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Starting Point: Self-Help Topics + Mental Health Awareness: Self-Help: Support for Life's Challenges

Suggested titles within a range of topics under the umbrellas of both Self-Help and Mental Health
There are additional topical resources available at the library, for request through Interlibrary Loan, and online as eBooks. The resources listed here are simply provided as a jumping-off point, made available without the added step of having to approach in person or ask for help to get started. Please visit or contact the Reference Desk for further confidential assistance.
Please note, library staff CANNOT give medical advice or guidance but they CAN help connect you with trusted sources of information and medical professionals.

What exactly is a self-help book?

"Self-help books typically make a promise to teach you how to do something to remedy your distress—you have a problem and the author has the solution. They offer instruction and examples, [often with] ...exercises and hands-on action steps...to take the content and make it concrete so that change can occur."

Nancy, A. (2018). Self Help Books: A Genre Unto Themselves. Somatic Psychotherapy Today.
Retrieved July 14, 2024, from somaticpsychotherapytoday.com/self-help-books-a-genre-unto-themselves/

Similarly, "Self-improvement books are basically about the reader improving themselves to become better. This may include becoming more organised, focused, or efficient. It may mean developing positive habits or becoming a better person."

Smith-Green, A. (2022, February). What Is the Difference between Self-help and Self-improvement Books? The Book Shelf.
Retrieved July 14, 2024, from thebookshelf.ltd/what-is-the-difference-between-self-help-and-self-improvement-books/

The following books are available from the Saratoga Springs Public Library. The print books, if currently checked in, will be shelved on the 2nd floor of the library unless stated otherwise. Any available eBooks can be checked out from home and referenced on your own device.

More related titles may be available from other libraries in the same system. You may place your own confidential hold on such items from the online catalog and pick them up from your preferred library when they become available. If you are unsure how to place a hold from your online account, library staff can assist with the process by chat, phone, e-mail, or in person.

Additional Resources on Defining Self-Help and Self-Improvement