Resources

I really honor the saying, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Therefore, while I have been waiting to update this resources section until it could be “just right,” I am acknowledging that I have been waiting for over three years. So, to respect “the good enough,” I wanted to include some resources I value even if I have not mastered the formatting or included all of my preferred resources. Please note, these resources are purely for educational purposes. I am not endorsing any particular person or place and am not receiving any benefit for posting them. Please take the following as an incomplete list of resources I have found helpful and wanted to share with others. The local resources are in the Bay Area.

Advocacy and Support

1. Parents Helping Parents (support and advocacy, especially related to school): http://www.php.com/
2. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) : https://www.nami.org/
3. United Advocates for Children and Families (UACF) : https://www.uacf4hope.org/
4. Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA): http://www.selpa1cac.org: From their website: “We are a group of people — mostly parents of children with special needs along with district administrators and special education staff — who work on a wide range of issues related to special education…dedicated to raising awareness and education on special needs issues in the four school districts that make up our SELPA: Los Altos, Mountain View-Whisman, Mountain View Los Altos High, and Palo Alto Unified. (especially helpful for parent education events)

Anxiety

Parenting Books:

1. Helping your Anxious Child by Ronald Rapee, PhD
2. Anxiety Relief for Kids (On-the-Spot Strategies to Help Your Child Overcome Worry, Panic, and Avoidance) by Bridget Flynn Walker, PhD

Local Resource:

Pacific Anxiety Group (clinic that does evidence-based treatment): https://www.pacificanxietygroup.com/

Panic Disorder Resources:

1. When Panic Attacks by David D. Burns, MD
2. Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic by David H. Barlow and Michelle G. Craske

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Websites:

1. National Resource Center for ADHD: http://www.chadd.org/
2. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Facts for Families

 Books:

1. Taking Charge of ADHD by Russell A. Barkley, PhD  

Other Resources:

1. Executive Functioning Skills Training can be very helpful in treating ADHD; there are many resources in the area. The ones that I am most familiar with are the following: Lisa Medoff PhD (lmedoff@stanford.edu); Morrissey Compton; Children’s Health Council
2. Neuropsychological Testing may be necessary to help diagnose ADHD; it also can be very helpful in better understanding your child/teen’s academic strengths and vulnerabilities; If your child is having difficulty at school, you can speak with the school psychologist to see if they are able to do educational testing (this is usually not the first step a school will take); if you are unable or would not like to get tested at the school, there are many individuals/places available to do testing. I am familiar with the following: Morrissey Compton (website above), Children’s Health Council (website above), Sarah Ordaz PhD (https://www.ordazpsychologicalhealth.com/), Pacific Anxiety Group (https://www.pacificanxietygroup.com/assessments)
3. Medication can be a very helpful part of treatment for ADHD; here is information on medication provided by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (AACAP): https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/resource_centers/resources/med_guides/adhd_parents_medication_guide_english.pdf

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) While ASD is not one of my specialties, I have gathered these resources/referrals from trusted colleagues who do specialize in work with ASD

Resources:

1. Early Support Program for Autism (ESPA): http://med.stanford.edu/espa.html (generally, an excellent resource to contact for help with resources after ASD has already been diagnosed)
2. http://www.abelgrebenik.com/ : Individual that has provided good in-home behavioral support to families with children with ASD
3. Local Social Skills programs (some are just general social skills, not only ASD): https://cacpaloalto.org/information-center/palo-alto-area-resources/social-programs/ (I am most familiar with Amicus and Social Thinking)
4. Kirsten Willar PhD: https://www.alyviaautismcenter.com/ (excellent psychologist providing outpatient services in private practice, telehealth only)
5. Open Doors Therapy: https://opendoorstherapy.com/ (provides individual, parent, and group services for children, adolescents, and adults)
6. Kari Berquist PhD: http://kariberquist.com/about.html (psychologist recommended by trusted colleague who specializes in ASD and is in private practice)

Behavioral Difficulties in Children (General)

Parent Books:

1. SOS: Help for Parents by Lynn Clark, PhD
2. 1-2-3 Magic by Thomas W. Phelan, PhD
3. Parenting a Child who has Intense Emotions by Pat Harvey, LCSW-C and Jeanine A. Penzo, LICSW

Websites:

1. https://alankazdin.com/

Child Books:

1. What To Do When Your Temper Flares (A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems with Anger) by Dawn Huebner, PhD

Programs:

1. Parent classes (children age 5-10): https://parentproject.com/loving-solutions/
2. Parent classes (adolescents): https://www.parentproject.com/

Depression

Website:

1. David Burns’ website: https://feelinggood.com/ (I have heard there are very helpful podcasts as well)

Self-Help Books (based in evidence-based modalities):

1. Feeling Good by David D. Burns, MD (based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT)
2. Get Out of Your Mind and Into your Life by Steven C. Hayes, PhD(based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT)

Emotion Dysregulation (specifically resources for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, or DBT)

Websites:

1. https://www.behavioraltech.org/ (website for information and resources on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
2. https://www.dbtselfhelp.com/ (some free DBT handouts)

