Book Recommendations and Resources
This one is one of my new favorites. Compact, but full of wisdom:
The classic book for career planning and job seekers, updated annually:
And this one is a great inspirational book for emotional support for financial stress relief, with a quote, essay, and affirmation for each day of the year:
Have you and your partner been together for a while, and find that even though you love each other, your sex life has become a little — well — boring? This wonderful book tackles just that issue, written for all kinds of relationships but with inclusions for gay and lesbian relationships. It’s a thorough examination of a common problem — with some practical solutions that are good on their own, or in conjunction with the couples therapy I offer in my office.
And the CD version, here:
The book below, Affirmative Gay Relationships, I think really should be called “Affirmative Gay Dating” instead, because it’s largely about how to find a boyfriend, which is one of the topics I hear most often in my work with gay men. It’s written by a trusted colleague who is also an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker). It’s one of the best books I’ve seen about how to date successfully:
This book is written by my “counterpart” in Detroit, Joe Kort, MA, MSW, a great guy. It covers a lot of general areas about gay men and relationships, and Joe and I are really on the “same page” with our points of view in a lot of sections of this book:
This book, Toxic Parents, is a MUST for people who are survivors of abuse perpetrated by their parents — emotional, physical, sexual, and for people whose parents are a mixed or negative force in their lives. It teaches how to communicate with them, and sometimes, when necessary, to confront them. It is a classic for those dealing with “family drama” as adult children, and is incredibly liberating.
For an audio comment on this book, click Play below:
This CD is a wonderful inspirational “Q&A” recording with New Age author and lecturer Louise Hay, all about perspectives about “Receiving Prosperity”, which is one of the most inspirational and supportive lectures I’ve heard about how to handle money and other elements of “prosperity” in your life:
This book is my favorite for people who are dealing with anger management. I use it almost like a “textbook” as an adjunct in my work with these folks, and we process some of the exercises as part of the therapy. The book without the therapy doesn’t completely work, and the therapy without this book is a little slower. It’s a great combination:
A similar book is for people who are survivors of trauma, or traumatic stress. This can include experiencing violent crime, multiple losses due to AIDS, car accidents, industrial accidents, 9/11, and other extreme experiences that can lead to nightmares, avoidance, “phobias”, preoccupation, and fear:
This book is one of my favorites for all couples (M-M, M-W, W-W), and outlines the “skills” needed to have a healthy and happy relationship. I use it a lot in my work with couples and we go through some exercises together. It’s great to see unhappy couples get much, well, “happier” by using this as an adjunct to their couples counseling:
This book, Gay Warrior, is great for learning how to “grow up” as a gay man and to lay full “claim” to being an out, proud, fully-realized adult. It talks about how straight mothers and fathers often betray us and infantilize us, and how to improve self-esteem. While not advocating the “violence” of a warrior, it draws on the authors experience running therapy groups for gay men, and explains important developmental tasks that gay men must master to be adults. It is inspiring to put gay male development in a classic, archetypal context that is at once poetic, and practical.
The book below on crystal meth addiction is a very new and non-judgmental approach to one of the biggest social problems in the U.S. today, crystal meth addiction. It’s written by an MD with a focus on both the physical and psychological aspects of meth addiction. It’s an important tool for anyone wanting to overcome their own addiction.
This book is classic that describes the predictable phases that a gay couple goes through. Much of its research was done on gay couples before the height of the AIDS crisis, but its material is still relevant today.
This is another “unique” book that was badly needed when it came onto the market. It’s edited by a legendary openly gay, openly HIV-positive therapist in New York who worked for over 30 years. He is retired now, but many of his great articles are available on his website, http://www.gaypsychotherapy.com/. So many gay men currently in their late 40′s or 50′s are widowers from AIDS; they need supportive resources like this one.
Another very interesting book by Michael Shernoff is his latest, and it takes on the medical, psychological, and social aspects of gay male sexuality in the era of HIV risk. It explores in great detail and extensive research the entire “barebacking” term and offers support and examination of a controversial topic.
For an audio comment on this book, click Play below: