The Five Love Languages Of Children - Gary Smalley

Do you ever wonder why each child in your home or under your care is so different in their responses to your efforts to chow them love and care?  Perhaps each speaks their own language.  A wise caregiver is aware and attentive to these languages.  The book "The 5 Love Languages of Children" is very helpful in understanding the ways in which our children receive love the most powerfully.  There is an online test that can be done which helps a caregiver identify this language.  Once the "code" has been broken to access your child's heart, a caregiver can set themselves on a mission to meet the needs of their child.  I have used this in counselling to help children understand themselves better and gain personal insight as they are able to.  Worth a read, the original is also quite helpful geared more around adults.

Harry Potter Series by J K Rowling

I could not have a blog on helpful books in therapy  without my all-time favorite book series being mentioned.  Harry Potter and I were introduced in my 20s when the first movie came out.  This is a book written by J K Rowling and can even be read on ereaders now.   I was reserved about this book at first but once I read it, and the subsequent series, I was hooked to become one of its greatest fans personally.  What is even more wonderful is the amount of times I have used these books as reference in my practice, especially with teens.  The universal appeal makes it an easy reference in therapy.  I will attempt to draw out more about each book as to how it applies in this blog, but it is enough right now to say that Harry Potter is a great resource which needs to be read.