Book prescription

Many people – perhaps even the majority –develop emotional or psychological problems at some time during their life. At any one time, for example, about 10% of adults are feeling somewhat depressed. Others feel anxious about leaving the house, or about meeting  people, or have worries that just seem to go on and on. Some experience panic attacks that can be very frightening and unpredictable, while others realise that their tidiness around the house is becoming obsessional. Some people are highly stressed by work or family life, while others are haunted by abuse that happened in childhood. And many people just don’t feel good about themselves. Their self-esteem is low, they lack confidence and feel useless and unlovable.

Many people consult their G.P. for help with their emotional difficulties, and G.P.s can help in several ways. They might refer the person to a counsellor, for example, or to specialist mental health services where psychologists, psychiatrists and others are able to provide treatment. However, the availability of these specialist resources is limited. More often, the G.P. will offer advice, prescribe medication to relieve such symptoms as anxiety or depression, or recommend contact with a local voluntary agency.

Medication has an important role in helping people with emotional problems, and is often very effective. However, people can also be helped by reading appropriate ‘self-help’ material. Many self-help books have been shown to be very useful in helping people to overcome a range of psychological problems. The use of books as a means of providing psychological therapy is known as ‘bibliotherapy’.

A ‘book prescription’ scheme, introduced in Poole in 2005, allows highly selected self-help books to be prescribed by GPs and others.

Once issued, the prescription can be exchanged for the book at any Branch Library across Poole.  It involves the close collaboration of the Primary Care Trust, Poole Social Services, Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust and Poole Libraries and is also supported by GPs and mental health specialists.

Many thousands of self-help books are available, and while the best of these are highly effective, others are not so useful. In 2003, Cardiff and the Vale Trust compiled a list of books highly recommended by their clinicians and launched the Cardiff Book Prescription Scheme. It is with grateful thanks to them and in particular to Neil Frude, that a similar scheme has been launched in Poole.

The books are available by borrowing on ordinary loan without a prescription but if you would like us to write a prescription for any of the books below please phone and leave a message for your doctor giving both the number and title. 

Click on the button below to view details and prices should you wish to buy rather than borrow.

Stocks of all the books on the list have been placed in Poole Central Library and in Branch Libraries across the town.  We would like to know if you have read any of these books and found them to be of help.

Brief Descriptions of Books on the Poole Book Prescription Scheme List

W1 Overcoming Irritability and Anger - Will Davies

This book is a self-help manual for people who find that they are constantly becoming irritable and angry. It explains why such bouts occur and what can be done to avoid angry over-reaction. Following a cognitive approach, the book aims to help people to control their temper and to handle potentially dangerous situations effectively and non- aggressively. With the help of real life case studies, the author describes what happens when people get angry and why some people become angry more easily than others. The book encourages the reader to keep an ‘anger diary’ and then to analyse any angry incidents that occur. It shows the reader how to look at situations differently so that anger occurs less frequently, and it also explains how anger can be controlled so that it does not lead to aggression or violence. 

W2 Managing Anger - Gael Lindenfield

Gael Lindenfield stresses the fact that that anger is a natural emotional response to threat, hurt, frustration and loss. It can be a vital means of releasing a build-up of emotional pressure but can also be a destructive force. If uncontrolled it can lead to violence; if repressed it can lead to bitterness, stress and guilt. Both extremes can damage health. The book explains the effects of anger on our minds and bodies, and suggests ways of dealing both with our own anger and that of other people. Using many engaging examples of everyday situations, the author suggests strategies for using anger in a positive and non-destructive way. Lindenfield is well-known for her books on self-esteem and assertiveness and has developed a model she calls Assertive Anger (which is assertive but responsible and non-violent). She shows how, by using specific strategies, people can learn to deal with frustration and threat in a positive way. The tone of the book is positive, optimistic, and understanding of those who have found it difficult to control their angry feelings in the past. W3 Breaking Free from Anorexia Nervosa:

