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Lisa Velin

Licensed Counselor and Clinical Supervisor

Book reviews by Lisa Velin

The Drama of the Gifted Child

The Drama of the Gifted Child

by Alice Miller

Why are many of the most successful people plagued by feelings of emptiness and alienation? This wise and profound book has provided thousands of readers with an answer—and has helped them to apply it to their own lives.Far too many of us had to learn as children to hide our own feelings, needs, and memories skillfully in order to meet our parents’ expectations and win their ”love.” Alice Miller writes, ”When I used the word ’gifted’ in the title, I had in mind neither children who receive high grades in school nor children talented in a special way. I simply meant all of us who have survived an abusive childhood thanks to an ability to adapt even to unspeakable cruelty by becoming numb… Without this ’gift’ offered us by nature, we would not have survived.” But merely surviving is not enough. The Drama of the Gifted Child helps us to reclaim our life by discovering our own crucial needs and our own truth.

Genre: Psychology | publisher: Basic Books | Pages: 136
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Love's Executioner

Love's Executioner

by Irvin D. Yalom

The risks and rewards of psychotherapy are examined by one of its finest practitioners through ten case studies of individuals with unique problems that nevertheless reflect on the whole human condition.

Genre: Psychology | publisher: Basic Books | Pages: 285
Buy on Amazon
Get Me Out of Here

Get Me Out of Here

by Rachel Reiland

With astonishing honesty, this memoir, Get Me Out of Here, reveals what mental illness looks and feels like from the inside, and how healing from borderline personality disorder is possible through intensive therapy and the support of loved ones. A mother, wife, and working professional, Reiland was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at the age of 29--a diagnosis that finally explained her explosive anger, manipulative behaviors, and self-destructive episodes including bouts of anorexia, substance abuse, and promiscuity. A truly riveting read with a hopeful message. Excerpt: "My hidden secrets were not well-concealed. The psychological profile had been right as had the books on BPD. I was manipulative, desperately clinging and prone to tantrums, explosiveness, and frantic acts of desperation when I did not feel the intimacy connection was strong enough. The tough chick loner act of self-reliance was a complete facade."

Genre: Biography & Autobiography | publisher: Hazelden Publishing | Pages: 447
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The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician's Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration

The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician's Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration

by Daniel J. Siegel

An internationally recognized expert on mindfulness and therapy describes techniques to harness energies and promote healthy minds, charting nine body functions from the interconnecting circuits of the brain, including regulation, attunement and emotional balance.

Genre: Psychology | publisher: W. W. Norton & Company | Pages: 288
Buy on Amazon
Passionate Marriage

Passionate Marriage

by David Morris Schnarch

Explains how to achieve emotional, sexual, and personal fulfillment and intimacy while in a committed relationship.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: W. W. Norton | Pages: 444
Buy on Amazon
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

by John Gottman, John Mordechai Gottman, Nan Silver,

Drawing on groundbreaking research into the dynamics of healthy relationships, a study of the basic principles that make up a happy, long-lasting marriage shares easy-to-understand, helpful advice on how to cope with such issues as work, children, money, sex, and stress. 35,000 first printing. Tour.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: Harmony | Pages: 320
Buy on Amazon
His Needs, Her Needs

His Needs, Her Needs

by Willard F. Jr. Harley

Describes the ten things men and women look for in marriage, explains why their needs differ, and tells how to avoid the problems which can break up a marriage.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: Revell | Pages: 240
Buy on Amazon
Hold Me Tight

Hold Me Tight

by Sue Johnson

Introduces the author's Emotionally Focused Therapy technique, explaining how to assist couples by treating their relationship as a love-based, attachment bond that can be healed through a reestablishment of safe emotional connections.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: Little Brown & Company | Pages: 320
Buy on Amazon
No-Drama Discipline

No-Drama Discipline

by Daniel J. Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson,

The authors of the best-selling The Whole-Brain Child outline practical parenting strategies from toddlerhood through preadolescence that focus on productive and peaceful disciplinary methods while promoting positive neural connections. 20,000 first printing.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: Bantam Dell Publishing Group | Pages: 255
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Parenting from the Inside Out

