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Page 1: Self-Help Books Used by Religious Practitioners

JOURNAL OF COUNSELING & DEVELOPMENT � FALL 1998 � VOLUME 76 459

Self-Help Books Used by Religious Practitioners

W. Brad Johnson and William L. Johnson

W. Brad Johnson is an assistant professor and director of research in the Graduate School of Clinical Psychology, George Fox University, Newberg,Oregon. William L. Johnson is a professor of psychology at Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington Correspondence regarding this article should besent to W. Brad Johnson, Department of Psychology, George Fox University, 414 N. Meridian Street, Newberg, OR 97132-2697 (e-mail:[email protected]).

Self-help books are frequently used by mental health professionals as adjuncts to the counseling process. This was the first studyto assess self-help book utilization practices among explicitly religious practitioners. All practitioner members of the ChristianAssociation for Psychological Studies (N = 784) were mailed a copy of the Self-Help Book Survey. Ninety-two percent of the 243respondents used self-help books with clients at least some of the time. There were differences between master’s and doctorallevel respondents with respect to how self-help books were used and the criteria used in selecting self-help books for clients.Most books recommended were explicitly Christian in nature. Those self-help books most frequently recommended are listedand may be useful to practitioners who counsel Christian clients.

The self-help book has established an undeniableniche in American culture as well as in the men-tal health professions (Foster, 1996; Starker,1988b). The rapid proliferation of such bookshas resulted in a multimillion-dollar industry,

which Starker (1986) has described as a �silent revolution�(p. 24). A product of the bibliotherapy movement, self-helpbooks may be used as resources in a formal counseling rela-tionship or may be purchased and self-applied by individualconsumers independent of such a relationship. Katz and Katz(1985) defined self-help books as those that �help an indi-vidual improve, modify, or otherwise understand his or herphysical or personal characteristics� (p. xv). Self-help bookshave been described as varying from inspirational prose tospecific therapeutic procedures designed for self-applicationby individuals with particular psychological disorders(Johnson, Johnson, & Hillman, 1997).

Self-help books may offer numerous advantages to con-sumers (Ellis, 1993; Pardeck, 1991). These include fosteringchange among those who are literature-oriented, cost-effectiveness, facilitating and maintaining therapeutic gainswhen used in conjunction with counseling, and expandingthe range of interventions and information available to thosein isolated communities. Despite these advantages and thepopularity of self-help books, critics have underscored thewide variability among self-help books with respect to theirresearch basis, focus on specific symptoms, and applied value(Rosen, 1987; Starker, 1986, 1988b).

Although clients who indicate using self-help books gen-erally report very favorable results (Foster, 1996; Halliday,1991), efficacy data for such materials is notably lacking

(Riordan & Wilson, 1989; Smith & Burkhalter, 1987), as isoutcome data pertaining to their use (Pardeck, 1991). Theonly exception seems to be a very small subset of symptom-specific behavioral treatment manuals that are typically basedon empirically validated behavioral treatment approaches.When structured manuals are used as self-help tools, out-come data have suggested more consistent treatment gain(Glasgow & Rosen, 1978; Pardeck, 1991). Specifically, self-help manuals have been used effectively in the treatment ofadolescent behavior problems, weight reduction, insomnia,headaches, and conversational skills (Pardeck, 1991). Althoughsuch treatment manuals are critical components of processand outcome research (Luborsky & DeRubeis, 1984), theyare rarely marketed in self-help form. Glasgow and Rosenhave noted that few self-help books are rooted in validatedtreatment approaches and that almost none of the manualsare validated (a criticism that remains relevant).

