The following is a rather extensive list of self-help books to aid in your search for answers to the various challenges you face in your personal life and in your inter-personal relationships. While they certainly contain good information, it is important to remember that they do not take the place of specialized counseling with a trained Christian professional.
SPECIAL NOTICE
A guide to internet safety for teens: www.staysafe.org/teens/
ADDICTIONS
ALCOHOL and DRUG ADDICTION
https://www.rehabspot.com/family/
http://www.withdrawal.net/resources/withdrawal/reno-nv
http://www.treatment4addiction.com/rehab/nevada/reno/
http://www.alcoholTreatment.net
MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIPS
- Marriage and Family, Dennis Rainey
- The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman
- Love and Respect, Emerson Eggerichs
- The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate, Gary Chapman
- Making Love Last Forever, Gary Smalley
- Boundaries in Marriage, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend
- Relationships, Gary Smalley and John Trent
- As For Me and My House: Crafting Your Marriage to Last, Walter Wangerin
- Loving Your Marriage Enough to Protect It, Jerry Jenkins
- Hidden Keys of a Loving Lasting Marriage, Gary Smalley
- Created to be a helpmeet, Debi Pearal
- Created to need a helpmeet, Michael Pearl
- Torn Asunder Workbook: Recovering from Extramarital Affairs, Dave Carder
- Surviving an Affair, Willard Harley
- Affairs: Emergency Tactics from Discovery to Recovery, Carol Rhodes
- When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages; How to Stay Together When Life
- Pulls You Apart, Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott
- Angry Men and the Women Who Love Them: Breaking the Cycle of Physical and
- Emotional Abuse, Paul Hegstrom
- Love Must Be Tough; New Hope for Marriages in Crisis, Dr. James Dobson
- Hope for the Separated; Wounded Marriages Can Be Healed, Gary Chapman
- Healing the Hurt in Your Marriage; Beyond discouragement, anger, and resentment to forgiveness, Dr. Gary and Barbara Rosberg
- Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch, Les and Leslie Strobel
- Spiritual Warfare in Marriage, Bill Stonebraker
- When the Cradle is Empty: Answering Tough Questions About Infertility, John and Sylvia Van Regenmorter
- See also resources under “Sexuality”
FAMILY MATTERS
- Fantastic Families, Dr. Nick and Nancy Stinnett Joe & Alice Beam
- Boundaries With Kids, Cloud and Townsend
FAMILY FINANCES
- Five Steps to Successful Money Management, Lee Davis
- Financial Peace, Dave Ramsey
- Storm Shelter, Protecting Your Personal Finances, Ron Blue
- Taming the Money Monster, Ron Blue
- No Debt No Sweat, Steve Diggs www.nodebtnosweat.com, (615) 834-3063
- Debt-Proof Your Marriage and Debt-Proof Your Marriage Workbook, Mary Hunt
SEXUALITY
General Information
- Too Close to the Flame: Recognizing and Avoiding Sexualized Relationships, Dr. Gregg Jantz
- Sheet Music, Kevin Leman
- The Book of Romance, What Solomon Says About Love, Sex and Intimacy, Tommy Nelson
- The Sexual Man, Dr. Archibald Hart
- Secrets of Eve, Understanding the Mystery of Female Sexuality, Dr. Archibald Hart, Dr. Catherine Hart Weber and Debra Taylor
- Sex Begins in the Kitchen, Dr. Kevin Leman
Sexual Abuse in Childhood
- See also resources under “Special Problems”
- The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Dr. Dan Allender
- Allies In Healing: When the Person You Love Was Sexually Abused as a Child, Laura Davis
Homosexuality
- A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality, Joseph Nicolosi
- Coming Out of Homosexuality, Bob Davies and Lori Rentzel
- Setting the Record Straight, Dr. Larry Burtoff
- You Don’t Have to Be Gay, Jeff Konrad
- Love Won Out, workshops and materials from Focus on the Family, 1-800-232-6459, www.family.org
- Exodus International, www.exodusglobalalliance.org 1-888-246-0877
- When Homosexuality Hits Home: What to do When A Loved One Says They’re Gay, Joe Dallas
- Helping People Step Out of Homosexuality, Frank Worthen
- National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), www.narth.com 1-818-789-4440
PORNOGRAPHY
