Booklists – Child-Parent Psychotherapy

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Our Booklists

We are finishing up many more lists and will share them soon.

Acknowledgements: CPP Booklists were developed by Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Raiden Ippen, Christina Marquez, and Willie Chen

Books bring us closer together
They open doors to conversations
They help children and caregivers talk about difficult topics
They show children they are not alone when they have had challenging feelings or experiences
They show us ways we can cope with difficult feelings or situations

Keep important books in your home
Many libraries allow children to check out books for at least a month
Young children benefit from reading books over and over
When children need help with a specific challenge, they may ask to read a specific book. For example, after having a tantrum, later in the day, a child may ask to read a book where a character has been angry or has had a tantrum
When you are using a book therapeutically (for example to help a child talk about a challenging subject), it is important to follow your child's lead
Some children may want you to read the book. Others may prefer to look at specific pages and just talk about what is happening or what the characters are doing and feeling
If a topic is challenging (for example a book about anger when a chid has seen people become very angry), the child may need to take a break
They may wander away or ask to do something else
You can say something like, "It's hard to talk about it. It's good to take a break"
You can even "talk" to the book and say something like "I wonder if she doesn't want to see you right now because you have pictures of people who look sad. We just wanted her to know that we all feel sad sometimes, and we can get help"
Your child may surprise you and ask to read the book another day