NZ Book Included in English Mental Health Programme

Book by NZ Author Included in English Mental Health Programme

A book by Wellington author and clinical psychologist Ben Sedley has been selected for the UK Reading Well scheme.

Stuff That Sucks: Accepting What You Can’t Change and Committing to What You Can (Hachette NZ, available now) was written to help young people make sense of mental health difficulties and Ben is thrilled it’s made the list.

"It's really exciting to see health services looking for ways to support the general public and normalise the levels of suffering that are so common for young people these days,” says Ben. “With so much information available, which can often be conflicting or confusing, it is helpful to have a group of professionals provide recommendations for places to start.”

The Reading Well programme helps people to understand and manage their health and wellbeing using self-help reading, which is available from public libraries.

The books selected for the scheme have all been recommended by health experts and they’re endorsed by a range of health organisations including NHS England and the Royal College of GPs, Nursing and Psychiatrists. They are available for anyone to borrow from 97% of public library authorities in England, plus GPs and other health professionals can also recommend them to their patients. To date, the scheme has reached half a million people.

The young people’s booklist has been developed to provide those aged 13 to 18 with high-quality support, information, advice and positive narratives about common mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and stress. A list of 35 self-help, information, memoir and fiction titles was selected by a panel of health experts, working in consultation with young people through the young people’s mental health charity, YoungMinds.

Stuff That Sucks is a beautifully designed and illustrated book aimed at adolescents that helps them deal with painful emotions by drawing on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and presenting them in ways that are eye-catching and easy to understand.

It encourages adolescents to accept their emotions, rather than struggling against them and also shows how to reconnect with what is really important, giving teens the tools to help clarify their personal values and take steps towards living a life where those values can guide them in their day-to-day behaviour.

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