Christen Randall (she/they), a self-identified "queer, fat, neurodivergent author," brings authentic lived experience to The No-Girlfriend Rule. Drawing on her upbringing in the American South and her love of tabletop role-playing games, Randall creates a story that feels inclusive and empowering for adolescents navigating identity, relationships, and mental health.

 

The No-Girlfriend Rule is a valuable resource for counselors working with adolescents and could be effectively used for bibliotherapy in counseling or school settings. The novel includes affirming LGBTQ+ representation, addresses transphobia and body acceptance, and explores common developmental concerns such as anxiety, preparing for college, test anxiety, and adjusting to single-parent households. Through strong character development, the story highlights how safe spaces can be created through role-playing games and supportive peer communities.

 

Counselors could use this book to facilitate conversations with adolescents about navigating peer and romantic relationships, managing anxiety, building self-confidence, and exploring identity. The characters’ experiences also allow readers to gain perspective on others’ challenges and develop empathy. In addition, the role-playing game setting offers a unique opportunity for counselors to discuss the importance of safe, affirming spaces where adolescents can explore identity and belonging. Randall’s authentic tone makes the book an engaging tool for therapeutic discussion while remaining an enjoyable and relatable read for young people.

A later-in-life ADHD diagnosis often brings a mix of emotions and questions that many clients are unprepared for. To help clients better understand their experiences, the book “Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD” written by Jesse J. Anderson can help offer clarity on diagnosis, validation, and practical tools for navigating ADHD. This easy-to-read book was specifically designed to provide short chapters that introduce various topics related to the diagnosis. Throughout the book, Anderson focuses on helping readers understand their symptoms while providing practical evidence-based frameworks tailored for the ADHD brain. Anderson’s goal is to help the reader build strong habits and routines for managing energy levels, emotions, memory, time, and motivation. Moreover, Anderson also provides reflections on his own struggle and reaction to the diagnosis, including feelings of imposter syndrome and rejection sensitivity; allowing space to validate possible difficulties and emotions associated with the diagnosis.

Anderson’s book is overall an affordable, quick, and empowering tool for those who are taking the first steps in their ADHD journey. Whether this be clients who are curious about a possible diagnosis, clients who have recently been diagnosed, or clients who are wanting to learn ADHD tailored coping tools. Counselors may also use this book as a collaborative tool during sessions to discuss client’s reactions, reflection, and application of the strategies provided by Anderson.

Overall, this book helps foster understanding, reduces stigma about ADHD, and encourages clients to engage in skills that can help them feel empowered.

John Kim aka The Angry Therapist is back at it! In his amazing book Single on Purpose, he encourages individuals to embrace being single as an intentional and satisfying stage of life instead of waiting to be in a relationship. He encourages readers to redefine singlehood as a way to discover themselves and grow into their unique style. He adds that the most important relationship is the one we have with ourselves and advocates for intentional self-care to promote overall wellbeing. Once we can love ourselves then we can unlearn our healthy behaviors to be in committed relationships with others in the most fulfilling way. By focusing on meaning, joy, and engagement, John Kim indicates we can build strong relationships with everyone.

This book is recommended for counseling students who are developing their identity, individuals who are dating and want to understand themselves better, and for couples who want to enhance their relationships by developing a healthy sense of self. Counselor educators can utilize this resource during the professional orientation course to allow students to discover who they are. In the Addictions course this resource can be used to ensure students can assist their clients with developing a healthy identity and connections to attach to their core values. 

Whimsy’s Heavy Things by Julie Kraulis is a charming children’s picture book that tells the story of Whimsy, a young girl grappling with metaphorical “heavy things” in her life. These burdens, depicted as stones, follow her everywhere. Whimsy tries various creative but ineffective ways to get rid of them. She buries them in the garden, launches them into the sea, and even tries to literally sweep them under the rug. However, each attempt at avoidance only makes the burdens feel heavier. Eventually, she discovers that by breaking her “heavy things” into smaller, more manageable parts, they become easier to carry. In the end, Whimsy learns that sometimes heavy things really are just light things in disguise.