A Survival Guide for Families, Friends and Sufferers - Janet Treasure

This is a clearly written guide for people with anorexia, and their families. It focuses on understanding anorexia, and the effects that the condition can have on patients and their relatives, before describing practical steps that can be taken to help recovery. Acknowledging that anorexia leads to strong emotions, including fear, the book attempts to overcome misunderstanding by providing answers to questions often asked by patients, their families and friends. The book deals with the recognition of the condition, issues of blame and denial, and helpful and unhelpful responses of family members to anorexia. Nutritional aspects and the health hazards of starvation are also addressed. The book provides a wealth of sensible information but it is an educational resource rather than a step-by-step self-treatment guide.

W4 Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa - Christopher Freeman & Peter Cooper

This book offers a complete self-help recovery programme for overcoming anorexia. It incorporates insights from cognitive behavioural therapy, which has now been demonstrated to be highly effective in helping to overcome conditions such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and eating disorders. The book provides descriptions of the eating habits and the underlying psychological and social problems that may result in anorexia. The treatment strategies suggested by the authors focus on reducing symptoms by changing negative beliefs and thought patterns. There are practical guidelines for uncovering faulty thinking patterns and then changing these. This self-help guide is written expressly for those who want to tackle their problem on their own, and to take control of their own recovery without formal treatment. However, the author is also careful to guide the reader towards additional sources of professional help, and the physical dangers associated with the condition are duly emphasised.

W5 Overcoming Anxiety - Helen Kennerley

This book explains why anxiety is a major problem for some people and not for others. It describes the various forms that anxiety problems may take, including panic attacks and phobias, and then guides the reader through a series of steps to enable them to overcome problem fears and anxieties of all kinds. The step-by-step plan follows the cognitive behavioural approach. The book includes many illustrative quotes from people who have had anxiety problems, allowing readers to realise that many others have shared similar experiences and have overcome their difficulties.  

W6 A Woman in Your Own Right - Anne Dickson

This is a classic text on assertiveness and self-confidence, written specifically for women. It has been widely recommended and widely read for the past 20 years and many women have found inspiration and strength in the book. Anne Dickson defines assertiveness as the art of clear, honest and direct communication. An assertive approach builds self-esteem and strengthens the ability to make choices by helping the person to manage the anxiety and stress of communicating in difficult situations. Instead of being governed by the need to either please or blame others, assertiveness involves taking responsibility

for our own feelings and behaviour. The book helps the reader to recognise her rights, including - the right to be treated with respect; the right to express feelings, opinions and values; the right to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’; and the right not to accept responsibility for other people’s problems.

W7 “You’ll Get Over It” - Virginia Ironside

The author of this book, a journalist and writer on personal and family relationships, provides a challenging account of bereavement. The death of her own father made her question some of the conventional views of the nature of grief. She suggests that rather than being an ordered process, for many people grief is a chaotic process involving a complex of 28 emotions including shock, anger, guilt, powerlessness and fear. Chapter by chapter the book considers each of the painful emotions, providing poignant examples along the way. The author recognises that her own bereavement response was largely one of anger, and this leads her to question the sentimental approach to helping people who are bereaved. Thus the title “You’ll get over it” is meant sarcastically. Phrases of this type are regarded by Virginia Ironside as unhelpful platitudes that typify a sentimental   approach. She suggests that bereaved people are not helped significantly by words of comfort but that what they need is honesty, however painful that may be. Although this is not a gentle book, it deals with bereavement issues with enormous sensitivity. Many bereaved people claim that this book helped them far more than any other they read, and describe it as ‘frank’, ‘honest’, ‘angry’ and ‘refreshing’.  

W8 Bulimia Nervosa & Binge Eating - Peter Cooper

This is a self-help guide for people with bulimia or binge eating disorder. It contains a good deal of valuable educational material, based on recent research, as well as a comprehensive self-treatment cognitive behavioural programme that follows tried and tested clinician-directed procedures. Detailed strategies are described for the self-control of bingeing and purging. In common with many other such books, strict adherence to the complete therapy programme described will demand considerable commitment on the part of the reader. Incidentally, the book includes important information and warnings about the dangers associated with repeated vomiting.

