Welcome to the CAPS Self-Help Library! Here you will find books, websites, and mobile/tablet applications that are focused on mental health and wellness. These resources are designed to support self-help, promote wellness, and serve as adjunctive tools for mental health counseling. Each tab will provide information that will assist you and your well-being. Please note that these resources are no direct substitute for counseling.
Dr. Kevin Ramotar compiled this extensive list of Apps and Podcasts on various mental health topics. We will be updating this list througout the year - so keep checking regularly!
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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CAPS*Mobile Help Center! //
Cost: FREE Our new CAPS App! Brought to you by our SMHI Program, this App has all the info you need for CAPS services, how to help yourself, and a friend. Lots of great resources for you. Click on the app icon and place on your mobile device's home screen. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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Yoga-pedia //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Yoga-pedia includes images and instructions for nearly 100 yoga poses and mudras. It also includes a "pose of the day" feature where each day, users can stream a short audio lesson for one of the poses included in the app. Images, instruction, and audio narration are all integrated with the Pose of the Day feature. |
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Pocket Yoga //
Cost: iTunes: $2.99; Android: $2.99 The practice of yoga becomes beneficial when done on a regular basis. With Pocket Yoga you can keep up with your practice at your own pace and schedule in the comforts of your own home. |
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Cardiio //
Cost: iTunes: $1.99 Cardiio’s technology is based on cutting-edge research and science conducted at the MIT Media Lab. The measurement principles are the same as clinical pulse oximeters. Every time your heart beats, more blood rushes through the vessels in your face, causing them to expand. The increase in blood volume absorbs more light, resulting in a decrease in the amount of light reflected from your face. Using sophisticated software, your iPhone's camera can track these tiny variations in light that are invisible to the naked eye to calculate your heart rate. |
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MyFitnessPal //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Promote health with MyFitnessPal, the fastest and easiest-to-use dietary tracker. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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T2 Mood Tracker // Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free This app comes with six pre-loaded issues: anxiety, depression, general well-being, head injury, post-traumatic stress, and stress. You can also add customized scales on any topic (e.g., a pain scale). You use simple sliders to rate yourself on these behavioral categories and the app automatically graphs your inputs. You can also make notes describing things that happened during the day that may have affected your moods. This provides you and your health care provider with a complete tool to help you uncover patterns in how you are feeling. It may also help you to evaluate the impact of daily events or the effects of treatment on your mood. |
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eCBT Mood // Cost: iTunes: $0.99 eCBT Mood(c) tries to help people who are feeling down or depressed to feel better by using the scientific principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). eCBT Mood can also be used a uniform, structured adjunctive support intervention for clinical trials of antidepressants or other therapies for depression. |
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iCBT // Cost: iTunes: $4.99 iCBT is a fast and easy way to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to help you transform obstructive thinking into a positive experience. And iCBT can help you even if you’re not familiar with CBT — anyone can use it, anytime, anywhere. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
|---|---|
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eCBT Calm // Cost: iTunes: $0.99 CBT Calm helps people who are feeling stressed and want to learn relaxation skills. It assesses your stress level, provides relaxation skills, and also includes links to online resources for stress and anxiety. |
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Mayo Clinic Anxiety Coach // Cost: iTunes: $4.99; Similar Android App: $2.99 Mayo Clinic Anxiety Coach is a comprehensive self-help tool for reducing a wide variety of fears and worries from extreme shyness to obsessions and compulsions. Anxiety Coach helps you make a list of feared activities and then guides you through mastering them one by one. |
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Panic Attack Podcasts // Cost: iTunes: FREE Listen to these great podcasts on dealing with anxiety and managing Panic Attacks. |
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Learn Panic CBT // Cost: iTunes: $4.99 Learn Panic CBT is a self-treatment program for panic disorder that is based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) principles that are used by experienced psychologists. |
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Stop Panic & Anxiety // Cost: Android: Free The info in this app assumes that the user is suffering from panic attacks due to Panic Disorder. It may not be applicable to other forms of anxiety. It focuses on the fear of having a panic attack and the fear of the sensations when having a panic. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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Take a Break - Guided Meditations // Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free You can enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation now with this app by Meditation Oasis. Featuring two popular meditations from the the Meditation Oasis podcast, the app gives you the option to listen with or without music or nature sounds. You can also listen to the relaxing music and nature sounds alone. |
