Self-Help That Works Book Summary - Self-Help That Works Book explained in key points

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Self-Help That Works summary

Name: Self-Help That Works
Rating: 4.2 (64 reviews)
Author: John C. Norcross et al.

John C. Norcross et al.

Resources to Improve Emotional Health and Strengthen Relationships

4.2 (64 ratings)

30 mins

Topics

Self-Help Happiness Mental Health Spirituality Aging Career Progress

Table of Contents

Self-Help That Works
Summary of 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Discover some of the best self-help resources recommended by expert professionals.

There are thousands of self-help resources on the market. Whether your issue is how to take care of your defiant child or help a friend through his depression, there’s no shortage of books and films out there dealing with these subjects. So which ones are really worth checking out?

This is precisely the question that Self-Help That Works sets out to answer. The authors conducted 12 national studies in which they asked mental health professionals around the US to recommend books, films, and internet resources on over 40 different self-help categories. Each of the following nine blinks covers two of the categories contained in the authors’ survey, along with the self-help resources they deemed most valuable and effective.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

which books are recommended for coping with depression;
which films best deal with the issue of aging; and
how mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy can lead to better living.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Career Development and 2) Self-Management and Self-Enhancement.

Our career choices are important. After all, what we do for a living can play an important role in how satisfied we are with our lives and how healthy our relationships are. So it’s no wonder that there’s an endless supply of self-help books on the topic of career development.

In fact, out of all the categories, and of all the books recommended, one of the most positively rated is a book that has helped millions of people for generations now: What Color Is Your Parachute? This book, written by Richard Bolles, first came out in 1975. But since then, it’s been updated multiple times. Recent additions include topics such as helping those with physical disabilities find meaningful employment.

There are many reasons why it remains a strongly recommended pick on the topic of career development after all these years. For starters, Bolles doesn’t assume readers are looking for their first jobs – or even their second or third, for that matter. It’s meant to be useful for people of any age and situation, be it a recent college grad or someone seeking a mid-life career change. It’s also written with warmth and humor, making it an engaging book to read.

Changing careers can go hand-in-hand with an overall effort toward self-improvement. This brings us to the category of self-management and self-enhancement, another popular issue for self-help books. Of the many books discussed, a few are strongly recommended.

At the top of the list is Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, by Steven C. Hayes and Spencer Smith. Hayes and Smith introduce readers to the principles of ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. ACT is designed to help steer people away from spending a lot of time and energy on trying to change circumstances or conditions that are unlikely to change. Instead, it encourages people to practice acceptance – and focus that energy on healthier values.

In both categories in this blink, the surveyed mental health professionals recommended many internet resources.

For career development, the top websites include Peterson’s (petersons.com), a useful resource for anyone considering a new college degree, graduate school, or embarking on other forms of adult education in the US. And for those who are seeking a new job, the website Monster.com remains one of the most popular and biggest career development resources online.

For self-management and self-enhancement, few online resources are more recommended than Psych Central (psychcentral.com), a website that covers a wide range of mental health, psychology and self-help issues. For many of the issues covered here, the surveyed mental health professionals recommend Psych Central as a valuable online resource.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Infant Development and Parenting and 2) Child Development and Parenting.

For better or worse, new parents are most familiar with the child-rearing techniques they picked up from their own parents. But even if they’ve got a solid set of fundamental skills, many parents still worry about things like reaching specific developmental milestones, how best to respond to crying, and what disciplinary methods are most effective. In other words, most parents have a lot of pressing questions – and there are volumes upon volumes of self-help books aimed at providing answers. So which ones do clinicians recommend the most?

For infant development and parenting, there are several highly-rated books. Among the strongest recommendations are two books by the authors Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff, and Sandee E. Hathaway, entitled What to Expect the First Year, and its follow-up, What to Expect: The Toddler Years.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Aging and 2) Spirituality and Existential Concerns.

A century ago, the average life expectancy of a human male was less than 45 years. Thankfully, a lot has changed since then. Nowadays, people aged 65 and older make up around 13 percent of the population, this being an unprecedented statistic in human history.

Our attitudes toward aging have been changing too. The prevailing mindset used to be that our final years should be a passive experience. But now that we know that the most active older adults are also the happiest and healthiest, attitudes have changed significantly. Given these new changes, it’s no surprise then that there’s a wealth of self-help resources out there for both older adults as well as their relatives and caregivers.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Anxiety Disorders and 2) Depression.

What is anxiety? For different people, it elicits various unpleasant feelings, for there’s a range of anxiety disorders that can elicit feelings of apprehension, motor tensions such as jumpiness or trembling, or hyperactivity such as dizziness and a racing heart.