W9 Overcoming Binge Eating - Chris Fairburn

This book presents a self-help version of a clinical programme that has been shown to be highly effective in a number of clinical trials. Based on the assumption that bulimic patients have lost control over their eating, the cognitive behavioural programme is intended to ‘hand control back to the patient’. There is a strong educational component, with the reader being helped to understand the links between food deprivation, hunger, craving for food, and bingeing. The programme addresses the wide range of problems encountered in bulimic patients, including disturbed eating patterns, concerns about body shape and weight, perfectionism, ‘all or none’ thinking and low self-esteem. Patients are helped to monitor their own eating and purging behaviour, and to maintain a regular eating pattern. Deliberate attempts at dieting are held to maintain the problem, so efforts are made to eliminate ‘inappropriate’ forms of dieting (especially long periods of abstinence from food). Advice is given on the identification of personal binge triggers and on behavioural techniques that the person can use when tempted to binge. The final part of the book deals with ‘relapse prevention’ - techniques that can be used to maintain an avoidance of binge eating and purging. 29

W10 Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e) - Ulrike Schmidt and Janet Treasure

The efficacy of this self-help book has been demonstrated in clinical trials. The book empowers people with eating disorders (principally, bulimia and binge eating disorder) to take control and tackle their eating difficulties by themselves. Easy to read, and written in such a way that it first engages and then motivates the reader, the book quotes many real-life examples of specific problems faced by those with eating disorders. Reflecting  findings from research, the book provides detailed step by- step advice for dealing with bulimia, concentrating on the key behaviour changes necessary for the person to achieve a happier and more fulfilled life. Theory is closely interwoven with suggested practice.

In addition to focussing on eating problems, the book also addresses a range of psychological and lifestyle issues that often contribute to the onset and maintenance of bulimia. Issues covered in depth include: coping with binges, cravings and urges; the health risks of dieting; achieving optimal weight; giving up vomiting, laxatives and diuretics; healing the wounds of childhood; correcting faulty thinking; being appropriately assertive; avoiding reliance on drink and drugs; and dealing with problems in relationships and work. Advice is also given on how to cope with set-backs. The book prescribes a series of practical self-help tasks which together provide a comprehensive treatment programme. Following the programme through to the end demands considerable commitment by the client, but many readers have found even the partial completion of the programme very useful.

W11 Overcoming Depression - Paul Gilbert

This self-help guide provides step-by-step strategies for people experiencing depression, using cognitive therapy techniques. There is now a wealth of evidence supporting the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques in the treatment of depression. The techniques are relatively simple and can be self-administered by intelligent, literate and motivated people (however, it’s worth noting that depression itself can undermine motivation). The idea is that depression (as well as anxiety, anger and other negative emotions) are often triggered and maintained by negative automatic thoughts which are over-generalised, pessimistic and unrealistic. CBT enables the person to identify such thoughts, to devise more realistic alternatives and then to substitute these for the damaging, depressing thought patterns. Overcoming Depression sets out to explain CBT techniques and to guide the reader to use such strategies following practical step-by-step guidance. The book is very readable and sympathetic in tone and includes numerous case examples. 30 31

W12 Mind Over Mood - Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky

Mind Over Mood became a classic text soon after it was published, and it may well be the book most frequently recommended to clients by those working in mental health (both in the US and in the UK). Although the book is classified here under the category Depression’, it does in fact have a much wider focus. It provides a hands-on workbook for clients experiencing depression, panic attacks, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, and relationship problems. In each case the approach used is that of cognitive therapy. Numerous case examples and written exercises help clients to understand and use these methods, and the book includes many sample worksheets and blank worksheets. The first Chapter guides the reader to develop introspective skills and new perspectives about everyday predicaments. This familiarises readers with the cognitive approach and allows them to discover their own problematic thought patterns. The remaining Chapters focus on specific emotional problems and provide clear, easy, step-by-step instructions for identifying distorted problematic thoughts and replacing them with more realistic and more positive thoughts. In a foreword to the book, written by Aaron Beck, one of the pioneers of cognitive therapy, the authors are commended for their “vision and innovation” as well as their ability to teach what they practice.

