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Anger Workbook: A 13-Step Interactive plan to help you...

~Understand how unmet needs can feed anger

~Realize how other emotions can influence anger

~Find healthy ways to express and control your anger

By Les Carter, Ph.D. and Frank Minirth, M.D., 1993, ISBN: 0-8407-4574-5

Becoming Strong Again: How to Regain Emotional Health ...Do you feel stuck in a hopeless situation? Are you physically and emotionally fatigued to the point of paralysis? Or are you experiencing another form of the exhaustion that is so prevalent in our fanatic modern world? In Becoming Strong Again, anyone who has every experienced burnout will find a strategic and positively hopeful guide to regaining physical, emotional, and pain spiritual health. In a down-to-earth style Dr. Gregory Jantz shows how to change the debilitating patterns of the past, leaving the road clear for a healthy and revitalized future. Numerous exercises, checklists, and hypothetical situations aid you in a probing self-examination.

By Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D., 1999, ISBN: 0-8007-5651-7

Before A Bad Goodbye: Hot to Turn Your Marriage Around.. For couples at the breaking point, there is a third choice outside of divorce or a marriage in name only; reconciliation.

By Tim Clinton, PhD., 1999, ISBN: 0-8499-3743-4

Care of the Soul: How to Add Depth and Meaning to your Everyday Life

This book offers a therapeutic program to restore the spiritual life to the human soul. We are given the opportunity to go deeper into our emotional problems and find the sacredness in ordinary, everyday life~~with friends, in our conversation with others, in more fulfilling work, and in all the experiences that can touch the heart.

By Thomas Moore, 1998, ISBN: 0-06-757511-0

Choosing to Forgive Workbook: Discover Contentment and Peace by Letting Go of Harmful Anger, A 12-part comprehensive plan to overcome your struggle to forgive and find lasting healing. There’s no doubt about it. As long as we live on this side of heaven we will face conflict, and be susceptible to anger, broken relationships, rejection, and manipulation. Perhaps there have been times you’ve felt stuck in bitterness, discouragement or cynicism. Maybe you’ve asked "How can I forgive when I hurt as badly as I do?" or you’ve had moments when you thought you’d truly forgiven, only to have anger return. You may have been taught that anger is bad, that Christians can’t be angry or that nothing good every results from anger. This workbook will teach you how to increase your ability to forgive by:

~ learning to establish appropriate boundaries

~achieving a balance between forgiveness and healthy anger

~correctly managing and communicating your anger

~forgiving for the right reasons

By Les Carter, Ph.D. & Frank Minirth, M.D., 1997, ISBN: 0-7852-8255-6

Dangerous Marriage: Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence. How can you break the cycle of domestic violence? Dangerous Marriage provides abused women with help, hope, and healing. It also offers pastors and counselors specific instructions for helping victims and their families. Topics covered include:

~Characteristics of a potential abuser

~how women respond to men’s abuse

~the influence of a dysfunctional family

~falsehoods that contribute to abuse in the Christian community

~how abuse affects children

~the role of professional counseling

`steps to follow for healing and reconciliation

By S. R. McDill and Linda McDill, 1991, ISBN: 0-8007-8654-8

Divorce Mediation Answer Book: Save time, money, and emotional energy with a mediated separation on divorce. Though we all enter marriage hoping for "forever", nearly half of American marriages end in divorce. But divorce no longer has to mean pain, exhaustion, or suffering. Today, you can choose to mediate your separation or divorce and save yourself time, money, and aggravation. Mediation enables couples to create custom-made agreements that work for everyone and that pave the way for an amicable future relationship. In this accessible question-and -answer guide, two experts offer solid advice and cover all the bases. Among the hundred of entries inside you’ll find answers to your most basic questions:

~How do we find a mediator?

~How does court-ordered mediation work?

~What are fault and no-fault grounds for divorce?