 

This simple yet profound story offers a rich metaphor for counselors working with children, especially in addressing emotional overwhelm, avoidance, and resilience. The concept of “heavy things” provides a powerful, developmentally appropriate way to help children identify and express internal emotional struggles, including anxiety, grief, fear, or confusion. Since the story never explicitly defines what Whimsy’s burdens are, counselors can flexibly adapt the metaphor to each child’s experience, promoting personalized emotional exploration.

In practice, counselors can use this story as the basis for a hands-on activity to help children externalize and reframe their stressors. Counselors invite children to write or draw different concerns, fears, or emotional weights on individual pieces of construction paper roughly shaped to resemble stones mirroring the imagery of the book. These papers can then be attached to string or yarn and worn like a sash across a child’s shoulders, offering a tangible way to “feel” the toll their stressors can take. This exaggerated visual cue makes the weight of these burdens more concrete and discussable. As part of the activity, the counselor guides the child to physically experience the weight of their “heavy things” by encouraging them to exaggerate the sensation of carrying the sash informed by Gestalt and somatic principles. The child is invited to perform simple daily tasks, such as walking, while wearing their symbolic struggles. This helps illustrate how emotional challenges can affect daily functioning and opens a space for reflection and discussion. Counselors can then guide children in gradually “lightening” the load—either by tearing each paper into smaller, more manageable parts using a solution-focused approach, or by brainstorming one small thing they can do for each stressor to make it feel less overwhelming as seen in dialectical behavior therapy. The activity can end with children removing the pieces altogether, reinforcing a sense of empowerment, emotional processing, and relief.

 

This intervention is highly adaptable across individual, group, or family counseling sessions. In group settings, children can share their “heavy things” with peers, fostering empathy and a sense of shared experience. In family counseling, caregivers and children can complete the activity together, sparking important conversations about how emotions are handled at home. The book also lends itself well to therapeutic art, journaling, role-play, and bibliotherapy.

 

This story helps children recognize that hard things are a natural part of the human experience. Through Whimsy’s journey, kids learn that we all face difficulties in life, and with time, support, and imagination, even the heaviest feelings can begin to feel lighter. Ultimately, this story offers an engaging and empowering way to help children understand, express, and cope with emotional challenges, making it an invaluable resource for counselors seeking a developmentally sensitive and metaphor-rich tool for therapeutic growth.

*DISCLAIMER: This book contains depictions of domestic violence*

The September House by Clarissa Orlando is a horror book and does depict scenes of domestic violence. The tone of the book is comedic, but the story does include some descriptions of gore, as well as descriptions of alcoholism, verbal abuse, and physical abuse. It is the story of Margaret, a woman in middle age, who found her dream home several years ago, only to move in and realize that it was haunted. Over the years, Margaret has developed rituals to manage, but never get rid of the ghosts. When her husband goes missing, Margaret seems unphased, as she is preparing for the time of year when the house historically gets worse – more noises, more blood dripping down the walls, more scratches and bites from the few violent “tricksters.” Margaret’s adult daughter comes to town to help find her father, and Margaret works primarily to keep her daughter in the dark about the truth of the house.

 

The September House is both horror and comedy, but each aspect of the story is a deft parable about domestic violence. Readers learn over the course of the story that Margaret is uniquely situated to put up with the terrors of the house because she has spent her marriage downplaying, covering up, and finding rituals to prevent abuse from her husband. The house itself and her love for it have allowed her to begin to create boundaries around what she wants and what she is willing to put up with from her husband, but she learns through the course of the book to create even better boundaries for herself. She learns to be honest with people who are trying to help her, and to make conscious decisions around what she wants.

 

It is important to recognize the format and content of this book will not be for everyone and could be triggering to some, especially those currently involved in domestic violence situations. However, it does a very good job of portraying the ways in which even terrible situations begin to feel mundane. This would be a good recommendation for a client who is learning to confront their willingness to endure situations and treatment that they have the choice to walk away from. Client and counselor can use this book to discuss themes around self-sacrifice, placation, and choice. It would also be a good recommendation for clients who are indirectly connected to domestic violence or alcoholism.  