W13 The Feeling Good Handbook - David Burns

This is a practical manual that helps those who are depressed to understand how their thinking processes have contributed to their depression and how, by changing their thinking, they will be able to exert some control over their mood. It begins with an easy to read overview of cognitive theory before discussing the various approaches to treating depression. The book then introduces a number of practical therapeutic techniques based on the cognitive theory of depression. Practical exercises enable readers to uncover any errors of thinking that may have contributed to their feelings of depression (for example, a tendency to underemphasise achievements and overemphasise failures). They are then helped to correct their faulty thinking patterns using cognitive strategies that are taught and reinforced through self-managed practical assignments. The book provides down-to-earth explanations and engaging examples from everyday life and clinical practice. This book is widely recommended. W14 Head Injury: A Practical Guide Trevor Powell This book offers information and advice to those who have sustained a traumatic head injury and to their families. The author (a respected researcher and clinician in the field) explains the nature and effects of brain injury and neuro-disability. Detailed information is provided on the effects of brain injury on the family, and there is a discussion of how family members can best help the brain-injured person. There is a section on neuro-behavioural rehabilitation and an examination of effective interventions. Rehabilitation is described as a process in which the patient actively strives, with the help of professionals and family members, to recover former skills and to develop new strategies to compensate for lost skills. Rehabilitation is regarded as successful when the person achieves their potential in terms of physical, cognitive and social skills and adjustment. There is an emphasis on the fact that rehabilitation is a life-long process, demanding continuous maintenance, preferably with the long term involvement of family members.The book discusses a number of additional, practical issues such as the advisability of a person returning to work following minor head injury.

W15 Stop Worrying About Your Health! - George Zgourides

Many people who are worried about headaches, back pain, heart palpitations, stomach acid, and muscle spasms are actually experiencing sensations that are unconnected to physical disease. But preoccupation with such minor ‘normal’ symptoms can lead to extreme anxiety and can seriously disrupt work and relationships. Such people are also likely to be ‘frequent attenders’ at the GP surgery. This self-help guide, written by a clinical psychologist, offers step-by-step strategies for readers who are excessively (sometimes obsessionally) concerned about their physical health (the author labels such people as having “health anxiety syndrome”). The author applies well-established cognitive-behavioural strategies that have been shown to be effective in dealing with other types of anxiety to the situation in which the person’s focus of anxiety is their physical health. Readers learn how to identify the causes of their excessive worry, how to change their perception of minor, everyday physical symptoms, and how to accept and redefine their experience of these symptoms. The author also offers helpful advice about how readers can gain and maintain emotional support from family and friends.

W16 Overcoming Mood Swings - Jan Scott

This book offers insights and practical help for those who are seriously disturbed by extreme high or low spirits. Although everyone is aware of changes in their mood, some people are very distressed by changes, either because the mood swings happen too frequently or because they are very intense and are accompanied by other symptoms of depression or mania. Overcoming Mood Swings is a self-help manual that applies tried and tested cognitive techniques to allow people first to identify and then to manage their mood swings more effectively, and to regain more stable and comfortable emotional levels. Background information on depression and mania is also included. The book presents a complete self-help program including self-tests and monitoring sheets. 32 33

W17 Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - David Veale & Rob Willson

