This book helps those aspiring toward recovery and wellness and also those in recovery, because it addresses and challenges the individual - in very real, basic and honest ways - to make significant cognitive adjustments in how they live their lives. The beauty of this curriculum is that people like to do it and don't consider it a chore, a demand, or a requirement, because every page subtly encourages the individual to think in realistic and forward-moving ways. This allows them to feel good about doing the work. This book is for any person who struggles with their mental health and who wants to live a happier life as well as for any person who wants to improve their quality of life, how they deal with stress, obstacles, difficulties and other people and live a happier, healthy and much more stable life. I based this book on my personal life and recovery, and every page has been used successfully in peer group settings.
This book helps those aspiring toward recovery and also those in recovery, because it addresses and challenges the individual-in very real, basic and honest ways to make significant cognitive adjustments in how they live their lives. The beauty of this curriculum is that people like to do it and don't consider it a chore, a demand, or a requirement, because every page subtly encourages the individual to think in realistic and forward-moving ways. This allows them to feel good about doing the work. I based this book on my personal life and recovery, and every page has been used successfully in peer group settings. "Although the journey of recovery unfolds differently for each person, exploring and sharing experiences and coping strategies can help people know they are not alone. Better Days: A Mental Health Recovery Workbook provides a structure for someone to sort through what they do for themselves now and what new ways they might care for themselves. The optimistic and hopeful messages that serve as the introduction to each section can be used equally well in a group or individually for reflecting on life, on challenges, and on the meaning and process of recovery. While not yet widely used, Better Days holds promise as a useful tool for people in recovery." Patricia B. Nemec, PsyD, CRC, CPRP "I believe that what Craig Lewis offers with Better Days: A Mental Health Recovery Workbook is an indispensable tool for those seeking real recovery. Craig comes from the place of first-hand knowledge of how it feels to go through the suffering, and also how it feels to break through to the other side and feel the joy of life in the midst of all its challenges. As someone who has worked in the field for many years, I have a deep appreciation of the way that Craig cuts through to the immediate needs of the person trying to change. Craig provides a simple but elegant template for healing. I am proud to call Craig colleague, friend and fellow traveler on the recovery path." Stephen Dansiger, PsyD, MFT Chief Clinical Director, BLVD Centers Founder and Publisher, StartAgain "Craig Lewis had written the Better Days Recovery Workbook to help his fellow peers in their recovery from mental health struggles and addictions. I have been privileged to have met Craig years ago and know of the great work he did running the Better Days support groups at the Boston Resource Center, an organization that I co-founded. We all have had times in our lives when we have felt down or depressed. This workbook is something that one can pick up and immediately find something of interest that will raise one's spirits. This workbook is also excellent for people who are leading support or other peer groups." Howard D. Trachtman, BS, CPS, CPRP Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community and Southeast Recovery Learning Community Leadership Team and Director of Constituent Affairs "Craig's workbook shares his heart felt experiences of his journey in recovery. I taught a class using this workbook to a group of people in recovery at the B.U. Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Education Program and it was warmly accepted. The group felt inspired in their own recovery as a result of using this workbook. The Better Days Workbook should be an essential part of any recovery program." Leonard Mulcahy BA, CPT, CPRP, CPS Fitness Coordinator Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Pathways to Recovery: A Strengths Recovery Self-Help Workbook is a strengths-based workbook created for persons in recovery from mental illness. The workbook includes self-assessments and excercises to help readers set and achieve goals in all areas of their lives. Also included in the workbook are personal experiences from people in recovery. Pathways to Recovery has been recognized as one of the top 3 recovery resources by the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation & Recovery and is currently being used throughout the U.S. and many other countries.
You're Crazy Volume One compiles twenty-five first-hand accounts of people from the punk scene who live with mental illness, addiction and trauma. This volume also includes two stories of punk rockers who are allies to those of us who struggle and their experience. This book exists to help empower the writers who are sharing their personal experiences so that they can be better understood. It also exists to help show that we are not alone in this world and that life can get better. It's a necessity in our community. We all deserve to be heard. You're Crazy aims to help decrease the stigma that the authors, and those like them, face while dealing with mental illness, addiction and trauma. By sharing their stories they are putting themselves on the line as they take ownership of their lives and experiences while demonstrating the reality of their lives. These stories educate and inspire, increasing understanding and empathy while reducing stigma.
"This book can help you develop a spirited savvy in recovery-oriented cognitive therapy over the course of fifteen chapters, which we have organized into three parts: The first six chapters in Part I introduce you to recovery-oriented cognitive therapy, the basic model and how it works. Building on the basics, the five chapters in Part II extend understanding, strategy, and intervention to the challenges that have historically gotten the person stuck: negative symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, communication challenges, trauma, self-injury, aggressive behavior, and substance use. The final four chapters in Part III delve deeper into specific settings and applications - individual therapy, therapeutic milieu, group therapy, and families"--
Readers are walked through strategies by a therapist and her former patient. 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder was lauded as a "brave and hopeful book" as well as "remarkably readable." Now, the authors have returned with a companion workbook—offering all new assignments, strategies, and personal reflections to help those who suffer from an eating disorder heal their relationship to food and their bodies. Clients of Costin and Grabb consistently tell them that knowing they are both recovered is one of the most helpful aspects of their treatment. With this experience as a foundation, the authors bring together years of clinical expertise and invaluable personal testimony, from themselves and others, to the strategies in this book. Readers will get a glimpse of what it's like to be in therapy with either Carolyn or Gwen. Filled with tried and true practical exercises, goal sheets, food journal forms, clinical anecdotes and stories, readers are guided in exploring their thoughts, feelings, and coping strategies while being encouraged to choose how they want to approach the material. This book is an important resource to anyone living with destructive or self-defeating eating behaviors.
With astonishing honesty, this memoir reveals what mental illness looks and feels like from the inside, and how healing from borderline personality disorder is possible through intensive therapy and the support of loved ones. With astonishing honesty, this memoir, Get Me Out of Here, reveals what mental illness looks and feels like from the inside, and how healing from borderline personality disorder is possible through intensive therapy and the support of loved ones. A mother, wife, and working professional, Reiland was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at the age of 29--a diagnosis that finally explained her explosive anger, manipulative behaviors, and self-destructive episodes including bouts of anorexia, substance abuse, and promiscuity. A truly riveting read with a hopeful message. Excerpt: "My hidden secrets were not well-concealed. The psychological profile had been right as had the books on BPD. I was manipulative, desperately clinging and prone to tantrums, explosiveness, and frantic acts of desperation when I did not feel the intimacy connection was strong enough. The tough chick loner act of self-reliance was a complete facade."
An Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book Recommendation. Winner of the 4Th International Beverly Hills Book Awards in the category of Addiction & Recovery! Is your addiction taking control of your life? This book provides an integrative, seven-step program to help you finally overcome drug and alcohol addiction, once and for all. If you struggle with addiction, seeking treatment is a powerful, positive first step toward eventual recovery. But gaining an understanding of the causes of addiction—such as feelings of helplessness or loss of control—is also crucial for recovery. In this book, addiction expert Suzette Glasner-Edwards offers evidence-based techniques fusing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based relapse prevention to help you move past your addictive behaviors. On the long road to addiction recovery, you need as many tools as possible to help you stay sober and reach your destination. That’s why this is the first book to combine research-proven motivational techniques, CBT, and mindfulness-based strategies to help you create your own unique recovery plan. The book can be used on its own or as an adjunct to rehab or therapy. It also makes a wonderful resource for loved ones and professionals treating addiction. If you're ready to take that important first step toward recovery, this book can help you beat your addiction and get back to living a full, meaningful life.