T.J. Klune tackles anxiety, grief, depression, self-harm, and suicide in the 2021 novel, Under the Whispering Door. Klune takes the reader on a journey of personal growth, found family, love, and redemption through the story of Wallace, who finds himself witnessing his own funeral. Wallace spends the majority of the book at Charon’s Crossing Tea Shop, which serves as a way station for souls between life and death. Hugo, a “ferryman” who runs the tea shop, is tasked with helping those who have died accept their fate and find closure so they can “cross-over.” The patrons of the tea shop provide Wallace opportunities to witness unimaginable pain and grief, and allow him, in death, to grow into the compassionate, empathetic, and caring person that he was not in life. Ultimately, this is a story about love, acceptance, forgiveness, and the power of human connection to transform lives, and would be suitable for those who are navigating their own grief or loss in life. The story is a hopeful one, yet one that includes themes of suicide, murder, the death of a child and animals, and “outing.” This book would be suitable for young adult and adult readers, ages 12 and up. Counselors could assign a few chapters at a time and then invite the client to discuss what themes they identify, as well as any other feelings that come up for them as they travel with Wallace on his journey Under the Whispering Door.

Sulwe is an affirmative and empowering children’s book by Lupita Nyong’o with vivid illustrations by Vashti Harrison. Sulwe is a young girl born with skin “the color of midnight.” Enduring name-calling and loneliness, Sulwe longs to be the same color as her lighter-complected sister. From rubbing herself with an eraser to eating only the lightest colored foods in the pantry, Sulwe does all she knows to lighten her skin. Through her mother, Sulwe learns the meaning of her name is “star” and that brightness comes not from the skin but from one’s being. In a dream, Sulwe learns the history of sisters Night and Day and how both are essential and equally beautiful. Sulwe arises the next morning beaming, finally recognizing her beauty and worth.

Sulwe can be a powerful tool for counselors working with young children, particularly Black girls struggling with a negative self-image due to their darker complexion. Children benefit from seeing themselves represented in the books they read - when books can act as affirmative mirrors (Bishop, 1990). Sulwe addresses issues of colorism that are evident and internalized even in childhood. Using this book in counseling can help foster a positive self-image in young Black girls. Seeing the book’s successful and similarly complected author on the back cover serves to reinforce this notion. Counselors can read this book with children and explore how the child makes sense of the character and her experiences. With the help of Sulwe, children can experience the value and beauty that lie within themselves.

Counselors are meant to be objective and empathetic accompaniers and advocates for their clients.  At the same time, counselors recognize their own unique experiences, questions, limitations, and insecurities that affect thoughts, feelings, beliefs, practices, and interactions with others.  Dr. Robert J. Wicks normalizes and addresses these realities in his book Night Call: Embracing Compassion and Hope in a Troubled World. Counselors are meant to be objective and empathetic accompaniers and advocates for their clients.  At the same time, counselors recognize their own unique experiences, questions, limitations, and insecurities that affect thoughts, feelings, beliefs, practices, and interactions with others.  Dr. Robert J. Wicks normalizes and addresses these realities in his book Night Call: Embracing Compassion and Hope in a Troubled World.

This book is helpful for both novice and seasoned practitioners since Wicks presents practical suggestions for being authentic and resilient when our human weaknesses lead us to question our effectiveness mindfully and humbly.  For instance, Wicks talks about the importance of “leaning back” psychologically to examine the “whys” behind our expectations and the things we said and did to try to meet those expectations.  Wicks asserts that such reflections yield wisdom and greater compassion for ourselves, our clients, and our colleagues moment by moment.  Even though some of our own, and our clients’, experiences can be uncomfortable and bring about transference and/or countertransference, Dr. Wicks helps readers learn resilience when these situations arise.  Wicks breaks down the parts of resiliency such as aloneness, replenishing, debriefing, practicing mindfulness, and letting go.  He does this through lenses of faith and evidence-based clinical practices. 

People need compassion to touch their lives, especially in a chaotic world.  Through practical wisdom and personal experiences of recognizing and meeting his need for compassion, this book is both encouraging and insightful for personal and professional growth that promotes compassionate care for self and others.  Dr. Wicks reminds counselors how they are humans who are not immune to intense emotions and experiences.  Instead of fearing or suppressing these emotions and experiences, Dr. Wicks encourages counselors to channel them as beneficial teachable moments.

