lucibello's reviews
54 reviews

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

reflective fast-paced

3.5

As a therapist, it is a good book to recommend to clients, but I didn't personally get much from it myself. It repackaged attachment theory, but not clearly. However, the discussion about the types of immature parents was really helpful.

Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner by J. William Worden

informative fast-paced

4.5

For a textbook, this was a really fast read with extremely useful information. It didn't get lost in theory, it was extremely practical.

New Ways of Seeing: The Art of Therapeutic Reframing: How to use your words to release your clients from limiting beliefs, including examples from 81 real cases. by Mark Tyrrell

reflective fast-paced

3.75

Easy to pick up and set down, a very quick read, mostly anecdotes of various reframing techniques utilized within counseling sessions.

Unclutter: A Survivor's Story by Winnie D. Pagora

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The author had a message, and it is a noble one that I agree with. That did mean that at times the book felt a little preachy, but given the book's intended audience, I think that should be excused. There were times where it felt that additional characters were added or additional plot lines were added in a somewhat disjointed way but overall I did enjoy the read and was glad I did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Self harm

Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

This may be one of the best books I have ever read, and I am convinced that I will need to read it several more times before I pull everything out of it that is applicable to me. It is weighty, there are a lot of truths and wisdom in it, slowing down while reading this one, perhaps even keeping a journal or taking it in in small portions is ideal.

The High-Conflict Couple: A Dialectical Behavior Therapy Guide to Finding Peace, Intimacy, and Validation by Alan Fruzzetti

challenging informative slow-paced

3.5

I'm a marriage and family therapist and this is a common book to be given to couples. I did not enjoy the beginning of it because it was just too simplistic and would maybe even be aloof in the sense that the solution to problems ignored underlying resentments. However, the book improved as you read it, and there were some excellent points made about acceptance versus change, and how to resolve conflict. Overall, I felt like it was a pretty slow read even though it's a small book.

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins

challenging informative medium-paced

4.5

I was deeply challenged by this one. He made some sobering points and I may need to listen again to wrestle with the concepts more fully.

Family Therapy: A Systemic Integration Plus Mylab Search with Etext -- Access Card Package by Dorothy Stroh Becvar, Raphael J. Becvar

informative reflective slow-paced

2.5

I've read this book twice, once while in grad school to be a marriage and family therapist, and one says a refresher about three or four years later. I just finished it for the second time and had many of the same opinions, it's way too much fluff. The book works hard to justify its postmodernist approach, meaning that there are quite a few contradictions. For instance, it absolutely declares no absolutes, that type of thing. It also played a lot of semantic games, such as equating influence with manipulation, and perhaps this is a worldview thing but I do not see those as synonymous at all. So the book is a love-hate for me.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Brilliant. The best mystery novel I have ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Child death

Getting to Yes with Yourself CD: (and Other Worthy Opponents) by William Ury

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

His work as a top negotiator as well as his personal life experiences inform his methods and inspired the listener.