Resources

books, articles, videos, websites...

AEDP (accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy)

This is the foundation/theory/type of therapy that I practice. It was developed by Diana Fosha, and is being extended by a group of therapists around the world, with research findings that support its efficacy for fostering emotional well being and sturdier, more rewarding relationships. A recent article by Diana Fosha addresses how we are wired for healing.

Hilary Jacobs Hendel has written a book on AEDP that lays out its tenets in easily digestible language with many examples that bring the ideas to a personal level. She also has created a podcast on Core Emotions and the Change Triangle.

General Parenting

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (1999). This book, and its companion, How to Talks So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk, by the same authors, are among the very few books that I repeatedly recommend to parents (and kids). With cartoons interspersed, gazoodles of examples, and very practical advise for focusing on the "big" stuff and addressing but not yammering on and on about the other stuff, it is a gem.

Raising Happiness is a website devoted to helping families learn how to be happier, based on science for the greater good. It is a lovely site, and one where I think about every child, teen and parent can find morsels that will make them smile.

Attachment Concerns

Attachment Focused Parenting by Daniel Hughes (2009). With an attitude of kindness toward the struggles of both children and parents caught in the throes of troubled attachments, this book offers an understanding of insecure bonds and steps to take to nurture both children's and parents' capacities to trust and love one another.

Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help you Raise Children Who Thrive by Dan Siegel and Mary Hartzell: This book helps parents see the ways in which their own experiences of being parented have an impact on their brains and how they parent. It also touches on the interactions between how a child's behavior influences their caregivers' brains and abilities to nurture them.

The Neurobiology of Attachment-Focused Therapy: Enhancing Connection & Trust in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents by Jonathan Baylin and Daniel Hughes. This book offers an understanding of how therapy can help children's brains shift from being on high-alert to be being more open to experiencing delight and joy.

Mindfulness

Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn (1998). This is a book that I treasure. It is meatier and takes creating some stillness within to fully digest what it has to offer, but it is well worth the time. It offers a path to parenting that speaks to being present with oneself in order to be able to have goodness to offer your children. It is less of a how-to, than a settling into oneself book.

Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee Maclean and Kerry Maclean (2004). This is one of those books I love. It is a story of a pig who finds that life has its up and downs, and that some of the downs leave her angry and frustrated. She shows kids how to do an experiment to see what happens when their emotions get all stirred up, and how sitting quietly can clear things up! It is a picture book geared to young children, but I find it useful with kids of all ages, even teens and adults with a willingness to banter with their child-within.

Susan Kaiser Greenland offers four minute mindfulness instructions for young children, and resources ones for parents and teens. She is one of the pioneers in bringing mindfulness practices into educational settings.