This self-treatment manual provides clear, focused and practical strategies for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The authors are a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist who have worked with people with severe OCD for many years. They consider it important for patients to ‘know the enemy’ – to understanding the nature and origins of OCD. Several standard assessment questionnaires are included to enable to person to identify the nature, severity and consequences of their own condition. Such understanding is seen as an important part of the treatment programme and there is also considerable emphasis on the process of getting ‘ready to change’ by defining the problem accurately and setting clear goals. The book presents a 10-step plan, based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Various cognitive and behavioural strategies are detailed, and guidance is given on how to maintain progress, how to overcome obstacles and how to prevent relapse. There is also an extensive chapter on how friends and family can help. OCD is often a very severe problem and the authors are realistic in    acknowledging that the book will not provide a complete solution for every reader. The authors therefore provide details of resources that might be able to offer additional help.

W18 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Fred Toates and Olga Coschug-Toates

In the first section of this book, the first author, Dr Frederick Toates, provides an emotional and honest autobiographical account of his life as a person with OCD and his successful quest for a cure. The book then presents a number of case studies which illustrate the range of seemingly bizarre thought processes often found in OCD and the disturbing behavioural rituals often associated with these thoughts. Although the book doesn’t gloss over the often horrendous symptoms of the illness, and its major impact on people’s lives, the overall message of the book is realistic and optimistic. For many people who have struggled to understand their OCD, such descriptions of other people’s symptoms can be very reassuring. The authors suggest may help people to understand the nature of their psychological difficulties before presenting a range of treatment strategies. One person with OCD who reviewed this book on the Amazon UK website said “Just to read this book in itself is to take many steps forward to combating the anxiety and   debilitation that OCD brings to the sufferer. This book MUST be read”.

W19 Understanding Obsessions & Compulsions - Frank Tallis

There is now increasing awareness that obsessions and compulsive behaviour are problems for many thousands of people. Many of these are embarrassed by their symptoms and are reluctant to seek help from their doctor. For those who do ask for help, specialist therapeutic resources are often scarce and available only for those with very severe OCD. This book attempts to provide a comprehensive self-help guide for those with mild to moderate obsessions and compulsions. It explains the principles of anxiety reduction and provides self treatment instructions in easy-to understand language. The approach is cognitive-behavioural. Problems covered include compulsive checking,   washing and hoarding as well as obsessional thoughts and worry. The book includes self assessment measures and advice on the detailed monitoring of symptoms. It also includes sections on obsessional personality and on the depression that often results from   obsessional symptoms.

W20 Overcoming Panic - Derrick Silove and Vijaya Manicavasagar

This book was developed as a self-help guide for overcoming and preventing panic attacks and the associated problem of agoraphobia. The authors offer a step-by step management program based on cognitive behavioural therapy. The first part of the book describes the nature and origin of panic attacks and agoraphobia and considers the   various ways in which these conditions affect and limit people’s lives. The various approaches used to treat these conditions are then described. The second part of the book constitutes a self-help manual. Readers are shown how to recognize triggers of anxiety and panic and how to control panic attacks by changing unhelpful thinking styles and dealing with physical sensations. All of the information is presented in an accessible way and the book includes advice on maintaining progress and preventing relapse.

W21 Panic Attacks - Christine Ingham

This book provides many useful insights into the terror and misery of panic attacks by an author who has a personal history of such attacks. The book provides reassurance, insight and practical help. The author considers the nature of panic attacks and the different causes of panic attacks before offering sensible guidance on what a person can do (and think) when having an attack. There is also a sensitive presentation of steps that can be taken to avoid a recurrence, and a section on how to help others with panic attacks.

