Book Information

Below is a list of the books that our counselors have put on permanent reserve for you in the PLU Library.  On the PLU on-line library catalog, select “Course Reserves/Lute Library”, and in the “Course/Dept.” drop-down box they are listed under “CC: Counseling Center”.

Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families

By Francis Mark Mondimore
In this book for persons with bipolar disorder and their families, Dr. Frank Mondimore offers a comprehensive, practical, compassionate guide to the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and causes of this potentially devastating psychiatric illness, formerly known as “manic-depression.” For each of the various treatment options, Dr. Mondimore discusses advantages, disadvantages, side effects and other information to help patients make informed decisions. He also describes what it is like to live with bipolar disorder and discusses how lifestyle changes can improve quality of life.

Throughout, he focuses on the importance of building and support system, of planning for emergencies, and of giving ones self permission to seek help. This is a comprehensive resource for patients and families. It describes what Bipolar disorder is and its variations. If provides practical advice for getting the most of out the available treatment options, such as medications and psychotherapy; as well as keys for effective self-management. Finally it addresses issues specific to children/adolescents, women, substance abuse, and seasonal mood changes as they relate to Bipolar Disorder.

Handouts Available


We have a variety of handouts and pamphlets available in our office. Topics include: – controlling your temper – exam panic – date rape – death and grieving – depression – domestic abuse – loneliness – perfectionism – procrastination – suicide prevention. Below, the counseling center staff has made a few self-help handouts available for download.

Quick Links

Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics

By Gravitz and Bowden
Rich with insight and awareness, Recovery explores the secrets, fears, hopes and issues that confront adult children of alcoholics (ACOA). Authors and widely respected therapists and ACOA workshop leaders Herbert Gravitz and Julie Bowden detail in a clear question and answer format the challenges of control and inadequacy that ACOAs face as they struggle for recovery and understanding, stage-by-stage: Survival, Emergent Awareness, Core Issues, Transformations, Integration, and Genesis. If you feel troubled by your past, Recovery will start you on the path of self-awareness, as it explores the searching questions adult children of alcoholics seek to have answered

  • How can I overcome my need for control?
  • Do all ACOAs play the same kind of roles in the family?
  • How do I overcome my fear of intimacy?
  • What is all-or-none functioning?
  • How can ACOAs maintain self-confidence and awareness after recovery?
  • How do ACOAs handle the family after understanding its influence?
  • And many other important questions about your past, family and feelings.

Written with warmth, joy and real understanding, Recovery will inspire you to meet the challenges of the past and overcome the obstacles to your happiness.

This book is also in the PLU general Collection- Call Number HV5132.G73.1987

Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook 3rd Edition

By Davis, Eshelman and McKay
This award winning book presents a collection of self-assessment tools and stress reduction techniques. It contains well-organized, stand alone chapters on breathing, relaxation, meditation, thought-stopping, body awareness, stress management, goal setting, time management, assertiveness, refuting irrational ideas and more.

Ten Days to Self-Esteem

By David Burns
Do you wake up dreading the day? Do you feel discouraged with what you’ve accomplished in life? Do you want greater self-esteem, productivity, and joy in daily living? If so, you will benefit from this revolutionary way of brightening your moods without drugs or lengthy therapy. All you need is your own common sense and the easy-to-follow methods revealed in this book by one of the country’s foremost authorities on mood and personal relationship problems.

In Ten Days to Self-Esteem, Dr. David Burns presents innovative, clear and compassionate methods that will help you identify the causes of your mood slumps and develop a more positive outlook on life. You will learn that you FEEL what you THINK: Negative feelings like guilt, anger and depression do not result from the bad things that happen to you, but from the way you think about these events. This simple but revolutionary idea can change your life. You can CHANGE the way your FEEL: you will discover why you get depressed and learn how to brighten your outlook when you’re in a slump. You can ENJOY greater happiness, productivity, and intimacy—without drugs or lengthy therapy.

When Perfect Isn’t Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism

By Martin Anthony and Richard Swinson
If you dread making mistakes and feel that nothing you do is “good enough,” this book offers hope and help. It addresses the nature of perfectionism; effective strategies for dealing with the downside of perfectionism; breaking the link between perfectionism and depression, anxiety, anger, and body image. It gives self-help tools for reaching realistic self-evaluation, improving self-esteem and enjoying interpersonal life.