Most relevant to the current research is the issue of theuse of self-help books by mental health providers. Researchto date has focused nearly exclusively on the prescriptivepractices of psychologists. Results of several surveys suggestthat psychologists� utilization rates with clients range from60% to over 95% (Marx, Gyorky, Royalty, & Stern, 1992;Santrock, Minnett, & Campbell, 1994; Starker, 1986, 1988a,1988b; Warner, 1991). Among psychologists listed in theNational Register, most (69.2%) believed that self-help bookssubstantially helped some of their clients and 95.7% hadprescribed self-help books to clients at least occasionally(Starker, 1988a, 1988b). Almost none of the psychologistsin these samples thought self-help books had been harmfulto their clients. Canadian psychologists seem equally likely

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to use self-help materials (Warner, 1991), and findings fromat least one study indicated that female counseling psycholo-gists are significantly more likely to prescribe self-help booksto their clients than are their male counterparts (Marx etal., 1992). Similar gender differences have not been repli-cated in other studies.

Although two previous studies used mixed professionalsamples (Giblin, 1989; Smith & Burkhalter, 1987), neitherstudy reported differences between professional groups re-garding prescriptive practices with self-help books. In asample of 221 members of the American Association ofMarriage and Family Therapy, 81% indicated they used self-help books as an adjunct to therapy at least �sometimes�(Giblin, 1989). Smith and Burkhalter reported that in asample of 158 members of the American Academy of Psy-chotherapy, 51% used such materials with their clients.These authors reported a significant positive correlationbetween use of self-help books and length of time in prac-tice, perhaps indicative of opportunity for more positiveexperiences with such resources. Currently, there is no in-formation concerning the comparative utilization practicesamong practitioners with different education levels and indifferent professional groups. Doctoral level education typi-cally incorporates considerably more training in researchdesign and outcome evaluation than is covered in master�slevel curriculums. For this reason, it is reasonable to expectsome differences between master�s and doctoral level prac-titioners in the criteria used to select self-help books andthe manner in which self-help books are used.

Although the literature suggests substantial use of self-help books by counselors, no previous study has evaluatedthe utilization practices among explicitly religious practi-tioners. Atwater and Smith (1982) asked 99 members of theChristian Association for Psychological Studies to list self-help books for a variety of topics; however, no utilizationdata were collected, and results suggested little consensusregarding which materials were most helpful. These authorshypothesized the existence of very few highly regarded reli-gious self-help books. They noted, �The literature addressingmany problem areas is of inadequate quality, all too fre-quently giving general advice, while glossing over importantdetails� (Atwater & Smith, 1982, p. 234). Nonetheless, spiri-tual and faith concerns are often a primary cause for pre-scription of self-help books by practitioners. In his survey ofAmerican Association for Marriage and Family Therapy(AAMFT) members, Giblin (1989) reported �a major sur-prise finding� (p. 226) that spirituality was the second mostcommon reason mentioned for using self-help books withclients. Giblin noted, �spirituality is more important to cli-ents than is conventionally understood and many therapistsare helping clients integrate values and issues of deep mean-ing along with psychological dynamics� (p. 226).

Given the tendency for religious, and in particular, Chris-tian clients to prefer services from explicitly religious pro-viders (Dougherty & Worthington, 1982; Keating & Fretz,1990), it is possible that Christian clients may prefer ex-plicitly religious self-help books as well. Also, as both pro-

fessional and religious authority figures, explicitly Chris-tian providers may hold greater power than secular counse-lors in relationships with Christian clients (Lowe, 1969;Stern, 1985). It is important to consider the manner in whichChristian practitioners use such materials with clients, aswell as which specific resources are most frequently recom-mended by these professionals. Given recent demographicdata regarding religiousness in the American population, itis particularly important to focus research on treatment is-sues salient to Christian clients. In 1992, Gallop poll data(Gallop Poll Monthly, 1993) estimated the religious prefer-ences among Americans was 56% Protestant, 26% Catholic,2% Jewish, 7% other, and 9% no preference. For this reason,we elected to study the self-help book practices of Chris-tian practitioners in particular.

This study is the first to evaluate the self-help book utili-zation practices among explicitly religious practitioners. Itis also the first to compare such utilization practices of pro-fessional counselors and psychologists. On the basis of a largescale survey of Christian providers, we present those self-help books most frequently recommended by these provid-ers for their clients. This list should serve as a helpful re-source for practitioners, religious or secular, who offer men-tal health services to Christian clients. Our primary researchquestions included the following: (a) What is the frequencyof the use of self-help books among Christian practitioners?(b) How are self-help books used in practice by Christianpractitioners? (c) What criteria are used by Christian practi-tioners to select self-help books? (d) Are there differencesbetween master�s and doctoral level practitioners in selec-tion criteria or utilization practices? (e) Are there differ-ences between female and male practitioners in use of self-help books? (f) What self-help books are most frequentlyrecommended by Christian practitioners?

METHOD

Participants

Self-help book surveys were mailed to all active members ofthe Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS)who identified themselves as �practitioners� in their mem-bership listing (N = 784). Of the 784 members identified,451 held a doctorate and 333 were master�s level counselors.All members held a master�s degree or doctorate in counselingor psychology (MA/MS, EdD, PhD, PsyD). Those withmaster�s degrees reported training in counseling, clinicalpsychology, counseling psychology, and marriage and familyprograms. Participants were 243 survey respondents (31%),most of whom were male (55%). The mean age was 47.12years (SD = 13.8). Most (145) held a doctorate in clinical orcounseling psychology (42 women, 103 men); 98 (67 women,31 men) were master�s level counselors. Those with doctor-ates were significantly more likely to be male than thosewith a master�s degree (χ2 = 36.78, p < .001) Forty-threepercent of the participants received their graduate degreesfrom explicitly religious training programs, including 40% of

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those holding doctorates and 47% of those with a master�sdegree. The mean number of years of practice since complet-ing their degree was 11 years (SD = 7.5). Most (89%) werelicensed or credentialed in their field. Regarding employ-ment setting, most participants were private practitioners(44%); 29% worked primarily in Christian counseling clin-ics. Other employment settings included churches, academicsettings, and psychiatric hospitals. The average number ofhours per week devoted to direct provision of counselingservices was 24.68 (SD = 11.98), and most participants (79%)worked primarily with adult clients. Primary theoretical ori-entation varied widely with the following breakdown: eclectic(37%), behavioral/cognitive behavioral (26%), psychody-namic (19%), biblical (7%), systems (6%), humanistic (2%),and other (3%). Most participants treated clients for an av-erage of 7 to 18 sessions (54%), followed by 19 to 36 sessions(27%), 37 or more sessions (12%), and 1 to 6 sessions (7%).Seventy-seven percent of respondents endorsed praying withclients in session at least occasionally (i.e., prayer occurredwith an average of 31% of the clients they counseled).

Survey

We constructed the Self-Help Book Survey to examine theuse of self-help books by the professional counselors andpsychologists in our CAPS sample. It contained three sec-tions. The first section requested demographic informationfrom the respondents: age, sex, ethnicity, education,credentialing, nature of practice, and other information. Thesecond section requested information on the frequency ofself-help book use, the manner in which self-help books areused with clients, and criteria for selecting self-help books.The final section of the survey asked respondents to list upto three self-help books in 14 topical categories (based onthe book�s quality and usefulness to clients) that they wouldrecommend for use with clients. The 14 categories resultedfrom our consolidation of Santrock et al.�s (1994) list of 31categories of self-help books. We condensed these categoriesinto 14 broad but distinct categories of self-help books. Fi-nally, the survey asked respondents to list the top �classic�self-help books. Three practicing Christian psychologists re-viewed the survey, and refinements were made to reducebias and increase clarity.

Procedure

The Self-Help Book Survey, along with a cover letter ex-plaining the study, was mailed to all 784 members of CAPSwho held either a master�s degree or a doctorate and listedthemselves in the membership directory as primarily practi-tioners. Respondents were asked to complete the survey andreturn it to us in the enclosed, postage-paid envelope. Onemonth after the initial mailing, all respondents received apostcard reminder asking them to complete and mail thesurvey if they had not already done so. Of the 784 surveysmailed out, 262 surveys (33%) were returned. Of these, 19were excluded from the data analysis because the respon-dents did not complete the initial demographic portion of

the survey. This resulted in 243 usable surveys and a trueresponse rate of 31%.