W22 Overcoming Traumatic Stress - Claudia Herbert & Ann Wetmore

This book applies proven techniques of cognitive behavioural therapy to help people who have experienced traumatic stress, their families and those who work with them to   overcome the physical, mental, and emotional reactions to such stress. It is a self-help guide aimed at helping people to understand their reactions of traumatic stress. Step-by-step procedures detailed in the book help people to recognise, accept and manage their longer term reactions to a traumatic experience such as a road traffic accident, an industrial accident, or rape. It teaches strategies that will enable the reader first to come to terms with the trauma and then to let go and move on.  34 35

W23 Overcoming Low Self-Esteem - Melanie Fennell

This is a highly readable and useful book for those who are oppressed by self-doubt, self-criticism, social anxiety and other problems associated with low self-esteem. It enables those with low self-esteem to understand their condition, and to break the habit of   thinking about themselves in negative ways by applying cognitive therapy techniques in a simple and logical programme for change. Many real-life examples are used to illustrate the nature and consequences of self-destructive thinking. The book aims to help the   reader understand how a negative view of oneself can be changed to a view that is more positive and self-accepting. An initial self-assessment enables readers to measure their own self-esteem and to identify triggers to self-criticism. Strategies for overcoming these triggers are then described. The book provides a complete self-help programme for combating negativity and moving towards greater self-esteem and a more positive mental attitude.

W24 The Feeling Good Handbook - David Burns

The Feeling Good Handbook is a well established self-help guide that provides readers with straightforward cognitive therapy techniques for dealing with a range of emotional problems including depression, chronic nervousness, panic attacks, phobias, and feelings of stress, guilt, or inferiority. The book also addresses such everyday difficulties as test anxiety, fear of public speaking, procrastination and self-doubt. Self-assessment tests and a daily mood diary are used to enable readers to become aware of their own emotions and thought processes. Common thinking errors are described in such a way that they are easily understood, easily remembered and easily recognised. Writing exercises enable readers to recognise cognitive fallacies and examples of irrationality in their thinking processes. The overall aim of the book is to show readers how to change faulty thinking habits so that they can control their moods and come to judge themselves and others in a more realistic and more positive way.

W25 Self-Esteem for Women - Lynda Field

This guide shows women how to increase their self-esteem and change their lives by using specific techniques, including visualizations and affirmations. These are presented in a five-step programme for personal change. The book demonstrates how women can examine their personal history to discover and change their negative self-beliefs. Clear guidelines are provided that can enable readers to believe in themselves, to let go of guilt, to engage in successful personal relationships and to become empowered in the home and the workplace.

W26 Self-Esteem - Gael Lindenfield

This book provides a practical programme to increase self-esteem. It aims to help the reader to feel more confident, self-reliant and energised. Poor self-esteem is seen to be the root of many problems. It can sabotage relationships and careers and can hold people back from reaching their full potential. The book examines the origins of low self-esteem and then presents simple, practical exercises that allow readers to develop strategies for change. Practical tips are given for breaking out of self-imposed traps, for developing a realistic perspective and for coping with situations that threaten to undermine self-confidence. The book also shows the reader how to recover from deep-seated hurt and  how to change self-destructive habits. The author maintains that overcoming self-doubt and building self-assurance can improve general well-being and create an enduring sense of self-fulfilment.

W27 10 Days to Great Self-Esteem - David Burns

Written in a clear and understanding style, this book helps readers to identify the causes of negative mood changes and to develop a more positive outlook on life. Following a cognitive approach the book first explains how negative feelings like guilt, anger, and depression are usually not the direct consequence of adverse life events, but stem from the way that people think about these events. By changing their thoughts, therefore, the person is able to control feelings. The book focuses on the problems of people who doubt themselves, criticise themselves and have a negative view of themselves. The book   contains a lot of information, but there are also many practical exercises, each one carefully explained. The book is structured in such a way that (as the title suggests) the reader who engages fully with the book may achieve, and learn how to maintain, self-confidence and an optimistic outlook in 10 days!

W28 Breaking Free - Carolyn Ainscough and Kay Toon

This is a practical up to date self-help book for survivors of child sexual abuse. It investigates the lasting effects of child sexual abuse, which may include guilt and shame, depression and anxiety, eating disorders, fear of relationships and sexual problems. The book includes frank and moving accounts by survivors to demonstrate the range of experiences and feelings involved. The authors (two British clinical psychologists with many years of experience in the field) address many sensitive issues in a sympathetic manner. The book offers a positive and optimistic approach and provides survivors with strategies for coping with the potentially very upsetting and painful process of breaking free from their past. Many abuse survivors have reported this book to be especially valuable.

