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Dave Rutschman, LPCC

This is a short list of books that I have seen be helpful to clients.  While none of these may be exactly right for you, each has influenced in some way how I approach therapy.

Eugene Gendlin.  Focusing.  This is a classic.  A profound and helpful exploration of how to access an embodied wisdom.

Peter Levine.  Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.  A sensitive and powerful approach to trauma and healing by the founder of Somatic Experiencing.

Pema Chodron.  When Things Fall Apart:  Heart Advice for Difficult Times.  A wise, courageous book from a beloved contemporary Buddhist teacher.

Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey.  Immunity to Change.  A model for exploring how we change, and how we resist change, on both individual and institutional levels.

Robert Kegan.  In Over Our Heads:  The Mental Demands of Modern Life.  A more technical (but still readable) discussion of important ideas about adult development and change.

Sue Johnson.  Hold Me Tight:  Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love.  A wonderful book for couples about attachment bonds and how they can be strengthened, by the founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson.  The Whole-Brain Child:  12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind.  Helpful parenting tools drawing on recent research in neuroscience and child development.

Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper.  The Transgender Child:  A Handbook for Families and Professionals.  A clear and groundbreaking guide for families of transgender and gender-nonconforming young people.

Gerald May.  Addiction and Grace.  An insightful look at addiction from a Christian theological perspective.

​Carol Dweck.  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.  A helpful, straightforward framework for considering how we approach challenging circumstances.

James Baraz and Shoshana Alexander.  Awakening Joy:  10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness.  An exploration of simple, practical practices that can bring about genuine transformation.


Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon.  A General Theory of Love.  A fascinating and beautifully written exploration of findings about emotion and relationship from the fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology.


phone:  (510) 565-2612

​email:  [email protected]
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