquely warm, sincere, and accessible style that inspires immediate application of deep truths. This book has personally helped me — and many of my clients — shift from ruminating or worrying to living intentionally and positively in the present moment. It’s one of those rare books that’s both emotionally comforting and practically empowering.

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. These are genuinely honest recommendations of books I personally bought, read, and use regularly in my work.