- See also resources under “Sex Addicts”
- Don’t Call it Love: Recovery From Sexual Addiction, Patrick Carnes
- The DRUG of the New Millennium, Mark Kastleman
- Pure Desire, Ted Roberts
- An Affair of the Mind, Laurie Hall
- False Intimacy, Harry Schaumburg
- Kids Online, Donna Rice Hughes
- Faithful and True: Sexual Integrity in a Fallen World, Mark Laaser
- Men Confront Pornography, Michael S. Kimmel
- Every Man’s Battle and Every Young Man’s Battle, Stephen Arturburn
- Every Woman’s Battle and Every Young Woman’s Battle, Shannon Ethridge
- www.settingcaptivesfree.com, (330) 620-8448, (free 12 step internet interactive program for sexual and other addictions)
- www.cyber-snoop.com, (800) 732-7596, (provides internet monitoring and filtering)
- www.filterreview.com, (directory of internet servers that filter questionable material)
- www.afafilter.com, (850) 362-4311, (internet server provided by American Family Association)
- www.integrityonline.com, (866) 449-1736, (provides an internet server, or a filter on other servers)
- www.safekids.com, (801) 596-3119, (provides rules and contracts for parents with children online)
- www.familyconnect.com, (918) 524-1010, (internet protected server)
- www.covenanteyes.com, (877) 479-1119, (provides internet accountability)
For Sex Addicts and Their Spouses
- Out of the Shadows, Patrick Carnes
- Don’t Call it Love: Recovery From Sexual Addiction, Patrick Carnes
- Breaking Free: Understanding Sexual Addiction and The Healing Power Of Jesus, Russell Willingham and Bob Davies
- Addicted to Love: Understanding Dependencies of the Heart, Romance, Relationships and Sex, Stephen Arterburn
- www.pureintimacy.org, (Focus on the Family-sponsored resource for pornography addiction)
- National Counsel on Sexual Addiction, (770) 989-9754
- www.faithfulandtrueministries.com, (866) 408-5433, Mark Laaser and Life Ministries International (resources for recovery)
- www.helpandhope.org, (888) 891-4673, Rob Jackson, (affiliated with Christian Alliance)
- www.sa.org, (866) 424-8777 Sexaholics Anonymous
- See also resources under “Pornography”
- For a list of Christian Counselors on file in your area with the following organizations contact:
- “Every Man’s Battle” workshops and resources from the New Life Ministries, (800) 639-5433 www.newlife.com
- Focus on the Family Counseling Center (719) 531-3400, www.family.org
PARENTING
General Information
- www.focusonyourchild.com, (800) 232-6459, resources from Focus on the Family
- Parent’s Guide to the Spiritual Growth of Children, Focus on the Family
- Money Matters (teaching children money management), Jim Weimann and Larry Burkett
- A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality, Joseph Nicolosi
- Protecting Your Child in An X-Rated World, Frank York and Jan LaRue
- How and When to Tell Your Kids About Sex, Stanton and Brenner James
- Movie Nights for Kids: 25 Flicks to Inspire, Entertain and Teach Your Children, John Fornof
- Keeping Your Kids Afloat When it Feels Like You’re Sinking, Cyndi Lamb Curry
- Boundaries With Kids, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend
- Answering the 8 Cries of the Spirited Child, David and Claudia Arp
- Dare to Discipline, James Dobson
- Hide or Seek, James Dobson
- The Strong-willed Child, James Dobson
- Bringing Up Boys, James Dobson
- Setting Limits, Robert MacKenzie
- Parenting with Love and Logic, Foster Cline and Jim Fay
- Parenting Teens with Love and Logic, Foster Cline and Jim Fay
- Bringing Kids Up without Tearing Them Down, Kevin Leman
- Behavior Management At Home: A Token Economy Program for Children and Teens, Harvy Parker
- The Key to Your Child’s Heart, Gary Smalley
- www.screenit.com, (provides reviews and content of movies)
- www.pluggedinmag.com, (provides a lyrical breakdown of nearly 300 CDs released since 1998)
Parenting Children with Special Needs
- You and Your ADD Child: How to Understand and Help Kids with Attention Deficient Disorder, Paul Warren
- ADD Hyperactivity Workbook for Parents, Teachers, and Kids, Harvey Parker
- The Attention Deficit Child, Grant Martin
- Driven to Distraction (ADHD resource for children and adults), Edward Hallowell and John Riley