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Mindfulness Meditation // Cost: iTunes: $1.99; Similar Android App: $.99 This is simply the best way to learn and enjoy mindfulness meditation - and it's always in your pocket for short breaks, trips, and outdoor practice! |
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Free Guided Meditations // Cost: Free Our partners at UCLA host a great library for guided meditation exercises! |
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Progressive Muscle & Guided Imagery // Cost: Free Guided muscle relaxation techniques from our partners at Dartmouth University. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
|---|---|
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Breathe2Relax //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Breathe2Relax is a portable stress management tool which provides detailed information on the effects of stress on the body and instructions and practice exercises to help users learn the stress management skill called diaphragmatic breathing. |
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Tactical Breather //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Tactical Breathing Trainer can be used to gain control over physiological and Psychological responses to stress. Through repetitive practice and training, anyone can learn to gain control of your heart rate, emotions, concentration, and other physiological and Psychological responses to your body during stressful situations. |
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Tactical Breather //
Cost: iTunes: $4.99; Android: $2.99 iZen Garde gives you all the peace and tranquility of a beautiful Zen Garden right on your iPad, without the sandy mess. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
|---|---|
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Sleep Time //
Cost: iTunes: $1.99; Android: FREE Smart alarm clock that analyze your sleep and wakes you up at the perfect moment of your lightest sleep phase. Wake up feeling refreshed. Uses your phone’s accelerometer. |
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Sleep Pillow //
Cost: iTunes: FREE; Sleep Pillow provides an advanced set of high quality ambient sounds, premixed for perfect sleep enhancement. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
|---|---|
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PTSD Coach //
Cost: iTunes: FREE; Android: FREE PTSD Coach was designed for Veterans and military Service Members who have, or may have, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This app provides users with education about PTSD, information about professional care, a self-assessment for PTSD, opportunities to find support, and tools that can help users manage the stresses of daily life with PTSD. |
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eCBT Trauma //
Cost: iTunes: $0.99; eCBT Trauma is an iPhone application that helps people who have experienced a traumatic event. It uses the scientific principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help relieve the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can be used in conjunction with psychotherapy or as a standalone self-help intervention. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
|---|---|
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5 Love Languages //
Cost: iTunes: FREE; Android: FREE; iTunes full book: $8.99 The 5 Love Languages, Dr. Gary Chapman's New York Times bestseller! Don't know your love language? You and your loved one can take the profile within the app to find out what love language you speak. |
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Couple //
Cost: iTunes: FREE; Couple is a more intimate way to share your life and the best way to stay in touch with your favorite person. |
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The Ice Break //
Cost: iTunes: $1.99; Stay connected with the one you love. Just share your response to a prompted icebreaker or moment once a day and watch your relationship deepen. |
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Love Maps //
Cost: iTunes: $1.99; This fun exercise has 87 questions to help couple develop a "Love Map" of their partner's world - their history, concerns, preferences and current issues. |
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Avocado //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Avocado is the fun, private, and secure app for couples to stay connected. Send messages, share calendars and lists, doodle on photos, and more. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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Stop Procrastinating //
Cost: iTunes: $0.99 You have too much to do and you can't do it all at once. Sort each of your projects into ordered lists so that you can focus on what you're doing now and plan what to do next without interruption. Stop trying to remember everything in your head. Having to remember every task that comes up is stressful and overwhelming. As tasks come up, add them to your Inbox. |
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iProcrastinate Podcast //
Cost: iTunes: Free Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl, associate professor of psychology and director of the Procrastination Research Group (Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada), provides a series of short talks, interviews and question/answer podcasts that explain why we procrastinate and what we can do about it. |
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RanDoo //