Parenting from the Inside Out

by Daniel J. Siegel, Mary Hartzell,

Explores the extent to which our childhood experiences shape the way we parent, drawing on new findings in neurobiology and attachment research and explaining how interpersonal relationships directly impact the development of the brain. Offers parents a step-by-step approach to forming a deeper understanding of their own life stories.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: J P Tarcher | Pages: 311
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The Intentional Family:

The Intentional Family:

by William J. Doherty

Today's family is in crisis. Many diverse factors have combined to weaken its structure in American society: the conflicting needs and schedules of dual working parents; the ongoing fragmentation of our civic, cultural, and religious communities; the prevalence of divorce and remarriage; the advent of technological distractions like video games and computers. What was once a strong, cohesive unit has become, in many cases, no more than a loose grouping of individuals with individual timetables and agendas. However, now more that ever before, we have the freedom to shape the kind of family we want, rather that an obligation to conform to inflexible concepts of what a family should be. Nationally respected family therapist William J. Doherty believes that we can strengthen the ties that bind us together-and create new, more permanent ones in the process-through the use of family-specific everyday rituals. The Intentional Family -- a practical guide to avoiding conflicts and promoting understanding -- offers a myriad of simple yet effective methods for opening regular channels of communication between parents and their children, husbands and wives: from shared family meals and vacations, to regular "storytime," weekly drives, religious services, and monthly "spouse only" romantic dinners. Clearly presented and engagingly written, here are proven and indispensable strategies for reviving a lost sense of family -- useful guidelines that will help us make the most of our most important relationships.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks | Pages: 240
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Operating Instructions

Operating Instructions

by Anne Lamott

A single mother and writer grappling alone with the problems of a newborn baby presents a vivid account of the confusion, joys, sorrows, and struggles of the first year in her son's life. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

Genre: Family & Relationships | publisher: Anchor | Pages: 251
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I Thought it was Just Me

I Thought it was Just Me

by Brené Brown

BROWN/I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME

Genre: Psychology | publisher: Gotham | Pages: 303
Buy on Amazon
Telling Secrets

Telling Secrets

by Frederick Buechner

With eloquence, candor, and simplicity, a celebrated author tells the story of his father's alcohol abuse and suicide and traces the influence of this secret on his life as a son, father, husband, minister, and writer.

Genre: Religion | publisher: HarperOne | Pages: 128
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The Journey of Desire

The Journey of Desire

by John Eldredge

In this groundbreaking book, now being offered in trade paper, Eldredge invites readers to acknowledge the significance of desire, abandon resignation, and embark on an adventure he calls "our heart's most important journey".

Genre: Religion | publisher: Thomas Nelson | Pages: 224
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Small Victories

Small Victories

by Anne Lamott

The New York Times best-selling author of Stitches and Help, Thanks, Wow presents this collection of essays that focus on hope and discuss how prevailing over life's hardships can transform our perceptions and our lives.

Genre: LITERARY COLLECTIONS | publisher: Riverhead Books (Hardcover) | Pages: 286
Buy on Amazon

About Lisa

Photo of Lisa Velin

Lisa Velin, MA, LMHC

Licensed Counselor and Clinical Supervisor

I’m a firm believer in the limitless possibilities for redemption through faith in Christ. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Supervisor with extensive experience in bilingual counseling, and helping people work through anxiety, depression, women’s issues, and trauma. I understand what it feels like to go through dark, seemingly hopeless times, but I know that everything God brings you through will shape you into all you are meant to become. Working with you is an honor, and I’m dedicated to helping you learn, heal, and grow as you work towards a future that is made new in Christ. View Lisa's Profile

Recent articles by Lisa

  • Jul 11 · Dealing with Anger in Close Relationships
  • Jul 4 · Singleness and Making Meaning Out of Life
  • Jun 27 · Cleanse: Gaining Clearer Perspective on Daily Life Habits and Relationships
See all articles by Lisa »

Lisa's Office Locations

  • Photo of the Seattle Greenlake office

    Seattle Greenlake

    Washington

    General Office Number

    (206) 388-3929
    6827 Oswego Place NE, Suite B Seattle, WA 98115

    View Office Details
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