By Carol A. Butler, Ph.D. & Dolores Deane Walker, MSW, JD, 1999, ISBN: 1-56836-252-8

Don’t Divorce Your Children: Children and Their Parents Talk About Divorce. Millions of American children are living with divorced or separated parents. Those who maintain a close relationship with both mother and father~~despite the potential conflicts involved – stand the best chance of maturing into healthy, well-adjusted adults. In Don’t Divorce Your Children, Dr. Jenny Leewis and Dr. Bill Sammons offer advice on how to prevent the painful physical and emotional distancing that so often occurs between divorced parents and their children. Appreciating how your children’s experiences are different from your own is the key to successfully guiding them through this crisis. Don’t Divorce Your Children offers diary entries from both parents and children to illustrate that understanding your child’s point of view is an essential step in dealing with divorce. Whether you are the residential or non-residential parent, recently separated or long-divorced, or the parent of a toddler or a teen, this book will help you:

~ look at your divorce through your child’s eyes

~ listen to your child’s point of view

~ Learn to create solutions that really work – together!

The unique blend of real-life stories and expert advice makes Don’t Divorce Your Children an invaluable tool, not only for parents but for anyone who has the best interests of children at heart.

By Jennifer M. Lewis, M.D., and William A. H. Sammons, M. D., 1999, ISBN: 0-8092-2793-2.

The Fresh Start, Divorce Recovery Workbook. There is life after divorce...become renewed and revitalized with this proven recovery program. Based on the authors’ personal experiences as well as the experiences of thousands who have benefited from the acclaimed Fresh Start Seminars, The Fresh Start Divorce Recovery Workbook is a total recovery program for anyone who faces a divorce or separation. Offering a Christian perspective, Bob Burns and Tom Whiteman discuss the typical stages of a divorce – on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. The Bible-based insights included in this revised and updated edition will give you the practical tools you need to recover from the trauma of divorce and complete the journey toward wholeness after the painful breakup of a marriage. Questions, self-tests, exercises, andpractical information will enable you to:

~ find the right lawyer and settle your divorce as fairly and as quickly as possible.

~ decide whether mediation is right for you

~ regain self-esteem and faith in God

~ move beyond bitterness and anger into forgiveness and spiritual freedom

~ negotiate successfully your reentry into single life

~ rebuild family life and help your children handle the adjustments of separation, divorce, and new relationships

~ deal with the tough financial issues that inevitably arise

~discover important keys to balanced relationships – from handling sexuality to resolving conflict.

Filled with hard-hitting information, The Fresh Start Divorce Recovery Workbook allows you to personalize each concept and focus on specific areas you need help with as you face the challenges of divorce and separation.

By: Bob Burns and Tom Whiteman, 1998, ISBN: 0-7852-7192-9.

The Financial Guide for the Single Parent. One in three families with children is headed by a single parent. The difficulties facing single moms and dads are as diverse as the current single parent population. For the first time, the number of unwed parents equals that of divorced parents, more single fathers are raising their children, and more children don’t have any contact with the non-custodial parent. The Financial Guide for the Single Parent is a companion volume to the Financial Guide for the Single Parent Workbook. Topics examined in the book:

~ Good and bad decisions made by single parents in financial crisis

~ Underlying factors that help or hinder single parent decisions

~ God’s involvement in the finances of single parents

~ the vital role the church plays in helping single parents.

This resource tool includes the following:

~ basic budget guidelines

~ practical advice for stretching dollars

~ child care solutions

~ biblical answers to alimony and child support

~ tips on financial aid for education

~ career information

~ details about wills and insurance.

By Larry Burkett, 1997, ISBN: 0-8024-2738-3.

Generation to Generation, Family Process in Church and Synagogue. Edwin Friedman applies the concepts of systemic family therapy, along with his unique experience as rabbi and practicing therapist, to the emotional life of congregations and their leaders. To show the power of the family model, he cites examples from his own 25 years of experience, as well as that of many other clergy. In addition to his cogent analysis of the interaction between family systems and work systems, this book contains the author’s insights into leadership through self-differentiation, and into the influence of previous generations on life cycle events.

By Edwin H. Friedman, 1985, ISBN: 9-780898-620597.

Getting the Love You Want, A Guide for Couples. The author’s purpose in writing this book is two-fold, to share wtih the reader what he has learned about the psychology of love relationships, and to help them transform their relationship into a lasting source of love and companionship. In short, it is a book about the theory and practice of becoming passionate friends. This book will help any couple find the love they want hidden under all the concealing confusion of a close and intimate relationship.

