At Creative Fox Counseling, we often share books that have shaped our own journies and the way we work with clients.
Alexis made hers into a list. NOTE: These books don’t replace therapy, but they offer inspiration, validation, and practical tools.
Trauma & Healing
- Big Baffling Behaviors — Robyn Gobbel
A compassionate guide for parents and professionals on supporting children with trauma-driven behaviors. - Rest Is Resistance — Tricia Hersey
A call to reclaim rest as both a personal and collective act of healing. - Waking the Tiger — Peter A. Levine
A foundational book on somatic experiencing and releasing trauma from the body. - Decolonizing Therapy — Jennifer Mullan
A powerful re-visioning of mental health rooted in liberation and ancestral healing. - The Myth of Normal — Gabor Maté
Explores how trauma and stress are woven into modern life, and what true health means. - My Grandmother’s Hands — Resmaa Menakem
How racialized trauma lives in the body and can be healed through practice. - No Bad Parts — Richard Schwartz
An introduction to Internal Family Systems, reframing all inner voices as valuable. - The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk
How trauma reshapes the brain and body, and how healing happens through connection. - CPTSD Handbook — Pete Walker
A survivor’s guide to understanding and managing complex trauma. - It Didn’t Start with You — Mark Wolynn
On inherited family trauma and breaking generational patterns.
Spirituality & Narrative Healing
- The Artist’s Way — Julia Cameron
A creative recovery workbook that champions daily artistic practice. - Untamed — Glennon Doyle
A memoir about self-liberation and learning to live beyond others’ expectations. - The Year of Magical Thinking — Joan Didion
A raw meditation on grief and the fragility of everyday life. - Eat Pray Love — Elizabeth Gilbert
A journey of healing and wholeness through travel, love, and spirituality. - Judgment Detox — Gabby Bernstein
Practices for releasing judgment and choosing love over fear. - The Work — Byron Katie
A method of questioning thoughts to loosen suffering’s grip. - The Alchemist — Paulo Coelho
A timeless parable of following one’s personal legend. - The Four Agreements — Don Miguel Ruiz
Ancient Toltec wisdom for living with clarity and integrity.
Family, Relationships & Generational Healing
- Divided Minds — Pamela Spiro Wagner & Elyn Saks
A memoir of two sisters, one living with schizophrenia and the other a psychiatrist, navigating love and illness together. - The Poisonwood Bible — Barbara Kingsolver
A novel that illuminates family, power, and intergenerational trauma across cultures. - What My Bones Know — Stephanie Foo
A raw, moving memoir of growing up with complex trauma and seeking healing from CPTSD. - I’m Glad My Mom Died — Jennette McCurdy
A candid, darkly humorous memoir of surviving parental abuse and reclaiming identity.
Teachers & Collaborators Who’ve Influenced My Work
During my second (or maybe third!) career in digital marketing, I had the chance to work directly with these authors and thought leaders.
Their books continue to shape my counseling work today:
- Shawn Achor — The Happiness Advantage, Before Happiness, Big Potential
Positive psychology insights into how happiness fuels success, potential, and collective thriving. - Amy Blankson — The Future of Happiness
Practical strategies for using technology and positive psychology to support well-being in a digital world. - Samantha Brody — Overcoming Overwhelm
Practical tools for setting boundaries, clarifying values, and reclaiming energy. - Lisa Kohn — To the Moon and Back
Memoir of resilience and recovery from a high-control religious group. - Laura Gassner Otting — Limitless
Exploring alignment between purpose, career, and personal definitions of success. - Michelle Gielan — Broadcasting Happiness
Research on how positive communication fuels resilience, performance, and connection. - Dean & Ayesha Sherzai — The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution (The Neuro Plan)
A science-based lifestyle plan for brain health and cognitive resilience.
✨ Note: This list isn’t exhaustive. Healing is personal, and what resonates for one person may not for another. If a book draws you in, follow that thread — sometimes that’s your nervous system saying yes.