The following self-help books were considered excellent by a significant number of mental health practitioners in a large survey. This is only a partial list of the most highly-rated books. The complete study is found in The Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health by John Norcross, John Santrock, Linda Campbell, Thomas Smith, Robert Sommer, and Edward Zuckerman, New York: The Guilford Press.

Anger

• The Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships by Harriet Lerner
• Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion by Carol Tavris
• The Anger Workbook by Lorrainne Bilodeau
• How to Control Your Anger Before It Controls You by Albert Ellis, Raymond Chip
• Letting Go of Anger: The 10 Most Common Anger Styles and What to Do About Them by Ron Potter-Efron, et al
• A Volcano in My Tummy: Helping Children to Handle Anger: A Resource Book for Parents, Caregivers and Teachers by Eliane Whitehouse, Warwick Pudney

Anxiety

• The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne
• Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic (MAP-3): Client Workbook for Agoraphobia by Michelle G. Craske
• Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks by R. Reid Wilson Ph.D
• Stop Obsessing!: How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions (Revised Edition) by Edna B. Foa, Reid Wilson
• The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Bruce M. Hyman, Cherry Pedrick

Assertiveness

• Your Perfect Right: Assertiveness and Equality in Your Life and Relationships (Eighth Edition) by Robert E. Alberti, Michael L. Emmons
• Asserting Yourself by Sharon Anthony Bower, Gordon H. Bower
• Stand Up, Speak Out, Talk Back! by Robert Alberti, Michael L. Emmons
• When I Say No, I Feel Guilty by Manuel J. Smith
• Stick Up for Yourself: Every Kid’s Guide to Personal Power & Positive Self-Esteem by Gershen, Kaufman, et al

ADHD

• Taking Charge of ADHD, Revised Edition by Russell A. Barkley
• Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey
• ADHD and Teens: A Parent’s Guide to Making It Through the Tough Years
  by Colleen Alexander-Roberts, Paul T. Elliott
• Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention: A Book for Kids About ADD by Kathleen G. Nadeau, et al
• Distant Drums, Different Drummers: A Guide for Young People With ADHD
  by Barbara D. Ingersoll

Battered women

• The Battered Woman by Lenore E. Walker
• Getting Free: You Can End Abuse and Take Back Your Life by Ginny Nicarthy

Communication

• How to Communicate: The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Personal and Professional Relationships by Davis, McKay, et al
• People Skills by Robert Bolton
• You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen
• Boundaries by Henry Cloud, John Townsend
• Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger, Fisher, et al
• Shyness: What It Is, What to Do About It by Philip G. Zimbardo
• Intimate Connections by David D. Burns
• Just Friends: The Role of Friendship in Our Lives by Lillian B. Rubin

Death & Grieving

• How to Survive the Loss of a Love by Peter McWilliams, et al
• When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner
• On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• The Grief Recovery Handbook: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death Divorce, and Other Losses by John W. James, Russell Friedman
• On Children and Death: How Children and Their Parents Can and Do Cope With Death by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• Helping Children Grieve: When Someone They Love Dies by Theresa Huntley

Dementia

• The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons With Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life by Nancy L. Mace, Peter V. Rabins
• The Hidden Victims of Alzheimer’s Disease: Families Under Stress by Nancy K. Orr et al
• The Alzheimer’s Caregiver: Dealing with the Realities of Dementia by Harriet Hodgson

Eating Disorders

• Dying to Be Thin: Understanding and Defeating Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia-A Practical, Lifesaving Guide by Ira M. Sacker, Marc A. Zimmer

Love

• Love Is Never Enough by Aaron T. Beck
• The Dance of Intimacy by Harriet Lerner
• Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
• The Triangle of Love: Intimacy, Passion, Commitment by Robert J. Sternberg
• Obsessive Love: When It Hurts Too Much to Let Go by Susan Forward, Craig Buck

Marriage

• Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last by John M. Gottman, Nan Silver
• Intimate Partners: Patterns in Love and Marriage by Maggie Scarf
• Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples by Harville Hendrix
• Divorce Busting: A Revolutionary and Rapid Program for Staying Together
  by Michele Weiner-Davis

Mood Disorders

• Feeling Good by David Burns
• The Feeling Good Handbook by David Burns
• Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger, Christine A. Padesky
• Control Your Depression by Peter M. Lewinsohn
• When Living Hurts: For Teenagers and Young Adults – A Lively What-To-Do Book for Yourself or Someone You Care About Who Feels Discouraged, Sad, Lonely by Sol Gordon
• When Feeling Bad Is Good by Ellen McGrath

Schizophrenia

• Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and Providers
  by E. Fuller Torrey
• Coping With Schizophrenia: A Guide for Families by Kim Tornval Mueser Schizophrenia Simplified: A Field Guide to Schizophrenia for Frontline Workers, Families, and Professionals by J.F. Thornton, M.V. Seeman

Self Management

• Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind & Your Life by Martin E. Seligman
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• What You Can Change… and What You Can’t: The Complete Guide to Successful Self-Improvement: Learning to Accept Who You Are by Martin P. Seligman
• Changing for Good by James O., Ph.D. Prochaska, et al
• Overcoming Procrastination: Or How to Think and Act Rationally in Spite of Life’s Inevitable Hassles by Albert Ellis, et al

Sex

• For Each Other: Sharing Sexual Intimacy by Lonnie Barbach

Sexual abuse

• The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
• Victims No Longer: Men Recovering from Incest and Other Sexual Child Abuse by Mike Lew, Ellen Bass

Spiritual

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
• Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

Stress

• The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis, et al
• The Stress and Relaxation Handbook: A Practical Guide to Self-Help Techniques by Jane Madders
• Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
  by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• The Wellness Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Maintaining Health and Treating Stress-Related Illness by Herbert Benson, Eileen M. Stuart
• The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson

Weight management

• 8 Weeks to Optimum Health by Andrew Weil

And a few of my personal favorites….

• The Explosive Child by Ross Greene
• How to Cure Your Memory Failures: Dozens of Proven Methods from Two World Experts by Douglas Herrmann and Michael Gruneberg
• Messages: The Communications Skills Book by Patrick Fanning, Matthew McKay, and Martha Davis
• Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do about It by Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen
• Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
• Reinventing Your Life by Jeffrey Young and Janet Klosko
• The Relationship Cure: A Five-Step Guide for Building Better Connections with Family, Friends, and Lovers by John Gottman and Joan DeClaire
• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman
• Shadow Syndromes: The Mild Forms of Major Mental Disorders that Sabotage Us by John Ratey and Catherine Johnson
• Ten Days to Self-Esteem by David Burns
• The Thoughts and Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life by Matthew McKay, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning
• When Anger Hurts: Quieting the Storm Within by Matthew McKay, Peter Rogers, and Judith McKay