Reading Recommendations

Find out what books, articles and other resources your FSAP counselors recommend to help you manage stress.

The counselors at the UC San Diego Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) know that we’re all seeking resources to manage stress. We would like to share with you some of the materials that have been meaningful to us in the struggle to be as healthy as we can be despite multiple life stressors.

Recommendations from William Youngblood, LMFT

What reading material or book do you recommend for dealing with stress?

• Flourish by Martin Seligman 
• Feeling Good by Davis Burns 

What are you currently reading?

I really enjoy the Greater Good Magazine from UC Berkeley. 

What YouTube video, TED talk or free app do you recommend?

I highly recommend this free Insight Timer course: Mindfulness Daily at Work.

Recommendations from Bryan McNutt, Lic. Psychologist, LMFT, CEAP

What reading material or book do you recommend for dealing with stress?

The Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein, MD

This is a poignant and salient read in light of our current life stressors and times. As a psychiatrist and a practicing Buddhist, Epstein does a wonderful job of integrating perspectives of psychology and Buddhist philosophy in exploring the transformational potential that is within the difficulties we experience every day in life. He explores the intersection of wisdom between both Eastern and Western approaches to emotional healing, and often uses the lens of meditative practice as a helpful frame for understanding our experience of suffering and healing.

What are you currently reading?

The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being by Daniel Siegel, MD

I have been a fan of Siegel’s for many years. His writing is quite accessible in distilling complex and dense topics of neuroscience into a format that is digestible for the lay scholar of the brain, our mind, and the intricacies of our emotional and psychological life. This book emphasizes the inherent value of incorporating mindfulness-based practices within our daily lives and relationships as a context for growth and well-being.

What YouTube video, TED talk or free app do you recommend?

I have been watching some of Frank Ostaseski’s teachings lately. He is the founder of the Metta Institute, which grew out of the Zen Hospice Project in the Bay Area. I was originally introduced to Frank’s teachings on when I worked in hospice care several years ago. The wisdom he shares is not only relevant for end-of-life care, but also for how we relate with challenging aspects of life circumstances in a way that can be transformative, healing, and meaningful.

Recommendations from Izabel Caetano Francy, LCSW, PMH-C

What reading material or book do you recommend for dealing with stress?

The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting by Brene Brown 

This book is particularly helpful during this time when expectations of parenting, working & managing personal/professional life balance have grown exponentially. Brene directly addresses how to manage the vulnerabilities and shame that get triggered when we are juggling so many responsibilities, how to set realistic expectations of ourselves, our partners and our children. She normalizes the struggle of parenting, she provides researched-supported explanations as to why we have the tendency to judge ourselves so harshly and she provided concrete suggestions on how to counter-act them and why that is beneficial for us and those around us.

What are you currently reading?

The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown 

What YouTube video, TED talk or free app do you recommend?

This TED talk is hands down the most evoking & inspiring I have ever watched.