Cost: iTunes: Free Do you have a list of things to do and you can't decide what to do first? Then RanDoo is the app for Yoo! Enter your list of things to do, shake your iPhone or iPod, and RanDoo will pick an item from your list and show it to you. |
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Do It (Tomorrow) //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Daily planner with reminders. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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Ace Your Next Test //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Ace Your Next Test provides unique study tips and other resources to all students that want to get a better grade on any test. Tips are divided between before you take the test and what to do on test day. |
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Study Tips //
Cost: iTunes: Free The 365 tips and quotes are based on decades of research in the fields of education and psychology and on field tests with a broad spectrum of students from middle school to post-graduate level, including many with attention and learning issues. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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ADHD Angel //
Cost: iTunes: Free Imagine an angel, a guardian looking over your shoulder, helping you with some of things that you struggle with because of your ADHD. |
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30/30 //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free You set up a list of tasks, and a length of time for each of them. When you start the timer, it will tell you when to move on to the next task. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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Life Armor //
Cost: iTunes: Free LifeArmor is a comprehensive learning and self-management tool to assist with common mental health concerns. Browse information on 17 topics, including sleep, depression, relationship issues, and post-traumatic stress. Brief self-assessments help the user measure and track their symptoms, and tools are available to assist with managing specific problems. |
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iTriage Health //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Created by two ER docs, iTriage helps you answer the questions: “What medical condition could I have?” and “Where should I go for treatment?” Save, easily access, and share the healthcare information that's most important to you. |
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PsychDrugs //
Cost: iTunes: Free; Android: Free Learn about psychotropic medication. |
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120+ Mental Disorders //
Cost: iTunes: Free Learn about mental illness. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
|---|---|
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Transform Your Life //
Cost: iTunes: Free Transform Your Life is 365 days of inspirational quotes, encouragement, and daily assignments supporting awareness practice. |
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Gratitude Journal //
Cost: iTunes: $1.99 Of all the thoughts you experience and control, there is one that can profoundly transform your life on a daily basis: Gratitude. |
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Gratitude & Happiness //
Cost: iTunes: $0.99 Track four happiness items and see what makes you happy and healthy. |
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Attitudes of Gratitude //
Cost: Android: Free This simple app will help you to develop and maintain a daily attitude of gratitude. At the end of each day you can list the things you are grateful for. You will soon see that your list is much longer than you expected. |
| App/Link | Name/Description |
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iPromise Recovery Companion //
Cost: iTunes: Free With the iPromise recovery companion you can create trigger alerts, share meetings and access shared meetings; geo-locate the meeting you are sitting in to add it to your meeting list; easily contact friends in recovery; keep a visual journal of your moods, challenges, and accomplishments; click an icon to call your sponsor. |
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Cheers OAPE //
Cost: iTunes: Free Cheers OAPE, the official app of Stanford's Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, provides you with tools to drink safely and responsibly. |
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iQuit //
Cost: Android: $0.99 Quit smoking cigarettes support and tracking. |
Please note that these resources are no direct substitute for counseling, and that CAPS does not receive any benefits or compensation to list these Apps and resources.
Online Workshops
Requires Adobe Flash (will not play on an iPad/iPhone/iDevice
| Topic (click for link) | Description |
|---|---|
| Insomnia | Learn about sleep and gain skills on sleep hygeine! |
| Going Back home for the Holidays | Get prepared when you go back home for the long breaks. |
| Parent & Family Orientation | Our presentation to families for new UCSD students. |
| Grad Student Series: Advisors | Working with your Advisors |
| Grad Student Series: Dissertation | Completing your Dissertation |
| Grad Student Series: Imposter Syndrome | The "Imposter Syndrome" |
| Grad Student Series: Perfectionism | Dealing with Perfectionism |
| Grad Student Series: Prioritization | Prioritizing and Time Management |
| Grad Student Series: Relationships | Grad School and Relationships |
| Grad Student Series: Self-Care | Self-Care and Stress Management |
| Grad Student Series: Sleep | Getting healthy sleep while in Grad School |
| Red Folder Training | Red Folder training for UCSD Faculty and Staff. |
Books
The following list are recommended readings for each category. These books are available for order at the UCSD Bookstore or through other retail outlets. Thank you to the UCLA Counseling Center for assisting us with our list.
