# 75 books on faith and mental health

> A friend recently asked me for recommendations of book resources addressing issues of faith and mental health. With a bit of scouting on my part, and the wisdom of my social media hive mind (thanks, everyone who contributed), I came up with this list of 75 titles covering a range of themes, problems and issues.

22 July 2024 · Features / Books

Canonical: https://insights1.uca.org.au/articles/75-books-on-faith-and-mental-health/

A friend recently asked me for recommendations of book resources addressing issues of faith and mental health. With a bit of scouting on my part, and the wisdom of my social media hive mind (thanks, everyone who contributed), I came up with this list of 75 titles covering a range of themes, problems and issues.

What books would you add? Is there an issue related to faith and mental health not represented here?

Albers, Robert H., *Ministry with Persons with Mental Illness and Their Families* (2nd edition; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2019).

Andrews, Jonathan, *The Reconnected Heart: How Relationships Can Help Us Heal* (Westbow Press, 2020).

Arel, Stephanie N. (ed.), *Post-Traumatic Public Theology* (Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).

Armstrong, Karen, *The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness* (New York: Knopf, 2004).

Baldwin, Jennifer, *Trauma-Sensitive Theology: Thinking Theologically in the Era of Trauma* (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2018).

Biebel, David B., *New Light on Depression: Help, Hope & Answers for the Depressed & Those Who Love Them* (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004).

Brett, Mark G., *Political Trauma and Healing: Biblical Ethics for a Postcolonial World* (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016).

Carson, Marion L. S., *The Pastoral Care of People with Mental Health Problems* (London: SPCK, 2008).

Coblentz, Jessica, *Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith* (Christian Century Foundation, 2016).

Coleman, Monica A., *Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith* (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2016).

Colwell, John, *Why Have You Forsaken Me? A Personal Reflection on the Experience of Desolation* (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2010).

Cook, Christopher C. H. (ed.), *The Bible and Mental Health: Towards a Biblical Theology of Mental Health* (London: SCM Press, 2020).

Courson, Ben, *Flirting with Darkness: Building Hope in the Face of Depression* (Minneapolis: Harvest House Publishers, 2020).

Crafton, Barbara C., *Jesus Wept: When Faith and Depression Meet*(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2019).

Eenigenberg, Susan E. & Blyss, Robynn, *Expectations and Burnout: Women Surviving the Great Commission* (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2010).

Eswine, Zack, *Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for Those Who Suffer from Depression* (Christian Focus Publications, 2014).

Fallot, Roger D*., Spirituality and Religion in Recovery from Mental Illness*(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998).

Finnegan-Hosey, David, *Christ on the Psych Ward* (Church Publishing, 2018).

Finnegan-Hosey, *Grace is a Pre-Existing Condition: Faith, Systems, and Mental Healthcare* (Church Publishing, 2020).

Gingrich, Heather Davediuk, *Restoring the Shattered Self: A Christian Counselor’s Guide to Complex Trauma* (Downers Grove: IVP, 2013).

Grcevich, Stephen, *Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Families Impacted by Mental Illness* (New York: Harper Collins, 2018).

Greene-McCreight, Kathryn, *Darkness is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness* (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006).

Groves, J. Alasdair & Smith, Winston T., *Untangling Emotions: God’s Gift of Emotions* (Wheaton: Crossway, 2019).

Harrower, Scott, *God of All Comfort: A Trinitarian Response to the Horrors of This World* (Lexham Press, 2019).

Helsel, Phillip Browning, *Pastoral Power Beyond Psychology’s Marginalization: Resisting the Discourses of the Psy-Complex* (AIAA, 2015).

Hill, Harriet et al, *Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help*(American Bible Society, 2015).

Hunsinger, Deborah van Deusen, *Bearing the Unbearable: Trauma, Gospel, and Pastoral Care* (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015).

Johnson, David & VanVonderen, Jeff, *The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church* (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2005).

Jones, Serena, *Trauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World* (second edn; Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2019).

Kehoe, Nancy, *Wrestling with Our Inner Angels: Faith, Mental Illness, and the Journey to Wholeness* (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009).

Kessler, David, Capture: *Unraveling the Mystery of Mental Suffering* (New York: Harper Perennial, 2017).

Koenig, Harold George, *Aging and God: Spiritual Pathways to Mental Health in Midlife and Later Years* (New York: Haworth Pastoral Press, 1994).

Koenig, Harold George, *Faith and Mental Health: Religious Resources for Healing* (Philadelphia: Templeton Foundation Press, 2006).

Koenig, Harold George, *Handbook of Religion and Mental Health* (Academic Press, 1998).

Lockley, John, *Practical Workbook for the Depressed Christian* (Waco, TX: Word Publishing, 1999).