Brené Brown’s book Daring Greatly is an excellent read for both counselors seeking to be more authentic in their interactions with colleagues and clients and for counseling clients. This book is centered on equipping readers with the tools to address feelings and experiences of shame and vulnerability that are an inevitable part of the human experience. Through real life anecdotes and memorable analogies, Brown analyzes what happens to an individual when (s)he is shamed both in the short term and in the long term as well as the cultural implications of shame. She then equips her audience with practical steps to take away shame’s power in their lives and increase authenticity by countering shame with vulnerability. While this may be difficult, it is worth it.

Daring Greatly is recommended for counselors in training or counselors who need some encouragement in being authentic or appropriately self-disclosing in sessions with clients. Similarly, clients who struggle with social anxiety could benefit from this work since it addresses a variety of life situations such as work, parenting, or social situations, which people often experience shame in. By naming these situations, Brown demonstrates that the shame that people experience when things do not go according to plan or when there is a misunderstanding is more common than people believe. As a result, readers can experience a sense of solidarity and know that they are not alone in their shameful experiences while gaining an opportunity to tame shame by learning to be appropriately vulnerable with others.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was co-founded by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. The steps described in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are spiritual and recovery principles to eliminate the desire to drink and live a healthy life. The 12-Steps of AA are summarized as: Step 1: Admit powerlessness over alcohol. Step 2: Power greater than self can restore sanity. Step 3: Turn will and life over to God. Step 4: Make moral inventory of self. Step 5: Admit to God and others our wrongs. Step 6: God remove character defects. Step 7: God remove shortcomings. Step 8: Make a list of those harmed. Step 9: Make direct amends wherever possible. Step 10: Continue personal inventory of wrongs. Step 11: Continue contact with God. Step 12: Carry the message to others.

The twelve-step recovery model of AA is an educational asset for counselors, interns, and clients in addiction recovery. Counselors can enhance the counselor-client relationship by understanding peer recovery support services embedded within the 12-step philosophy. Counselor educators can prepare counseling students by exploring the 12-step focus and Serenity Prayer related to faith development, courage, acceptance, and self-compassion. Clients through the 12-step recovery program learn the value of implementing a moral inventory consisting of unhealthy intrapersonal beliefs and limited interpersonal behaviors. Therefore counselors can address moral character defects associated with regret, shame, guilt, and anger related to addiction experiences. Counselors can create a safe and nurturing counseling environment for clients to identify healthy coping skills and interpersonal relationships.

Wired: The Short Life & Fast Times of John Belushi highlights John Belushi as an actor, comedian, and musician. His family of origin consisted of his parents who were Albanian immigrants and three siblings. John, known for comical talent, was discovered during high school for entertaining peers through laughter. During high school, he played the drums in bank and was captain on his football team. After high school graduation, John attended college and earned an associate’s degree. The following year after graduation, John immersed into comedy and actor roles. To cope with life stressors, John developed a drug addiction. After a night of social partying, Belushi died by drug overdose at the age of thirty-three from cocaine and heroin overdose.

Wired: The Short Life & Fast Times of John Belushi is an asset to counselors and clients. The study of John Belushi can highlight successes and limitations associated with high performance demand and superstardom stress. Counselor Educators can provide counseling and psychoeducation to individuals, family members, and clients on common stereotypes and misconceptions of drug addiction for comedians and actors. Counselors and clients can discuss Belushi’s unhealthy coping mechanisms leading to drug addiction with intended/unintended consequences. Counselors and clients can explore interpersonal, familial factors and intrapersonal conflict impacted by John’s drug addiction. Counselors and clients can also explore family-focused addiction intervention strategies for recovery maintenance. Lastly, counselors can provide effective grief counseling tools for family members impacted by drug addiction and overdose death.

Vincent Vega, age 57, is one of the protagonists of the movie, Pulp Fiction, and this subsequent book about it. He is characterized as a “hit man” with a history of substance use. Vincent consumed marijuana, tobacco, alcohol, and heroin intravenously. Due to drug-related activities, he was shot multiple times and has endured arrests and jail ordeals. Educationally, Vincent graduated from high school; however, he identified academic struggle, poor attendance, and suspension during his junior and senior years. As an adult, he was immersed into the gangster lifestyle with powerful and well-known miscreants; thus, becoming a “hit man.” Vincent identified his upbringing with separated parents, alcohol use, and psychological disorders. He experienced anxiety, depression, and medical injuries associated with drug-use and violence. Vincent sought several recovery treatment programs to enhance his emotional, mental, and physical health.