| Category | Book/Resource | Author |
|---|---|---|
| ADHD | Women and ADD | Sari Solden, foreword by Edward M. Hallowell et al |
| Driven to Distraction | Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey | |
| Procrastination | Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen | |
| Addiction | Don’t Call It Love: Recovery From Sexual Addiction | Patrick Carnes |
| Drinking: A Love Story | Caroline Knapp | |
| Facing Love Addiction: Giving Yourself the Power to Change the Way You Love | Pia Melody and Andrea Wells Miller | |
| Freedom from Problem Gambling | Richard J. Rosenthal and Timothy Fong | |
| In the Shadows of The Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior | Patrick Carnes | |
| It Will Never Happen to Me | Claudia Black | |
| In the Shadows of The Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior | Patrick Carnes | |
| Anxiety & Stress | Brain Lock – Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior | Jeffrey Swartz |
| Mastery of Your Anxiety and Worry | Michelle Craske and David Barlow | |
| Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook | Martha Davis, Elizabeth Eshelman and Matthew McKay | |
| Stop Obsessing!: How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions | Edna Foa and Reid Wilson | |
| Shyness | Philip Zimbardo | |
| The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook | Edmund J. Bourne | |
| The Worry Cure | Robert L. Leahy | |
| Too Perfect | Allan Mallinger and Jeanette DeWyze | |
| When Perfect Isn't Good Enough | Martin Antony and Richard Swinso | |
| Aspergers & Autism Spectrum | Aquamarine Blue 5 | Dawn-Prince Hughes |
| Thinking In Pictures | Temple Grandin | |
| Learned Optimism | Martin E.P. Seligman | |
| Emergence: Labeled Autistic | Temple Grandin | |
| The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships | Temple Grandin | |
| Women From Another Planet? | Jean Kearns Miller | |
| Body Image | Bodylove | Rita Freedman |
| Making Weight | Arnold Andersen | |
| The Adonis Complex | Harrison Pope | |
| The Body Image Workbook | Thomas Cash | |
| The Beauty Myth | Naomi Wolf | |
| The Good Body | Eve Ensler | |
| Reviving Ophelia | Mary Piphe | |
| Depression & Mood Management | An Unquiet Mind (bipolar illness) | Kay Jamison |
| Get Out Of Your Mind and Into Your Life | Steve Hayes | |
| Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel Changing the Way You Think | Dennis Greenberger, Christine Padesky | |
| The Feeling Good Handbook | David D. Burns | |
| The Bipolar Disorder Survivor Guide | David Miklowitz | |
| The Mindful Way Through Depression Thoughts and Feelings | Matthew McKay, Martha Davis and Patrick Fanning | |
| 10 Days to Self-Esteem | David Burns | |
| Eating & Eating Disorders | Intuitive Eating | by Evelyn Tribole |
| Mindful Eating 101 | Susan Albers | |
| Overcoming Binge Eating | Christopher Fairbairn | |
| Why Weight?: A Guide to Ending Compulsive Eating | Geneen Rot | |
| Fitness, Peak Performance & Sport Psychology | Applying Sport Psychology | Jim Taylor and Gregory Wilson |
| Exercise Psychology | Janet Buckworth and Rod Dishman | |
| Motivating People to Be Physically Active | Bess Marcus and LeighAnn Forsyth | |
| Awaken the Olympian Within compiled | John Naber | |
| Sport Psychology in Practice | Mark Andersen | |
| The Sport Psych Handbook | Shane Murphy | |
| Insomnia & Sleep | No More Sleepless Nights | Peter Hauri |
| No More Sleepless Nights Workbook | Peter Hauri | |
| Say Goodnight to Insomnia | Gregg Jacobs and Herbert Benso | |
| Love & Relationships | Co-Dependent No More | Melody Beattie |
| Destructive Relationships | Jill Murray | |
| Do I Have to Give Up Me To Be Loved You? | Jordan Paul and Margaret Paul | |
| Facing Love Addiction: Giving Yourself the Power to Change the Way You Love | Pia Mellody, Andrea Wells Miller | |
| Fighting for Your Marriage | Howard Markman, Scott Stanley and Susan Blumberg | |