Lund, Sarah Griffith, *Blessed are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family and Church* (Chalice Press, 2014).

Lund, Sarah Griffith, *Blessed Union: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness and Marriage* (Chalice Press, 2021).

McClintock, Karen A., *When Trauma Wounds: Pathways to Healing and Hope* (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2019).

Miner, Maureen et al (eds), *Beyond Well-Being: Spirituality and Human Flourishing* (Information Age Publishing, 2012).

Murray, David P., *Christians Get Depressed Too: Hope and Help for Depressed People* (Reformation Heritage Books, 2021).

Murray, David P., *Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture*(Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2017).

Murray, David P., *Why Am I Feeling Like This? A Teen’s Guide to Freedom from Anxiety and Depression* (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2020).

Newberg, Andrew B., *How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist* (Ballantine Books, 2010).

Norris, Kathleen, *Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life*(Riverhead Books, 2010).

O’Donnell, Karen & Cross, Katie, *Feminist Trauma Theologies: Body, Scripture and Church in Critical Perspective* (London: SCM Press, 2020).

O’Donnell, Karen, *Broken Bodies: The Eucharist, Mary and the Body in Trauma Theology* (London: SCM Press, 2018).

Oakley, Lisa, *Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse: Creating Healthy Christian Cultures* (London: SPCK, 2019).

Olson, R. Paul (ed.), *Religious Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy: East Meets West* (London: Routledge, 2012).

Pattison, Stephen, *Pastoral Care and Liberation Theology* (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994).

Pearce, Michelle, *Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Christians with Depression: A Practical Tool-Based Primer* (Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2016).

Piper, John, *When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God and Joy* (Wheaton: Crossway, 2006).

Pound, Marcus et al (eds), *Theology, Psychoanalysis and Trauma* (Hymns Ancient & Modern, 2007).

Powers, Brian S., *Full Darkness: Original Sin, Moral Injury, and Wartime Violence* (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2019).

Rambo, Shelly & Keller, Catherine, *Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining* (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).

Rambo, Shelly, *Resurrecting Wounds: Living in the Afterlife of Trauma*(Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017).

Sabella, Casey, *Spiritual Abuse: How to Identify and Break free from Toxic Churches without Losing Your Faith* (independently published, 2019).

Sanders, Cody J., *Christianity, LGBTIQ Suicide, and the Souls of Queer Folk*(Lexington Books, 2020).

Scazzero, Peter, *Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature* (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017).

Scrutton, Tassia & Swinton, John, *Christianity and Depression* (London: SCM Press, 2020).

Simpson, Amy & Shelley, Marshall, *Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission* (Downers Grove: IVP, 2013).

Sperry, Len, *Ministry and Community: Recognizing, Healing, and Preventing Ministry Impairment* (Liturgical Press, 1999).

Stanford, Matthew S., *Grace for the Afflicted: Viewing Mental Illness through the Eyes of Faith* (Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2008).

Swinton, John, *Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship* (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2018).

Swinton, John, *Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges* (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020).

Swinton, John, *From Bedlam to Shalom: Towards a Practical Theology of Human Nature, Interpersonal Relationships and Mental Health Care* (Peter Lang Publishing, 2000).

Swinton, John, *Resurrecting the Person: Friendship and the Care of People with Mental Health Problems* (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000).

Swinton, John, *Spirituality and Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a ‘Forgotten’ Dimension* (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001).

Thomas, Shannon, *Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse* (MAST Publishing House, 2016).

Tietje, Adam D. & Hunsinger, Deborah van Deusen, *Toward a Pastoral Theology of Holy Saturday: Providing Spiritual Care for War Wounded Souls*(Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2018).

Toews, John & Loewen, Eleanor, *No Longer Alone: Mental Health and the Church* (MennoMedia, 1995).

Vacek, Heather H., *Madness: American Protestant Responses to Mental Illness* (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2015).

Vallieres, Robert C. & Howard, Jacqueline M., *Wounded Warriors: A Soldier’s Story of Healing through Birds* (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014).

Van der Kolk, Bessel, *Mental Health: The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma* (London: Penguin Books, 2015).

Waters, Sonia E., *Addiction and Pastoral Care* (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2019).

Webb, Marcia, *Toward a Theology of Psychological Disorder* (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017).

**Rod Benson is an ordained Baptist minister presently working as Research Support Officer at Moore Theological College, Sydney. This piece was originally published on his blog. Read [the original post here](https://rodbenson.com/2021/06/07/books-on-faith-and-mental-health/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0hq50ChrBIRVxYRZy8e8NRUW71wZtAiXHjdpaNz8QhlCSPZnStwA7Cl9M_aem_DXzxqqblXUTWIlG5yQBsmQ).**

Filed under: mental-health