W29 The Courage to Heal - Ellen Bass and Laura Davies

Drawing on the authors’ personal experience and extensive clinical involvement, this book is aimed at women who have been victims of child sexual abuse (although men who are survivors of such abuse may also find the book helpful). It offers advice on coming to terms with the past while moving positively into the future, and provides an explanation of the healing process, first-person accounts of recovery, and practical suggestions derived from the authors’ work with hundreds of survivors. The purpose of the book is to infuse survivors with the hope and courage necessary for them to embark on a healing process. It has an inspirational focus, but also guides readers through 36 37 various stages of healing, helping them to recognise and understand the different ways in which they have already coped with the abuse and then suggesting a range of additional strategies   that can promote more effective coping. The reader is shown how to re-channel energy that might previously have been spent on self-blame and feelings of worthlessness into movement towards a healthy recovery. The book also includes a section for partners, helping them understand the emotional and sexual problems faced by survivors.

W30 Overcoming Social Anxiety & Shyness - Gillian Butler

This well-written, very readable book,  contains many real-life examples and provides detailed instructions on effective cognitive behavioural techniques for overcoming social phobia and shyness. Those who lack confidence when they are with other people, or feel embarrassment when meeting new people, are likely to benefit from reading this book. It is suitable for those with crippling, entrenched problems right through to those with mild feelings of discomfort and social shyness. The first part of the book explains the origins of social anxiety and the impact of such anxiety. The second part provides a complete practical guide to overcoming these feelings, changing thinking patterns, reducing self- consciousness and building confidence. The author explains how to deal with upsetting thoughts, overcome avoidance and manage symptoms of anxiety through relaxation, distraction and panic management. Finally, the third part provides a number of “optional extras” such as an explanation of the long-term effects of being bullied and a guide to relaxation.

W31 The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook - Martha Davis, et al.

This is a workbook designed to teach the most effective stress management and relaxation techniques and exercises. The book is currently in its fifth edition and now offers a number of new techniques for challenging problems in the area of stress management. There is a chapter on “worry control” to help people manage their mental stress and a section on coping with anger provoking situations. A chapter on ‘thought stopping’ shows readers how to stop and then neutralise distressing thoughts. The book includes many real-life examples and practical exercises.

W32 Managing Stress: Teach Yourself - Terry Looker and Olga Gregson

This practical guide to stress management provides advice on assessing and identifying stress, and on developing a personal stress management plan. Packed with good, easy to understand advice, it is based on the ‘Stresswise’ programme developed in the 1980’s as a result of the authors’ research on the link between stress and coronary heart disease. An earlier book was revised many times and then completely rewritten to produce the current volume. This begins with a clear explanation of the nature, origins and consequences of stress. Advice is then given on relaxation and ways of adjusting to the demands of daily life. The main core of the book is a comprehensive self-treatment programme designed to enable readers to manage pressures and demands more effectively. A ‘stress management planner’ included in the book allows the reader to develop a personally tailored  programme. It is suggested that the maintenance and enhancement of self-esteem is a key factor in managing stress. Thus developing and maintaining positive self-beliefs will enhance people’s ability to cope and to adapt to the pressures and demands of life.

W33 How to Stop Worrying - Frank Tallis

Worry is discussed as a natural way in which the brain warns us that something is wrong and needs to be dealt with. It becomes a problem when things get out of hand, and when the worrying starts to spoil a person’s health and enjoyment of life. The author explains how readers can make worry work for them. A problem-solving approach is taken,  enabling people to avoid stress and anxiety by controlling worry, understanding their fears, and facing life calmly. The book includes detailed instructions in problem solving and also discusses how to deal with setbacks and how to cope when the worry doesn’t stop.