RESULTS

Only 20 (8%) respondents reported �never� using self-helpbooks with clients. The survey asked this group to �brieflyexplain why� and return the survey. The written explana-tions centered around convictions that self-help books aretoo impersonal (e.g., �People need real relationships that arehealing�), lack value for clients (e.g., �Don�t know of anygood ones. Most seem trite and superficial in my opinion�),or likely to be of value only to clients with a propensitytoward reading (e.g., �Most of my clients are too young toread or have limited reading ability�)

Most (92%) used self-help books in their practices; 61%used them with between 1% and 50% of their clients. Theremaining respondents (31%) used them between 51% to100% of the time.

Table 1 offers a summary of participant responses, by high-est degree earned, to questions concerning how they useself-help books with clients. Most respondents acknowledgedrecommending self-help books to clients and discussing thebook�s content during sessions. Chi-square analyses (see Table1) showed only that significantly more master�s level re-spondents assign homework based on reading and read bookswith clients. However, this finding has minimal practicalimportance in that only 17% of the master�s group usedself-help books in this way.

Table 2 reports participant endorsements of specific cri-teria used in selecting self-help books for clinical practice.For both master�s and doctoral level respondents, havingexperienced good results or outcomes using a self-help bookwith clients was the most prevalent criteria for selectingbooks for clients. Compared with their doctoral counter-parts, master�s level practitioners were significantly morelikely to consider the book�s Christian content, whetherthe author(s) was Christian, and whether the book was rec-ommended by a colleague. In addition, master�s level prac-titioners were more likely to endorse the book�s popularityas a selection criteria, and although significant, only 26%selected this particular criterion. Particularly striking is thefinding that only 30% of respondents (master�s and doctorallevels combined) considered the research support for thebooks they recommended. Counter to expectation, master�slevel practitioners were as likely as doctoral level practitio-ners to use research support as a criteria for self-help bookselection.

When asked to recommend as many as three self-help booksin 14 categories as well as those they considered �classics,�respondents listed an average of 12.87 (SD = 10.62) books,with a range from 0 to 59. Master�s level practitioners rec-ommended more books (M = 16.01, SD = 11.48) than diddoctoral level practitioners (M = 10.82, SD = 9.39), t (241)= 3.67, p < .001. Women recommended more books (M =15.55, SD = 11.82) than did men (M = 10.70, SD = 9.01),t (241) = 3.60, p < .001. However, because the percentage

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of women among master�s level practitioners (68%) was con-siderably higher than the percentage of women among thosewith doctorates (29%), this difference could be a functionof educational degree.

Table 3 lists the three most frequently recommended self-help books across the 14 categories with the respective fre-quencies. Agreement among respondents regarding which self-help books in each category were most helpful was low. Thetop three books in most categories were recommended byless than 10% of the sample. Feeling Good (Burns, 1981) wasthe most frequently recommended book in a specific category(depression), yet only 44 respondents (18%) recommended thisbook. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the books listedin Table 3 is that many are specifically Christian in content,authorship, or both. For example, the three books recommendedunder sexuality are all by Christian authors and contain a clearlyChristian perspective on sexuality.

Many books were recommended in multiple categories.We therefore pooled the ratings of self-help books acrosscategories. Table 4 lists the 10 most frequently recommendedself-help books overall. Again, half these books are explic-itly Christian in authorship and content.

