These cognitive-behavioral therapy books are considered the best out there for solutions and mental health techniques. Check out what these books are below!
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In this article:
- What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
- Banish Your Self-Esteem Thief
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dummies
- Mind Over Mood (2nd Edition)
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (2nd Edition)
- Culturally Responsive Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Retrain Your Brain
- The Worry Workbook for Teens
- Starving the Anxiety Gremlin
- CBT for People with Cancer (2nd Edition)
- Phobias Explained & Script. Pre-talk & Hypnosis. Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Psychology: Phobias
10 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Books for Self-Learners and Beginners
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps patients manage problems by identifying patterns of thinking. This helps patients shift to a positive change in behavior.
This is a common part of a treatment plan for depression and anxiety, but CBT can also apply to other mental health conditions such as phobias and addiction.
1. Banish Your Self-Esteem Thief

This is among the best cognitive behavioral therapy books for young people. It contains a variety of activities and true to life stories that can show its reader what self-esteem is, how it can form, and how it can affect personal growth and development.
Using easy-to-grasp cues like the Self-Esteem Thief and the Self-Esteem vault, Banish Your Self-Esteem Thief can help young people to use cognitive-behavioral techniques and mindfulness principles to build their self-esteem. Fun and easy to flip through, this workbook is an excellent choice for young people from the ages of 10 and above.
They can use it on their own or with a trusted parent or counselor.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dummies

This best-selling guide is among the best books on cognitive behavioral therapy for those who are largely unfamiliar with it. This is put together by Rob Wilson and Rhena Branch, two therapists who are well-versed in CBT.
This guide shows readers the primary principles of CBT and how to apply them to your daily life and spot tiny errors in your way of thinking to eliminate toxic thoughts that lead to positive changes in behavior.
This book covers all things CBT and even includes additional chapters honing in on specific problems and issues such as overcoming a negative body image and an addiction.
3. Mind Over Mood (2nd Edition)

The second edition of Mind Over Mood can help the reader learn simple techniques on how to overcome negative emotion, resulting in a calmer and happier disposition. Its current revisions and expansions include over 20 years of scientific developments.
Chapters on setting personal goals, forgiveness, and acceptance are among many new additions. There are also 25 new worksheets, gratitude journals, and innovative exercises focusing on mindfulness.
Readers can track their progress throughout the book with the worksheets. This helps to apply these practices in real life easier until they become second nature.
4. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (2nd Edition)

Lawrence Wallace’s book draws from personal experiences of overcoming depression, anxiety, and toxic thoughts. As a gift for others who have yet to claim victory over their negative thought and behavior patterns, this book can help readers acknowledge their inner demons and expel them once and for all.
Contents of this book include learning how to understand why your mind works a certain way. It also includes similar practices from Buddhism and Stoicism.
What is Stoicism? A school of philosophy that asserts that happiness can be found by accepting moments as they come. It also teaches the potential of destructive emotions to lead someone to err in their judgment.
5. Culturally Responsive Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Written by psychological and cultural experts, this book considers the diversity of cultural influences and integrates them into the practice of CBT. It shows the many ways on how to apply CBT effectively on clients who come from diverse cultural backgrounds.
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6. Retrain Your Brain

There is no magical cure for depression or anxiety, but this book from Seth J. Gillihan helps you deal with them by changing how your mind thinks.
It lays out a simple plan for readers to follow and get familiar with the tenets of CBT. It gives readers the tools they need to work through personal issues and prepare them for problems that may arise in the future.
7. The Worry Workbook for Teens

This book is written for anxious teens who are looking into using CBT to overcome emotional distress. It helps teens get to the root of their problems in a fun, interactive way through a workbook setup.
Its fun and accessible language make this book a great read for teens who want to undergo the CBT cycle on their own, but it can also be a great workbook to collaborate on with parents or therapists.
8. Starving the Anxiety Gremlin

This award-winning book by Kate Collins-Donelly offers a unique perspective on anxiety for children who are far too young to grasp the concept of anxiety. Instead, it conceptualizes anxiety as a gremlin that children can unknowingly feed with anxious thought.
This book teaches children how to identify and understand the different kinds of anxiety. Furthermore, it teaches them to manage panic attacks, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive thoughts.
Young readers will learn about CBT and its core principles to understand the root of their anxiety. This way, they finally know how to starve their “anxiety gremlin” or manage their anxieties better.
9. CBT for People with Cancer (2nd Edition)

Cancer can be a terrifying illness and can instill severe emotional distress for people, especially the patients. This Oxford guide presents CBT principles to help patients come up with practical approaches to their emotions.
By using the CBT model, this book helps patients understand their own reactions to cancer and help them adjust to the threat of cancer and their own personal view. The authors include techniques to reduce depression and anxiety, communication skills, and coping mechanisms.
This book is a new edition that includes the latest research and clinical findings in the field of CBT in the past 1o years. Both mental health professionals and patients can benefit from the psychological principles and techniques in this book.
10. Phobias Explained & Script. Pre-talk & Hypnosis. Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Psychology: Phobias

This book explains what phobias are and how to overcome them. It also details real-life examples of people with phobias who have been treated through therapy by the author David Glenn.
Glenn outlines this book as a script to students of psychotherapy and patients looking to overcome phobias using CBT. The script format makes it easy for readers to grasp what goes on in a therapy session for phobias.
By giving the readers transparency in a typical session, readers can detail the plans and processes therapists present to clients. This way, readers can either integrate this knowledge into overcoming phobias or in helping others.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is among the most successful means for people to manage issues such as unhealthy behavior, anxiety, depression, phobias, obsessive thoughts, and more. You don’t even need to have a mental health issue to learn CBT as it can still present you with tools for personal growth.
Your mind and mood can also benefit from a good night’s sleep—something many people struggle with. Urban Monk’s Relax and Unwind may help you dive into a deep, sound sleep.
Ever heard of cognitive-behavioral therapy before? How has it helped you deal with your problems? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below!
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