What about reading?

Books, websites, & blogs

There's an abundance of good reading material out there about mental health! Unfortunately, there are also reading materials that are "not so good." Since you're here on the internet you have an advantage. If you're interested in reading something on a particular topic, do a word search on the internet and look for a book or webpage that looks credible. When you find a book mentioned repeatedly on various sites it usually means that it's at least popular. If you're looking at the home page of a respected source (National Institute of Mental Health, for example) you have a good chance of finding good reading material.

Read slowly, take notes at times, and talk over what you read with others. You may want to journal some of your thoughts and feelings. All of it can help.

However, reading about a place, or even how to get to a place, is not the same as going there. Growth is a journey, and often requires a personal guide. I often compare being a psychotherapist with being a mountain climbing guide. I teach, train, encourage, and help my climbers. I must take into account their native abilities and limitations. You will not get all of this through reading a book--though reading can help quite a bit.

In the left column you will find a short list of very good books for personal growth as well as a link to my own blog.