Resources: Theorists/Authors

Theorists/Authors

Below is a list of notable theorists and authors whose work and ideas are often referenced by mental health practitioners.

• Dr. Gabor Maté

• Background: MD, PhD, family physician
• Focus: research, advocacy, writing
• Specializations: childhood development, addictions, trauma > impacts on physical and mental health including autoimmune disease, cancer, attention deficit disorder (ADD), addictions
• Approaches: compassionate inquiry, CBT, bio-psycho-social, trauma-informed
• Website: https://drgabormate.com/
• Publications:
• Scattered Minds: A New Look at the Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder
• When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress
• When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection
• Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
• In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
• The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
• Videos:
• YouTube Channel
• Vicarious Trauma Workshop (Paloma Foundation)
• FASD, ADHD or both with Dr. Gabor Maté
• When the Body Says No -- Caring for ourselves while caring for others. Dr. Gabor Maté

• Dr. Kristin Neff

• Background: PhD
• Focus: research psychology, writing
• Specializations: self-compassion
• Approaches: mindfulness, self-compassion
• Website: https://self-compassion.org/
• Publications:
• The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook
• Self-Compassion
• Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals
• Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive
• Videos:
• YouTube Channel
• The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self Compassion: Kristin Neff at TEDxCentennialParkWomen
• Dr. Kristin Neff | The Science of Self-Compassion | Talks at Google

• Dr. Dan Siegel



• Background: MD, PhD, psychotherapist, clinical professor of psychiatry
• Focus: research, writing
• Specializations: childhood development, parenting, trauma, interpersonal neurobiology
• Approaches: window of tolerance, wheel of awareness, mindsight
• Website: https://drdansiegel.com/
• Publications:
• The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being
• Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation
• The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician's Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration
• Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind
• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, Survive Everyday Parenting Struggles, and Help Your Family Thrive
• Parenting from the Inside Out: How A Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive
• No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
• Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human
• Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence
• A Complete Guide to the Groundbreaking Wheel of Awareness Meditation Practice
• The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child
• The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired
• The Developing Mind, 3rd Edition: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are
• IntraConnected: MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of Self, Identity, and Belonging
• Videos:
• YouTube Channel
• Mindfulness and Neural Integration: Daniel Siegel, MD at TEDxStudioCityED
• How our Relationships Shape Us by Dr. Dan Siegel
• Dr. Dan Siegel Playlist (PsychAlive)