DISCUSSION

This is the first study to evaluate self-help book utilizationpractices among explicitly religious practitioners. MostChristian practitioners in this sample (92%) said they useself-help books with at least some of their clients. Theseresults are congruent with previous research showing thatpsychologists (Santrock et al., 1994; Starker, 1986, 1988a,1988b) and other mental health professionals (Giblin, 1989;Smith & Burkhalter, 1987) consider self-help books to begenerally helpful to clients and likely to enhance the effi-cacy of counseling outcomes. Rates of use in this sampleseem congruent with previous rates in secular samples, whichranged from 60% to 95%. The one gender difference of inter-est was the finding that women practitioners recommendedmore self-help books overall than their male counterpartsdid. Consistent with this difference was the finding thatpractitioners with master�s degrees (68% female) recom-mended more self-help books overall than did their doc-toral counterparts (29% female). Those with master�s de-grees were also more likely to read self-help books withtheir clients. However, this finding seemed to have little

TABLE 1

Self-Help Book Utilization Patterns for Master’s and Doctoral Level Practioners

Manner of Use

Master’s

n %

Doctorate

n %

Discuss content of book with clientRecommend reading book outside sessionAssign homework based on readingRead the book with the client

74575317

76585417

10676564

7352393

0.310.785.26

16.06*

Note. Percentages are rounded. Probability represents the error rate for the family of comparisons (EF) using the Bonferroni t procedure(Myers & Wells, 1991).*p < .01.

χχχχχ22222

TABLE 2

Self-Help Book Selection Criteria for Master’s and Doctoral Level Practitioners

Experienced good results/outcomes using bookChristian content or emphasisProfessional credentials of author(s)Recommended by a colleagueChristian author(s)Research basis for bookPopularity of book

79715966503125

81726067513226

116777262474315

80535043323010

0.029.27*2.63

14.14**8.69*0.027.09*

Note. See Table 1 Note.*p < .05. **p < .01.

Criteria Used

Doctorate

n % χ χ χ χ χ22222

Master’s

n %

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TABLE 3

Religious Practioners’ ( N = 243) Recommendations for Self-Help Books in 14 Categories

Addictions and RecoveryCodependent No More (Beattie, 1987)Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction (Carnes, 1992)The Twelve Steps, A Spiritual Journey (Anonymous, 1989)

AnxietyAnxiety and Phobia Workbook (Bourne, 1995)Worry Free Living (Minirth & Meier, 1989)a

Hope and Help for Your Nerves (Weekes, 1969)Child Development and Parenting

How to Really Love Your Child (Campbell, 1977)The New Dare to Discipline (Dobson, 1992)a

The Strong Willed Child (Dobson, 1978)a

DepressionFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (Burns, 1981)Happiness Is a Choice: A Manual on the Symptoms, Causes, and Cures of Depression

(Minirth & Meier, 1978)a

Telling Yourself the Truth (Backus & Chapian, 1980)a

FamilyBradshaw on the Family (Bradshaw, 1988)The Gift of the Blessing (Smalley & Trent, 1986)a

Secrets of Your Family Tree (Carder, Henslin, Townsend, Cloud, & Brawand, (1991)a

Grief/LossGood Grief (Westberg, 1962)a

How to Survive the Loss of a Love (Colgrove, Bloomfield, & McWilliams, 1991)A Grief Observed (Lewis, 1961)a

Interpersonal SkillsBoundaries: When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life (Cloud & Townsend, 1992)aYour Perfect Right: A Guide to Assertive Living (Alberti & Emmons, 1990)Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus (Gray, 1992)

MarriageGetting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples (Hendrix, 1990)Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus (Gray, 1992)His Needs, Her Needs (Harley, 1994)

Gender IssuesMen Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus (Gray, 1992)The Dance of Anger (Lerner, 1985)His Needs, Her Needs (Harley, 1994)

Personal Adjustment/ImprovementThe Search for Significance (McGee, 1990)a

The Road Less Traveled (Peck, 1978)a

Healing for Damaged Emotions (Seamands, 1981)a

RelationshipsBoundaries: When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life (Cloud & Townsend, 1992)aThe Friendship Factor (McGinnis, 1979)Codependent No More (Beattie, 1987)

SexualityThe Gift of Sex (Penner & Penner, 1981)a

Intended for Pleasure (Wheat, 1977)a

The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love (LaHaye & LaHaye, 1976)a

SpiritualityThe Search for Significance (McGee, 1990)a

The Road Less Traveled (Peck, 1978)a

Disappointment With God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud (Yancey, 1988)a

Top ClassicsBoundaries: When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life (Cloud & Townsend, 1992)aThe Road Less Traveled (Peck, 1978)a

Feeling Good:The New Mood Therapy (Burns, 1981)

221410

1898

212020

44

3211

1285

211410

19166

372222

1776

251110

2097

362410

151210

252118

aIndicates that the book is Christian in content.