The spectrum of anxiety disorders includes panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as generalized anxiety disorder. There’s a lot of controversy around anxiety disorders, including how to best treat them. But many of the surveyed mental health professionals did come to a general consensus on some of the best self-help resources available regarding anxiety disorders.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Suicide and 2) Death and Grieving.

Among US adolescents, suicide is the third leading cause of death. And it’s tenth among the nation’s general population. It’s safe to say, right now, millions of people are considering thoughts of ending their own lives.

What those statistics don’t reveal is that every suicide can adversely impact a large number of friends and family. For these people, feelings of guilt and grief may never fully go away.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Addictions and 2) Substance Abuse.

Clinically speaking, addiction is when someone continues with a behavior or the use of a substance despite negative consequences. Addicted people generally become mentally caught up in their behavior while their tolerance of its negative consequences increases. The sad result? The behavior continuously escalating in order for the individual to experience the same result.

Addictions include, but are not limited to, gambling, sex, pornography, as well as drugs and alcohol. These days, there’s also an increasing amount of attention devoted to cyber addictions. More controversial is the issue of codependency, which was originally a term used to describe people who were married to alcoholics but has since grown to include many other circumstances. Even though it’s become increasingly difficult to pin down an exact definition of codependency, there’s a wide array of resources aimed at both addicts and those in relationships with addicts.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Sexuality and 2) Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues.

Like other issues, including addiction and death, many of us can be uncomfortable talking about sex. As a result of our lack of communication, as well as media stereotypes of unrealistic sexual exploits, we have plenty of unresolved questions and worries around sex. This is why the sexuality category of self-help resources is well supplied with materials.

There are recommendations for books that are specifically for men, women, and those in relationships. The most strongly recommended for women is Becoming Orgasmic: A Sexual Growth Program For Women, by Julia Heiman, a book that offers a range of exercises designed to encourage women to explore and understand their sexual feelings and reach a place of increased sexual fulfillment.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are Marriage and Divorce.

Today’s marriages have very little in common with marriages 50 years ago. Back then, it was expected that a couple would have kids and the wife would stay home while the husband worked. And very few couples went to a therapist to sort out their problems. Luckily, all of those things have now changed.

While a large number of marriages in the US end in divorce – around 40 percent of first marriages and 50 percent after that – many people still seek to heal and improve their relationships through self-help resources. So let’s look at what the experts recommend.

The two self-help topics covered in this blink are 1) Stress Management and Relaxation and 2) Happiness.

There’s no denying that life can be stressful, so let’s look at some resources for managing that stress, and also find out what the experts recommend on the subject of happiness.

It’s not hard to find evidence of America’s stress problem. Some of the biggest-selling pharmaceutical drugs are Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin – all of which are anti-anxiety drugs. But recent research suggests that there isn’t a single effective remedy for managing stress. Instead, a multi-faceted approach is likely the best way to go. One that involves a combination of relaxation techniques, anger management, mindfulness, regular exercise, vacationing more often, and opening up to close friends.

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What is Self-Help That Works about?

Self-Help That Works (2013, Fourth Edition) offers the valuable service of taking the top recommendations from mental health professionals in the US and compiling the results in one handy volume. You’ll find which self-help resources the experts recommend on over 40 of the most popular topics.

Best quote from Self-Help That Works

Kidshealth is an outstanding website that has three distinct sections – one for parents, one for kids, and one for teens...

—John C. Norcross et al.

Who should read Self-Help That Works?

Anyone wondering what the best self-help books are
People looking for tips on better living
Couples and parents seeking advice

About the Author

John C. Norcross, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist who works at the University of Scranton as a professor of psychology, and at SUNY Upstate Medical Center as an adjunct professor of psychiatry.

Linda F. Campbell, PhD, is an award-winning researcher who works at the University of Georgia as a professor and director of the training clinic at the university’s Department of Counseling and Human Development.

John M. Grohol, PsyD, is a researcher, author, and expert in developing and designing online psychology resources. He’s the author of The Insider’s Guide to Mental Health Resources Online.

John W. Santrock, PhD, is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. He’s the author of such psychology texts as Life-Span Development and Child Development, and coauthor of Your Guide to College Success.

Florin Selagea, MS, has a master’s degree in professional counseling from Georgia State University and is pursuing a doctorate in counseling psychology at the University of Georgia.

Robert Sommer, PhD, served as president of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Population and Environmental Psychology. He’s the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship and a Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of California, Davis.

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