- Why ADHD Doesn’t Mean Disaster, Dennis Swanberg, Dr. Walt Larimore, and Diane Passno
- CHADD, (resources and support for children and adults with attention deficit disorder), (800) 233-4050
- A Special Kind of Love: For Those Who Love Children With Special Needs, Susan Osborn and Janet Mitchell
- Chronic Kids, Constant Hope: Help and Encouragement for Parents of Children with Chronic Conditions, Elizabeth Hoekstra and Mary Bradford
- Facing Autism, Lynn M. Hamilton
- Adolescence Isn’t Terminal, Dr. Kevin Leman
- The Disconnected Generation: Saving Our Youth from Self-Destruction, Josh McDowell
- Parenting Adolescents, Kevin Huggins
- Parenting Teens With Love and Logic, Cline and Foster
- Parents, Teens and Boundaries, Jane Bulestein
- Movie Nights: 25 Movies to Spark Spiritual Discussions with Your Teen, Bob Smithouser
- See also “General Information” under “Parenting”
Single Parenting
- Financial Guide for the Single Parent, Larry Burkett
- 365 Strategies for Positive Single Parenting, Susan Brown
- Parenting Alone: Single Parents, Ramona Warren
- Successful Single Parenting, Gary Richmond
- The Single Dad’s Survival Guide, Mike Klumpp
- Going It Alone: Meeting the Challenges of Being a Single Mom, Michelle Ho
- From One Single Mother to Another, Sandra Aldrich
- 101 Ways to Be a Long-Distance Super Dad … Or Mom, too!, George Newman
- Resource: Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO., (800) 232-6459
- See also “General Information” under “Parenting”
Grandparents as Parents
- Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide for Raising a Second Family, DeToledo and Brown
- See also “General Information” under “Parenting”
Dealing with Troubled Children
- Taming the Dragon in Your Child: Solutions for Breaking the Cycle of Family Anger, Meg Eastman
- Parents in Pain: Overcoming the Hurt and Frustration of Problem Children, John White
- Relief for Hurting Parents, Buddy Scott
- Pills for Parents in Pain, Lee Ezell
- Get Out of My Life, Anthony Wolf
- Why Christian Kids Rebel: Trading Heartache for Hope, Tim Rimmel
- You Can’t Make Me, Cynthia Tobias
- When Your Child Has Been Molested: A Parent’s Guide to Healing and Recovery, Kathryn Brohl and Joyce Case Potter
- What Children Need to Know When Parents Divorce, William Coleman
- Helping Children Survive Divorce: What to Expect, How to Help, Archibald Hart
- Growing Up With Divorce, Helping Your Child Avoid Immediate and Later Emotional Problems, Neil Kalter
- See also “General Information” under “Parenting”
Step-Parenting
- Resource: www.successfulstepfamilies.com
- The Smart Stepfamily, Ron Deal
- Resource: Step Family Association of America, (800) 735-0329
- Step by Step-Parenting, James Eckler
- Making it as a Stepparent, Claire Berman
- 52 Ways to be a Better Step-Parent, O’Conner & Flowers
- You’re a Stepparent … Now What? Joseph Cerquone
- Winning the Heart of Your Stepchild, Bob Barnes
- God Sets the Lonely in Families, www.godblendsfamilies.org
ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES
Adult ADD / ADHD
- Driven to Distraction, (ADHD for children and adults), Edward Hallowell and John Riley
- Healing ADD: Simple Exercises That Will Change Your Daily Life, Thorn Hartman
- CHADD, (resources and support for children and adults with attention deficit disorder), (800) 233-4050
Anger
- Angry Men and the Women Who Love Them: Breaking the Cycle of Physical and Emotional Abuse, Paul Hegstrom
- Taming the Dragon in Your Child: Solutions for Breaking the Cycle of Family Anger, Meg Eastman
- Getting the Best of Your Anger, Les Carter
- The Anger Workbook, (to accompany the above book), Les Carter
- Make Anger Your Ally, Neil Clark Warren
Coping with Aging Parents
- As Parents Age: A Psychological and Practical Guide, Joseph Ilardo
- How to Care for Aging Parents, Virginia Morris and Robert Butler
- Caring for Your Aging Parents: A Sourcebook of Options and Solutions for Both Generations, Helene MacLean
- Caring for Yourself While Caring for Your Aging Parents: How to Help, How to Survive, Claire Berman
- Are Your Parents Driving You Crazy?, Joseph Ilardo and Carole Rothman
- Complete Guide to Caring for Aging Loved Ones, Betty Free