Category/Title/Author Frequency of Recommendation

practical significance. Master�s level practitioners endorsedthe book�s popularity, recommendations by colleagues, Chris-tian identity of authors, and clear Christian content or em-

phasis in the book as significant selection criteria more of-ten than did those with doctorates. A disappointing findingwas that only a minority of respondents in both master�s

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and doctoral groups seriously considered the research basisfor the material presented in self-help books. It seems thatreligious practitioners are likely to rely on their own expe-rience of positive results or outcomes when consideringwhether to recommend a book to a client.

Perhaps the most substantial finding from this survey isthe fact that Christian mental health professionals are verylikely to prescribe Christian self-help books to the clientsthey serve. This finding suggests that explicitly religiouspractitioners are likely to recommend self-help books withfaith-congruent authorship and content. Although spiritual-ity is the second most common reason for using self-helpmaterials in counseling (Giblin, 1989), many nonreligiouspractitioners may be unaware of the significant volume ofexplicitly sectarian self-help material currently available.Several religious publishing houses (e.g. Baker, Moody,Tyndale, & Zondervan) specialize in self-help books, con-tract with specifically religious authors, and market directlyto religious persons. Christian clients tend to prefer servicesfrom Christian providers (Dougherty & Worthington, 1982;Keating & Fretz, 1990). In the same way, Christians mayprefer self-help books written from the perspective of theirreligious faith. The 10 most frequently recommended booksfrom the sample in our study are different from those listedby Santrock et al. (1994). These authors asked 500 clinicaland counseling psychologists to rate hundreds of self-helpbooks. The only book listed in Table 3 that is also containedin Santrock et al.�s top 25 is Burn�s (1981) Feeling Good.Practitioners who provide mental health services to Chris-tian clients should consider the books listed in Tables 3 and4 as potentially congruent with the client�s religious faith.

Accommodating counseling approaches (including recom-mendations for self-help books) to the client�s religiousworldview is consistent with professional requirements forsensitivity to concerns of religious clients (American Coun-seling Association, 1995; American Association for Marriageand Family Therapy, 1991; American Psychological Associa-tion, 1993). As an example of this accommodative process, adevoutly religious client may be averse to reading self-helpmaterial by Albert Ellis (Ellis & Harper, 1975) because ofEllis�s traditional antireligious perspective. As an alterna-tive, the counselor may encourage the client to consider bookssuch as Telling Yourself the Truth (Backus & Chapian, 1980)or The Lies We Believe (Thurman, 1989), which are bothessentially Christian versions of Ellis�s Rational EmotiveBehavior Therapy (REBT) model of self-change. Counselortraining programs should offer some instruction in appropri-ate accommodation of secular techniques and materials tothe religious worldviews of clients. This may include sometraining in the use of self-help materials for clients fromdiverse backgrounds.

It is important to highlight the low degree of consensusamong the respondents in this sample concerning which self-help books were likely to be most helpful for clients. Mostresearch in this area has asked respondents to rate the quali-ties of specified self-help books. By asking respondents togenerate their own list of self-help books, we hoped to get aclearer picture of the books actually used by those in oursample. This more demanding survey task, however, likelydecreased the return rate for surveys and does constitute aclear limitation in interpreting our results. Simply stated,the fact that two thirds of potential respondents did notparticipate very possibly reduces the study�s external valid-ity (i.e., representativeness or generalizability) and cautionis required in interpreting and applying the findings. It isalso reasonable to assume that those in the sample mostinterested in self-help books were those most likely to re-spond. Among those who did respond, there was low agree-ment within specific topical categories concerning whichself-help books were most helpful to clients. Nonetheless,we believe counselors working with Christian clients willfind the listed books helpful in working with such clients.Given the wide range and volume of self-help materials, wesuspect this finding would hold true in an equivalent sampleof practitioners with no specific faith identification. Subse-quent research should seek to replicate the current findingswith a larger and more representative sample of Christianpractitioners. Particular attention should be given toenhancing response rate. Also, research with practitionersand clients of other religious groups would extend the un-derstanding of self-help book use among various religiousgroups.