By Harville Hendrix, Ph. D., 1990, ISBN: 0-06-097292-0.

Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way. Divorce is painful and confusing. Perhaps now more than ever, you want to give your child all the love, support, and guidance he or she needs, but everything seems harder and more complicated. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way can help. Based on Gary Neuman’s phenomenally successful Sandcastles program, which has helped more than fifty thousand children cope with divorce, this warm, empathetic guide shows you:

~ How to build a co-parenting relationship, even when you think you can’t

~ When you or your child should see a therapist

~ Age-appropriate scripts for addressing sensitive issues

~ What to do when a parent moves away

~ How to stop fighting with your ex-spouse

~ How to navigate the emotional turmoil of custody and visitation

~ How to help your child deal with change

~ How to cope with kids’ common fears about separation

~ How to introduce significant others into the family and help your child cope with a new stepfamily.

By M. Gary Neuman, L.M.H.C. Creator of the nationally renowned Sandcastles Divorce Therapy Program, with Patricia Romanowski, 1998, ISBN: 0-679-77801-2.

I Should Forgive, But.... Forgiveness is the key both to ongoing relationships and to personal peace. But if forgiveness is such a good and healthy thing, why do we find it so hard to do? This insightful and life-giving book points the way to resolving conflicts, healing relationships, personal growth, and better counseling by providing biblically grounded, psychologically sound answers to the "yes, buts" of forgiveness.

By Dr. Chuch Lynch, 1998, ISBN: 0-8499-4001-X.

The New Creative Divorce, How to Create a Happier, More Rewarding Life During – and After – Your Divorce. In The New Creative Divorce, Dr. Krantzler and his wife, psychologist Pat Krantzler, show you how to turn your personal pain into positive growth, including specific advice on how to:

~ Move beyond blaming your ex-spouse to focusing on the positive changes you can make.

~ Discover what went wrong in your marriage and not make the same mistakes again

~ Tell when and whether you’re ready to join in a new loving relationship

~ Maintain a strong bond with your children

The New Creative Divorce shows you how to make your divorce a positive and creative part of your life. It is profoundly realistic and hopeful, and gives you the advice, reassurance, and direction you need to build the life you want after your divorce.

By Mel Krantzler, Ph. D. and Pat Krantzler, M. A., 1998, ISDN: 9-781580-620543.

The Parent/Child Game, the proven key to a happier family. The Parent/Child Game is about translating the language of love into actions. Parents are only human beings tackling an enormously difficult task. In many mothers’ and fathers’ minds, love and control have become mutually exclusive. Blame and guilt can cripple the demonstration of love between members of a family, adult and child. Observable approval from parents does wonders for a child’s sense of being loveable. The moment you child starts to behave well, you must praise them. Children thrive on a regime that they can forecast. The question isn’t whether parents should say No, but is how often they should be saying it. Always explain at a level which you know your child will understand. Remember that no one is a perfect parent – life is far too complex, demanding and unpredictable for that. It is never too late to change, for both adults and children.

By Sue Jenner, 1999, ISBN: 1-58234-038-2.

Love Must Be Tough, New Hope for Families in Crisis. Is there one symptom common to troubled marriages? Dr. Dobson believes there is – disrespect. In Love Must Be Tough, practical strategies are given to help build a relationship based on mutual respect and mature love. For any family faced with ever increasing pressures destructive to stable and loving bonds, Love Must Be Tough offers realistic hope.

AND

Straight Talk. What does it really mean to be a man in today’s society? In this modern classic, Dr. Dobson stakes a clear path through the confusion of men’s roles and outlines a workable plan for family leadership. Specific help is offered for critical areas such as wives, children, priorities, work, money, masculinity, emotions, sexuality, mid-life, God and morality.

By Dr. James Dobson, 1996, ISBN: 0-8499-1641-0.

The Resource Guide for Christian Counselors. This handy reference tool features hundreds of helping-material resources that pastors, counselors, therapists, and other health care professionals can recommend to clients with confidence. This referral directory gives the user immediate access to essential, up-to-date Christian counseling resources.

Edited by Douglas R. Flather, 1995, ISBN: 0-8010-5249-1.

