Why am I passionate about this?

Sometimes you need to search for the next roads to take in your life; other times these roads approach you. I was looking for new ways to use my long-term communication and mental health advocacy skills and then, sadly, the Sandy Hook shooting occurred. I immediately wanted to help community members ease their pain and assist cities nationwide to greatly improve their disaster mental health response. I never expected a pandemic would arrive only two months after I published, making my book all the more important. Now climate change is exacerbating our already stressful times, and we must act to stem mental health issues before they become out of hand.  


I wrote

Disaster Mental Health Community Planning: A Manual for Trauma-Informed Collaboration

By Robert W. Schmidt, Sharon L. Cohen,

Book cover of Disaster Mental Health Community Planning: A Manual for Trauma-Informed Collaboration

What is my book about?

In 2012, tragedy hit my Newtown, Connecticut community with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. We werenā€™t prepared for thisā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Everything in Its Path

Sharon L. Cohen Why did I love this book?

This classic award-winning book is a must-read for anyone interested in traumatic events. Sociologist Kai Erikson was the first to equate a major disaster with individual and community upheaval, based on the 1976 Buffalo Creek dam flood. He details how this event traumatized individuals and caused a breakdown of community relationships and a rise in crime, unethical behavior, and major out-migration. Many of the emotional and social effects of disasters had not been discussed or treated when this book was written. Much has been learned since. However, Erikson stresses that many of the psychological and sociological problems continue to exist when calamities occur today and must be resolved. 

By Kai T. Erikson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Everything in Its Path as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The 1977 Sorokin Awardā€“winning story of Buffalo Creek in the aftermath of a devastating flood.

On February 26, 1972, 132-million gallons of debris-filled muddy water burst through a makeshift mining-company dam and roared through Buffalo Creek, a narrow mountain hollow in West Virginia. Following the flood, survivors from a previously tightly knit community were crowded into trailer homes with no concern for former neighborhoods. The result was a collective trauma that lasted longer than the individual traumas caused by the original disaster.

Making extensive use of the words of the people themselves, Erikson details the conflicting tensions of mountain lifeā€¦


Book cover of Finding Resilience: Unlock the Door to Mental Health and Happiness

Sharon L. Cohen Why did I love this book?

Bob Schmidt is a licensed professional counselor in Sandy Hook, Connecticut who has worked diligently to help shooting survivors and their families as well as others in the community with their emotional needs. He is known for utilizing state-of-the-art trauma therapy such as ā€œTapping,ā€ (Emotional Freedom Technique), which has proven successful in treating PTSD. This book includes a wealth of examples of wellness techniques and trauma-response activities that have proven helpful in relieving high levels of stress and PTSD. These activities make individuals more resilient, so they are better prepared to face lifeā€™s challenges and learn to accept the ones they cannot change. Resiliency is one of the keys to happiness, and is increasingly found as a productive way to prepare for any possible disturbing event in the future. 

By Robert W. Schmidt, Kirsten D. Hammer (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Finding Resilience as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Life is, and has always been, a series of challenges. Some challenges can be resolved easily, some are more difficult, and a few cannot be fixed at all. Resilient individuals are better prepared to deal with lifeā€™s challenges and learn to accept the ones they cannot change. Resiliency is one of the keys to happiness, and is found by learning a variety of coping skills and wellness techniques, as well as philosophy from experts in the counseling field. These are the same skills and approaches that I have successfully used with my clients in my private practice in Sandy Hook,ā€¦


Ad

Book cover of The Mobile Life

The Mobile Life by Anne Parker,

How do you create a happy life when you move away from home for the first time; or move to a new city or country for work or studies or love; or retire somewhere new? The Mobile Life guides you through the challenge of making new friends and inventing newā€¦

Book cover of What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

Sharon L. Cohen Why did I love this book?

Dr. Bruce Perry, a well-known trauma expert, neuroscientist, and psychiatrist, and icon Oprah Winfrey break down mental illness barriers and hold conversations with emotionally struggling individuals. Instead of asking, ā€œWhat is wrong with you?ā€ they ask, ā€œWhat events in your past led to how you feel and act today?ā€ Trauma, especially childhood trauma, is covered, with the emphasis on how to renew oneā€™s personal sense of worth and become more resilient. Readers learn what can cause trauma and lack of self-worth and how individuals can become strong, thrive, and move successfully through life. What experiences can lead to resilience rather than trauma? In these days of high stress, we must learn how to build each othersā€™ self-determination and strengths that make us better humans.  

By Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked What Happened to You? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Our earliest experiences shape our lives far down the road, and What Happened to You? provides powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand.

ā€œThrough this lens we can build a renewed sense of personal self-worth and ultimately recalibrate our responses to circumstances, situations, and relationships. It is, in other words, the key to reshaping our very lives.ā€ā€•Oprah Winfrey

This book is going to change the way you see your life.

Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control myā€¦


Book cover of Mental Health Effects of Covid-19

Sharon L. Cohen Why did I love this book?

This comprehensive book provides information on the impact of COVID worldwide as it is currently understood, so future researchers will have a basis for comparison. The bookā€™s authors address factors such as lockdowns, job loss, grief, and uncertainty that have led to depression, distress, anxiety, and PTSD. Also covered is how different world populations as refugees, at-risk populations as the elderly and frail, and roles as parents have been both mentally and physically impacted. This information will help communities develop programs to help relieve mental health concerns and protect people against similar threats in years to come. The book also includes wellness activities like meditation that help reduce the negative effects of COVID on mental health.

By Ahmed A. Moustafa (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mental Health Effects of Covid-19 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The physical effects of COVID-19 are felt globally. However, one issue that has not been sufficiently addressed is the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens worldwide are enduring widespread lockdowns; children are out of school; and millions have lost their jobs, which has caused anxiety, depression, insomnia, and distress. Mental Health Effects of COVID-19 provides a comprehensive analysis of mental health problems resulting from COVID-19, including depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, trauma, and PTSD. The book includes chapters detailing the impact of COVID-19 on the family's well-being and society dynamics. The book concludes with anā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Who Will Take Care of Me When I'm Old?: Plan Now to Safeguard Your Health and Happiness in Old Age

Who Will Take Care of Me When I'm Old? by Joy Loverde,

Everything you need to know to plan for your own safe, financially secure, healthy, and happy old age.

For those who have no support system in place, the thought of aging without help can be a frightening, isolating prospect. Whether you have friends and family ready and able to helpā€¦

Book cover of Eight Key Brain Areas of Mental Health and Illness

Sharon L. Cohen Why did I love this book?

We are continually learning how the brain works through the work of neuroscientists. Dr. Sweeton uses her knowledge in the field to give readers a view into our brain and what we know at the present time about its functioning, how it is affected by mental illness, and what changes can occur through brain-based therapy. We have made great strides in helping individuals with such illnesses as schizophrenia and bipolar and learning how disorders such as PTSD occur and impact the brain. The bookā€™s information is reader-friendly. The more we know about this fascinating area of the body, the better treatments that can be developed to help those who suffer from trauma-impacting events become more resilient and whole. 

By Jennifer Sweeton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eight Key Brain Areas of Mental Health and Illness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Recent advances in affective neuroscience reveal long-held secrets of mental health and illness in the brain. However, the gap between brain science and clinical practice is wide, and many clinicians find neuroscience to be tedious, overly technical and laborious to learn. Eight Key Brain Areas of Mental Health and Illness bridges this gap, providing key information about the neuroscience of mental illness so clinicians can apply it in their work.

In this handbook, clinical psychologist and best-selling author Jennifer Sweeton details the eight main areas of the brain affected by mental illness, how brain changes show up in the therapyā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Disaster Mental Health Community Planning: A Manual for Trauma-Informed Collaboration

By Robert W. Schmidt, Sharon L. Cohen,

Book cover of Disaster Mental Health Community Planning: A Manual for Trauma-Informed Collaboration

What is my book about?

In 2012, tragedy hit my Newtown, Connecticut community with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. We werenā€™t prepared for this traumatic eventā€™s long-term emotional impact. Many still suffer. Newtown isnā€™t alone. Most communities have a plan for ā€œmedicalā€ emergency response but not for ā€œmental healthā€ disaster response. About 25% of those impacted, especially the most vulnerable, will suffer PTSD within six weeks if not receiving trauma-informed care. The trauma ripple moves from survivors, to first responders, and the entire community and causes depression, anxiety, relationship discord, substance abuse, and suicide. Traumatic events include violence, natural disasters, pandemics, climate change, and societal instabilityā€”all facing us today. This bookā€™s roadmap details the ways communities can help individuals emotionally prepare for and respond to traumatic events.    

Book cover of Everything in Its Path
Book cover of Finding Resilience: Unlock the Door to Mental Health and Happiness
Book cover of What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,008

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

šŸ“š You might also likeā€¦

Book cover of Coma and Near-Death Experience: The Beautiful, Disturbing, and Dangerous World of the Unconscious

Coma and Near-Death Experience by Alan Pearce,

What happens when a person is placed into a medically-induced coma?

The brain might be flatlining, but the mind is far from inactive: experiencing alternate lives rich in every detail that spans decades, visiting realms of stunning and majestic beauty, or plummeting to the very depths of Hell while defyingā€¦

Book cover of This Animal Body

This Animal Body by Meredith Walters,

Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life togetherā€”sheā€™s determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuseā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in mental health, PTSD, and mental disorders?

Mental Health 202 books
PTSD 109 books
Mental Disorders 185 books