Finally, there is a substantial need for acceleration of re-search on the efficacy and effectiveness of self-help bookswhen applied both to religious and to nonreligious clients.Because very few self-help books are ever empirically evalu-ated or even professionally scrutinized, we have suggestedthat counselors consider several guidelines in evaluating and

TABLE 4

Top 10 Self-Help Books Recommended Overall

Overall RecommendationFrequencyTitle/Author

Boundaries: When to Say No to TakeControl of Your Life (Cloud &Townsend, 1992)a

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy(Burns, 1981)

The Search for Significance (McGee,1990)a

Men Are From Mars, Women AreFrom Venus (Gray, 1992)

Getting the Love You Want : A Guidefor Couples (Hendrix, 1990)

Codependent No More (Beattie, 1987)The Road Less Traveled (Peck, 1978)a

Happiness Is a Choice: A Manual on theSymptoms, Causes, and Cures ofDepression (Minirth & Meier,1978)a

Love Is a Choice (Hemfelt, Minirth, &Meier, 1989)a

His Needs, Her Needs (Harley, 1994)

78

73

67

61

565351

39

3934

Note. N = 243 for all respondents.aIndicates that the book is Christian in content.

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selecting self-help books for use with clients in general andChristian clients in particular (Johnson et al., 1997). Theseguidelines might be posed as a series of questions that in-clude the following:

• Does the author have reasonable credentials for writ-ing a self-help book?

• Does the author demonstrate reasonable knowledgeof the discipline?

• If religious examples and scripture verses are cited,are they accurate and appropriate?

• Does the author plagiarize or is credit given for ideasand methods borrowed from others?

• Does the book make reasonable claims regarding thepotential value of the book?

• Does the book contain clear language, free of psycho-babble and faddish terms?

• Does the book acknowledge the complexity of theproblems it purports to ameliorate?

• Is the reader instructed regarding whether the book isan appropriate match with their problems or concerns?

• Does the book offer specific and structured steps forchange?

• Is there a reasonable research basis for the book�sapproach?

• Is the book well regarded by practitioners in the fieldwho have used the book in counseling practice?

• Does the book fill a void in the literature or does itmerely duplicate existing self-help books?

Until self-help books are more carefully evaluated, theseguidelines might offer practitioners some basis for selectingbooks for use in practice.

In summary, Christian practitioners seem likely to pre-scribe self-help books to the clients they counsel. They alsotend to endorse a range of both Christian and secular self-help books. We hope that practitioners working with Chris-tian clients will find the information provided in this ar-ticle to be useful in conducting their own practices.

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Atwater, J. M., & Smith, D. (1982). Christian therapists� utilization of biblio-therapeutic resources. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 10, 230�235.

Backus, W., & Chapian, M. (1980). Telling yourself the truth. Minneapo-lis, MN: Bethany House.

Dougherty, S. G., & Worthington, E. L. (1982). Preferences of conserva-tive and moderate Christians for four Christian counselor�s treat-ment plans. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 10, 346�354.

Ellis, A. (1993). The advantages and disadvantages of self-help therapymaterials. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 24, 335�359.

Ellis, A., & Harper, R. A. (1975). A new guide to rational living. EnglewoodCliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Foster, S. (1996, May). Self-help or self-denial? Counseling Today, pp. 21,24, 29.

Gallup Poll Monthly. (1993). Report on trends (Report No. 331).Princeton, NJ: The Gallup Organization.

Giblin, P. (1989). Use of reading assignments in clinical practice. Ameri-can Journal of Family Therapy, 17, 219�228.

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APPENDIX

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