Depression
- New Light on Depression: Help. Hope, & Answers for the Depressed & Those Who Love Them, David Biebel and Harold Koenig
- The Freedom from Depression Workbook, Dr. Les Carter, Dr. Frank Minirth
- The Feeling Good Handbook (self help for depression), David Burns
- Unmasking Male Despression: Recognizing the Root Cause to Many Problems
- Behaviors Such As Anger, Resentment, Abusiveness, Silence, Addictions and
- Sexual Compulsiveness, Dr. Archibald Hart
- Unveiling Depression in Women: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Depression, Drs. Archibald Hart and Catherine Hart Weber
- Resources for Attacking Anxiety and Depression: Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, Inc., www.stresscenter.com (800) 611-5485
Divorce
- When the Vow Breaks, Warren Kniskern
- The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25-year Landmark Study, Judith Wallerstein
- When He Leaves, Kari West and Noelle Quinn
- The Divorce Recovery Guide, A. Treeson, Mary Hollingsworth, and Michael Washburn
- Single Again, The Uncertain Journey, Jim Smoke
- Helping Children Survive Divorce: What to Expect, How to Help, Archibald Hart
- Growing Up With Divorce, Helping Your Child Avoid Immediate and Later Emotional Problems, Neil Kalter
- What Children Need to Know When Parents Divorce, William Coleman
For Someone Terminally Ill
- The Journey Home: Finishing With Joy, Bill Bright
- Living Fully in the Shadow of Death, Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Robert DeVries
- When Your World Falls Apart, David Jeremiah
- A Bend in the Road, David Jeremiah
- Packing for the Big Trip, Charlie Walton
Grief
- A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss, Gerald Sittser
- Yet Will I Trust Him: Understanding God in a Suffering World, John Mark Hicks
- Beyond the Storm, Dr. Jerry Jones
- When there are no Words, Charlie Walton
- A Grief Observed, C. S. Lewis
- Hiding From Love: Learning to Feel and Serve Again, Dr. John Townsend
- When Children Grieve, John James and Russell Friedman
- www.griefshare.org
In-Laws
- The Mother-in-Law Dance: Can Two Women Love the Same Man and Still Get Along?, Annie Chapman
- Toxic In-Laws: Loving Strategies for Protecting Your Marriage, Susan Forward
- Loving Your Relatives: Even When You Don’t See Eye to Eye, David and Claudia Arp, and John and Margaret Bell
- Inlaws. Outlaws and the Functional Family: A Real-World Guide to Resolving Family Issues, Harry Jackson
Issues from Youth
- Addicted to Love: Understanding Dependencies of the Heart, Romance, Relationships and Sex, Stephen Arterburn
- Released From Shame: Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families, Sandra Wilson
- Adult Children: The Secrets of Dysfunctional Families, John and Linda Friel
- The Healing Journey for Adult Children of Alcoholics, Daryl Quick
- Changes That Heal: How to Understand Your Past to a Healthier Future, Dr. Henry Cloud
- Broken Children, Grown-up Pain; Understanding the Effects of Your Wounded Past, Paul Hegstrom
- Love is a Choice: Recovery for Codependent Relationships, Dr. Frank Minirth, Dr. Paul Meier, and Dr. Robert Hemfelt
- The Freedom from Depression Workbook, Dr. Les Carter and Dr. Frank Minirth
- The Feeling Good Handbook (self help for depression), David Burns
- Love Hunger, Weight Loss Workbook, Dr. Frank Minirth and Dr. Paul Meier
- Resources for Attacking Anxiety and Depression: Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, Inc., www.stresscenter.com (800) 611-5485
Singleness
- God’s Call to the Single Adult, Mike Cavanaugh
- Your Single Treasure: The Good News About Singles and Sexuality, Rick Stedman
- No Sex Please (Until We’re Married): The No-Compromise Search for the Love of Your Life, Ian Gregory
- Believing God For His Best: How to Marry Contentment and Singleness, Bill Thrasher
- Living Single: The Different Faces of Singleness, Kevin Smith
- Singleness: A Strategy for Emotional Peace
The above books can be ordered online from www.bestbookbuys.com or from a Christian bookstore in your area.
The web sites listed were current at the time of this publication. Please be aware that web site addresses occasionally change.