Vincent's story in Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story of Quentin Tarantino's Masterpiece is an educational asset for counselors, teens, and parents to address the reality of academic decline, school truancy, drug and alcohol usage, traumatic family relationships, and negative peer involvement. Counselors can examine Vincent’s former and current circumstances when completing a psychosocial, drug assessment. Vincent has many experiences that need the focus on resilience as grief, sadness, anger, and regret may increase. Counselors can examine Vincent’s protective factors with the plan of continued health and drug recovery. Vincent’s dangerous employment as “hit man” may have detrimental consequences towards recovery and health; therefore, a safety plan is needed. Lastly, counselors can explore Vincent’s emotional and cognitive triggers that sabotage healthy behaviors.

The Crippled Lamb is an encouraging story on “differentness.” Joshua, a small lamb, was different from the other lambs. He was white with black spots and black feet, limited in the ability to run and jump due to a limp.

As a result of his “differentness,” Joshua’s peers would comment (“you’re too slow”) and isolate from him. Abigail, a cow, befriended Joshua and they spent considerable time together. Abigail provided encouragement to Joshua, reminding him of the “special place” for isolated lambs. One day, Joshua’s “special place” was revealed when a woman had a baby in a darkened stable. Cold without clothing and crying, the baby received comfort and warmth from Joshua’s wool.  Ultimately, Joshua realized his “differentness” aided in the birth and protection of baby Jesus. 

Daphne the Diamond Fairy and the Catwalk Catastrophe is an interactive and engaging children’s book of detailed illustrations and drawings. This interactive book began with pictures of Daphne’s stylish boutique of demure and opulent dresses, hats, and shoes. Daphne’s dresses are individually made and stitched with sparkling diamonds. Due to her creativity, diligent work, and beautiful designs, Daphne received a special invitation to make six dresses for Queenie Quartz’s fashion show. Daphne included her friends to model her beautiful dresses. Seeing her friend’s beauty, Daphne became jealous and eliminated her friends. She decided to model each dress. Overwhelmed with a huge task, Daphne made amends to her friends. Despite being disappointed and hurt, her friends forgave her and helped her win. 

Daphne the Diamond Fairy and the Catwalk Catastrophe can be utilized in counseling to help explore friendship and social relationship development and maintenance. Daphne’s supportive friendships were sabotaged by her emotional jealousy causing cognitive distortion and emotional dysregulation (“They’ll look better on me than you”). Counselors can explore the effects of isolation and emotional harm that occurred and examine Daphne’s complex task and greater likelihood of failure without her friends support. Clients can explore the healing power of apology needed to restore harmonious relationships as Daphne stated “I know now I was wrong, I’m sorry for being selfish.” Lastly, counselors can highlight the positive effects of forgiveness (“the things that sparkled most of all was the friendship that they shared”). 

Norma No Friends is a children’s book about a girl named Norma. She’s shy about her middle name, “No.” Norma considers herself the loneliest person in the world. On her birthday, full of sadness, Norma goes the hill that helps her feel better, and meets another girl: Nelly No Friends. They played and talked and became friends. Norma changed her middle name to Rhododendron, and Nelly changed her middle name to Rose. Now, they live next to each other and the sign reads, “Norma + Nelly R. Friends.”

Every child goes through times in life when they believe they are alone, have no friends, and that no one would ever want to be their friend. Norma normalizes the thoughts for children, which is further normalized by Nelly. Lots of people feel unlikeable. And then the two girls with no friends discover each other. They start doing things friends do, like saying, “Hello.”

The message is that actions can improve circumstances. Norma takes control of her world by leaving the house, going to the hill, and greeting Nelly. Had either of them stayed home, they would not have met. They were both searching and through action, they found each other. This book would be good for any counselor working with children, from pre-k/kindergarten through early adolescence.