Single but not alone. Meditations for Christian Women. You don’t have to put your life on "hold" any longer. God wants you to live a full, rewarding life right now – and reading Single but Not Alone can help. The conversational prayer meditations are straight from the heart, honest and hopeful. They deal with the things you have to deal with – independence, parents, loneliness, Saturday nights, your birthday, work, new apartments, "Mr. Right," sex and intimacy. And each meditation is based on Scripture, so you can easily refer to the Word for deeper wisdom and encouragement.

By Jane Graver, 1971, ISBN: 0-570-03880-4.

Timeless Healing, The Power and Biology of Belief. In this life-changing new book, Timeless Healing, Herbert Benson, M.D., explores the intersection between objective science and the mystifying power of the human spirit. In Timeless Healing, Dr. Benson shows how affirming beliefs, particularly belief in a higher power, make a critical contribution to our physical health. In essence, Dr. Benson’s message is that our bodies are wired for God. The key to Timeless Healing is what Dr. Benson calls remembered wellness. Dr. Benson explains how he became convinced that humans are genetically encoded with a need for and nourishment from faith. He documents that when people call upon faith, they activate neurologic pathways for self-healing. In Timeless Healing, he weaves a wonderful web of personal anecdotes, scientific research, social commentary, and spiritual wisdom creating a powerful life-transforming and society-changing blueprint for healing.

By Herbert Benson, M.D., 1996, ISBN: 0-684-81441-2.

The Twelve Steps for Christians. The Twelve Steps for Christians, is a powerful resource for merging the practical wisdom of the Twelve Steps with the spiritual truths of the Bible. This combination of recovery and spirituality offers Christians an effective way to work a traditional Twelve-Step program and name Jesus Christ as their Higher Power. The authors have a theoretical understanding ofthe Twelve Steps as well as a personal understanding as a result of their own recovery journeys. They know from first-hand experience how God can use the spiritual essence of the Twelve Steps to transform broken lives, heal damaged emotions, and mend shattered relationships. Included in this book are:

~ Ideas for choosing and working with a recovery partner.

~ "Step Overivews" to asist in understanding, working and preparing for the step.

~ "Helpful Hints" to aid the reader inareas of prayer, meditation, and Bible study.

~ Expanded examples for "Common Behavior Characteristics"

~ "Key Ideas" in each step to reinforce central concepts.

By Friends in Recovery, 1988, ISBN: 0-941405-57-5

What If I Married the Wrong Person? Most people in less-than-perfect marriages feel a duty to stay married. But they also wonder how they can ever survive their painful situation. This book offers much more than pat advice to "tough it out." It brings perspective and inspiration, along with practical exercises and discipline that over time will transform the way you think about your marriage. This book can help rebuild your marriage, enabling you to restore the intimacy and affection you once felt.

By Dr. Richard Matteson and Janis Long Harris, 1996, ISBN: 1-55661-664-3.

When God Doesn’t Make Sense. An immensely practical book for those who are struggling with trials and heartaches they can’t understand. Why does disease, divorce, rejection, death, or sorrow seep into our lives when we are trying to serve the Lord? It just doesn’t seem fair! This book deals unflinchingly with life’s’ most troubling question – the awesome "Why?" Drawing on his long experience as a Christian psychologist and family counselor, Dr. Dobson brings hope to those who have almost given up. When God Doesn’t Make Sense also helps believers avoid "the betrayal barrier," the sense that God is abandoning them amidst the storms of life.

By Dr. James Dobson, 1993, ISBN: 0-8423-8237-2.

When God Weeps, Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty. When suffering touches our lives, questions like these suddenly demand an answer. From our perspective, suffering doesn’t make sense, especially when we believe in a loving and just God. After more than thirty years in a wheelchair, Joni Eareckson Tada’s intimate experience with suffering gives her a special understanding of God’s intentions for us in our pain. In When God Weeps, she and lifelong friend Steven Estes probe beyond glib answers that fail us in our time of deepest need. Instead, with firmness and compassion, they reveal a God big enough to understand our suffering, wise enough to allow it – and powerful enough to use it for a greater good than we can ever imagine.

By Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes, 1997, ISBN: 0-310-21186-7.

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Last modified: November 17, 2008