1st Edition
Living Well with Psychosis Practical Strategies for Improving Your Daily Life
While mental health is thankfully no longer a taboo topic, the experience of psychosis is still highly stigmatized. Leading psychologist Aaron P. Brinen busts myths and helps readers build the lives they want in this empowering book. An expert in recovery from serious mental illness, Dr. Brinen provides step-by-step guidance for becoming a strong self-advocate, navigating treatment options, managing symptoms that cause distress, connecting with others, and pursuing school and work goals. The brief, engaging chapters are warm and compassionate, with downloadable practical tools expressly designed to boost energy and motivation for getting out into the world. Readers can read this book cover to cover or dip into it any time they need extra support to live well and feel good.
I. Preparing to Live Well Again: Orienting the Captain
1. The Lay of the Land: Treatment
2. The Shadow Obstacles
3. Medications
4. Families
II. Specific Obstacles to Living Well: The Usual Suspects
5. Motivation
6. Connection
7. Distressing Voices and Visions
8. Threat Beliefs about Others
9. Beliefs of Exceptionality
10. Anger
11. Communication Disturbance
12. When the Past Haunts You
13. When Hopelessness Preys
III. Living Life
14. Friends and Lovers
15. Work and School
16. Your Temple, the Body
17. Living Your Best Life
Resources
Index
Biography
Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice, where he employs evidence-based treatments to help people recover from serious mental health conditions. He is also Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Brinen is a codeveloper of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R), and has been active in adapting CT-R for different settings and training therapists from around the world.