The Big Box is a book about three children who can’t handle their freedom - according to the adults in their lives. Patty had too much fun in school, so the teachers sent her to the big box. Mickey had too much fun in the streets, so the tenants sent him to the big box. Liza had too much fun in the fields all day, so the neighbors sent her to the big box. The adults gave the kids everything they thought kids would need to be happy. But they were too nervous to give the kids their freedom.

Zen Ties is a story about Stillwater, the giant panda, and his nephew Koo. When Koo comes to visit, Stillwater greets him, “Hi, Koo.” Koo speaks in haiku throughout the book. Michael, the oldest of three sibling neighbors, is nervous about participating in a spelling bee. Stillwater takes Michael, Addy, Karl and Koo to Miss Whitaker’s house to help her. She’s old and the children think she’s mean and grumpy. By helping Miss Whitaker, the children learn how kind she is. And Miss Whitaker, a former school teacher, helps Michael study for the spelling bee. She helps the children and the children help her.

Zen Ties is a story that demonstrates both our interconnectedness, and the joy that comes from helping other people. For clients who are struggling to find meaning in life, or joy in daily activities, this book is an example of how giving and helping raises one’s own mood and outlook. By giving of themselves, the children receive a new friend. By allowing the children to come in her house to help her, Miss Whitaker receives several new friends and a renewed smile on her face.

Old Turtle and the Broken Truth is a parable about reverence for the world. A truth, in the form of a shiny rock, falls to earth and breaks apart. The animals who find the truth recognize that it is not a whole truth so they leave it behind and search for a whole one. Then a human found the truth, which said, “You are loved.” He shared it with his people. They all cherished the truth. The people believed the truth and began to fear and hate those who did not share their truth. The people who did not possess the truth were jealous and began wars to gain the truth. One little girl comes to the Old Turtle to discover if the world can be saved. He tells her that although the truth is beautiful, it is also broken and incomplete. Old Turtle gave the girl a beautiful stone to take back to her people. He had saved it a very long time. When she returned home, the people did not recognize her and did not understand her message. She took the stone Old Turtle had given her and added it to the broken truth. The two were a perfect fit because together the message was, “You are loved and so are they.”

Old Turtle and the Broken Truth can be utilized to impart that partial truth or broken truth is not truth at all. Sometimes clients come to counseling because the truth they see is broken. They have looked at their own beautiful truth as if it were complete without recognizing the missing piece. They can only see a small part of the truth; missing the truth that is around them every day.

Through exploration of the truth and recognition that something is missing, clients can change their perspective on their world, incorporate the missing pieces of truth and develop a better understanding of their world. This book could be used with clients to prompt discussion about the truths they believe. It could also be used in counselor training to help developing counselors understand their role in the therapeutic relationship. Old Turtle waits until the people (the girl) are ready to hear the rest of the truth. Counselors must also wait until the client is ready.

The Dot (also available in Spanish, titled, “El Punto”) is a children’s book about Vashti and the art teacher who recognizes and encourages the potential in Vashti.

Unable to draw anything, Vashti’s paper sat blank on her desk. With the art teacher’s encouraging, “Just make a mark and see where it takes you,” Vashti puts a single dot on the page. After careful examination, the teacher asks Vashti to sign her work. The next day her artwork is framed and hanging on the wall. Vashti begins to make more dots of different colors and sizes. Her many dots are displayed in the art show. A younger boy expresses a wish that he could draw. “I can’t even make a straight line.” Vashti encourages him, he draws a line, she examines the work, then asks him to sign it.

The Dot could certainly be used with any child who thinks they have no talent (which is all children at some point). Vashti’s talent was merely undiscovered. Once she started, with the simple act of a single mark, her creativity began to flow, released from the prison of her self-doubt.

This story could also be used for adults who interact with children. Although Vashti’s talent is there all along, it took the vision of the teacher to bring it out. The teacher recognized her potential, encouraged her to explore and try something new. Adults often just need to be reminded of the positive influence they can be in a child’s life.

But the story can also be used for someone who thinks they have no impact on their world. The teacher’s strength is transferred to another (Vashti) who then passes that encouragement on to another. The teacher’s influence moved beyond her immediate impact. People who feel helpless and hopeless can be reminded that they too have influence beyond what they can immediately perceive.