Parenting Books:

1. Parenting a Child who has Intense Emotions by Pat Harvey, LCSW-C and Jeanine A. Penzo, LICSW
2. Parenting a Teen who has Intense Emotions by Pat Harvey, ACSW, LCSW-C and Britt H. Rathbone, MSSW, LCSW-C

Local Resources for children and adolescents: there are DBT groups as well as comprehensive DBT programs. At the moment, I have heard the most consistent positive responses from my teen patients who have participated in groups or the comprehensive program at Children’s Health Council (https://www.chconline.org/clinicalservices/teen-dbt-skills-groups/)

Grief:

Website and Local Resource: : https://kara-grief.org/resources/

Insomnia

Websites:

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): CBT-I information
2.  Sleep hygiene handout

Self-help book:

1. Quiet Your Mind and Get to Sleep: Solutions to Insomnia for Those with Depression, Anxiety or Chronic Pain by Colleen E. Carney, PhD and Rachel Manber, PhD

Mindfulness (and mindfulness-related practices)

Self-Compassion

1. Websites
   1. http://self-compassion.org/
   2. The 5 myths of self-compassion
2. Books
   1. Self-compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself by Kristin Neff, PhD
3. Training
   1. Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)
      1. http://ccare.stanford.edu/education/about-compassion-training/ (I took this particular class and found it very well done)

Mindful Self-Compassion

1. Websites:
   1. https://centerformsc.org/
   2. https://chrisgermer.com/ (co-developer of Mindful Self-Compassion, along with Kristin Neff PhD)
2. Programs:
   • https://centerformsc.org/ (you can look for classes at this website)

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction:

1. Books:
   1. Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

• Programs:
  • https://www.mindfulnessprograms.com/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-classes-in-ech-mt-view (I did not take this particular one but have heard positive reviews from others)
  • https://palousemindfulness.com/ (free, online course; I have not heard any reviews about this but have recommended it and would love to hear people’s thoughts)

General Mindfulness/Introduction to Mindfulness/Other modalities

1. Websites:
   1. Jon Kabat-Zinn https://www.mindfulnesscds.com/ – has guided meditation practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
   2.  Brene Brown: Various resources related to vulnerability (https://brenebrown.com/)
   3. Tara Brach PhD: Various resources related to radical acceptance and compassion (https://www.tarabrach.com/)
2. Books
   1. Wherever you Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
3. Apps
   1. Headspace
   2. Calm
   3. Insight Timer
   4. Breathe2relax
4. Podcasts
   1. Audio Dharma
5. Local Places to Practice Mindfulness (keep in mind, some have more religious overtones); generally, if you google your local Zen Center, I have found many in the Bay Area; many of these offer free or donation-only introduction to mindfulness classes
   1.  Insight meditation Center (My favorite so far)
   2. Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale (also very much enjoyed; they definitely offer donation-only introductory classes)
   3. Zen Center in Mountain View (attended once; there was chanting involved, which was not what I was looking for; they were very welcoming, though, and open to my questions).

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Websites:

1. https://alankazdin.com/ (specifically for resources on Parent Management Training)
2. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Facts for Families

 Books:

1. The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child by Alan E. Kazdin, PhD
2. Your Defiant Child: Eight Steps to Better Behavior, 2^nd edition by Russell A. Barkley, PhD and Christine M. Benton

Relationship Issues

Website: https://www.gottman.com/ (includes resources and referrals)

Books:

1. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by Gottman (can be used for relationships that are not marriage)
2. The Relationship Cure by John M. Gottman, PhD
3. Feeling Good Together by David D. Burns, MD

Other Community resources

1. Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) “AACI is one of the largest community-based organizations advocating for and serving the marginalized and vulnerable ethnic communities in Santa Clara County. Our mission is to strengthen the hope and resilience of our community members by improving their health, mental health and well-being”  (I have found this especially helpful for resources for parents needing interpretive services in various languages; also, this clinic appears to be quite culturally competent.)

• Bill Wilson Center:  From their website: “Bill Wilson Center provides services to… children, youth, young adults and families in Santa Clara County through our various programs…. Street Outreach and crisis line programs. Bill Wilson Center programs focus on housing, education, counseling, and advocacy.” (I have encountered them as an emergency housing resource for youth)

•  Momentum for Mental Health (Santa Clara County); Take a look at their website, for more information on their many different levels of care. I have worked there in the past for limited hours in their Transitional Age Youth (TAY) program, the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and their residential treatment programs. I found TAY a wonderful resource for adolescents and young adults with Medi-Cal who need comprehensive services. The IOP is located in Palo Alto and for adults and seemed to be a good comprehensive program for adults.

• Uplift Family Services (Santa Clara County, Medi-Cal); I, especially, have recommended this resource for the following: mobile crisis services (in the past, they have been able to come to family’s homes for urgent psychiatric evaluations), wraparound services (I believe they can provide more comprehensive services for families, especially those needing in-home behavioral support). This seems to be a good resource for families living in Santa Clara County with Medi-Cal.