| Getting The Love You Want: A Guide for Couples | Harville Hendrix | |
| In Love and In Danger | Barrie Levy | |
| Keeping The Love You Find | Harville Hendrix | |
| May I Kiss You? | Michael Domitrz | |
| Rebuilding When Your Relationships End | Fisher, Bruce and Alberti, Robert | |
| Reconcilable Differences | Andrew Christensen & Neil S. Jacobson | |
| LGBT & Gender Identity | Coming Out of Shame | Gershen Kaufmen and Lev Raphael |
| For Yourself: The Fulfillment of Female Sexuality | Lonnie Barbach | |
| Free Your Mind | Ellen Bass | |
| Looking Queer: Body Image and Identity in Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Communities | Dawn Atkins (editor) | |
| Man-To-Man: When Your Partner Says NO | Scott Allen Johnson | |
| Men’s Lives compiled | Michael S. Kimmel | |
| Real Boys | William Pollack | |
| The Macho Paradox | Jackson Katz | |
| The Therapist's Notebook for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients | Joy Whitman | |
| Personal Growth | Behind Happy Faces | Ross Szabo |
| College of the Overwhelmed | Richard Kadison and Theresa Digeronimo | |
| First in Family: Advice About College from First-Generation Students | Kathleen Cushman | |
| Full Catastrophe Living | Jon Kabat-Zinn | |
| Happiness is a Serious Problem | Dennis Prager | |
| Making A Good Brain Great | Daniel Amen | |
| Man’s Search for Meaning | Viktor Frankl | |
| Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success | Myron Dembo | |
| Radical Acceptance | Tara Brach | |
| The Emotional Toolkit | Darlene Mininni | |
| The Gift of Fear | Gavin De Becker | |
| The Healthy Mind/Healthy Body Handbook | David Sobel and Robert Ornstein | |
| The How of Happiness | Sonia Lyubomirsky | |
| The Wellness Book | Herbert Benson and Eileen Stuart | |
| Wherever You Go, There You Are | Jon Kabat-Zinn | |
| Who Moved My Cheese | Spencer Johnson | |
| Trauma, Grief & Recovery | A Long Shadowed Grief | Harold Smith |
| Life After Trauma | Dena Rosenbloom and Mary Williams | |
| Necessary Losses | Judith Viorst | |
| Post-Trauma Stress | Frank Parkinson | |
| Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics | Herbert Gravitz | |
| The Courage To Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse | Ellen Bass and Laura Davis | |
| The Emotional Incest Syndrome: What to do When a Parent’s Love Rules Your Life | Patricia Love, Jo Robinson | |
| The Year of Magical Thinking | Joan Didion | |
| Trauma and Recovery | Judith Herman | |
| Trust After Trauma | Aphrodite Matsaki | |
| Sexual Assault & Abuse | After Silence | Nancy Raine |
| Against Our Will | Susan Brownmiller | |
| Breaking Free From Partner Abuse | Mary Marecek | |
| Coping with Date Rape and Acquaintance Rape | Andrea Parrot | |
| Date Rape | Mary E. Williams | |
| Everything You Need to Know About Date Rape | Frances Shuker-Haines | |
| Free At Last | Frances Shuker-Haines | |
| How to Stop a Stalker | Mike Proctor | |
| If He Is Raped | Alan McEvoy, Debbie Rollo, and Jeff Brookings | |
| If She Is Raped | Alan McEvoy and Jeff Brookings | |
| I Never Called It Rape | Mary Koss | |
| It’s Not Okay Anymore | Greg Enns | |
| Man-to-Man: When Your Partner Says No | Scott Allen | |
| No Safe Haven | Mary P Koss, et al | |
| Recovering From Rape | Linda Ledray | |
| Sexual Assault in Context | Christopher Kilmartin | |
| Sex Without Consent edited | Merril D. Smith | |
| Straight Talk About Date Rape | Susan Mufson | |
| The Date Rape Prevention Book | Scott Lindquist | |
| The Sexual Healing Journey | Wendy Maltz | |
| The Survivor’s Guide to Sex | Staci Haines | |
| When You Are the Partner of a Rape of Incest Survivor | Robert Levine |
ucsdCAPS SMHI PSA's
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Brochures & Handouts
iRelax audio in English (mp3)
International Audio Recordings
Mental Health Pamphlets
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