Practical worksheets to use tonight — plus a short, honest list of videos, books and practices worth a father's time. No theory for its own sake.
The four lines that undo a bad moment with your kid. Stick it on the fridge. Use it tonight.
Download →One line on what it's for and the moment to reach for it.
Download →One line on what it's for and the moment to reach for it.
Download →Worth a look elsewhere
These aren't mine. They're things I point dads toward because they're worth your time.
Short. Most of these are under 20 minutes. A couple are under five.
The thoughts and feelings in the back of the bus can shout all they like. You're still the one driving. A useful picture for the man who thinks he has to feel calm before he can act like it. ›
The Struggle Switch — Dr Russ HarrisYouTube · animation · 3 minThis is the snap after the snap. The anxiety about the anxiety. It shows why fighting the feeling makes it bigger, which is most of what keeps men up at 11pm. ›
Evolution of the Human Mind — Dr Russ HarrisYouTube · animation · 3 minThe caveman brain. Yours didn't evolve to make you happy. It evolved to keep you alive, so it scans for threat all day. Not broken. Doing its job in the wrong century. ›
Why we all need to practise emotional first aid — Guy WinchTED · 17 minYou'd clean a cut on your hand without thinking about it. His question is why you don't do the same with the stuff you carry home. De-shaming and practical, no wellness gloss. ›
The Power of Vulnerability — Brené BrownTED · 20 minYes, it's the famous one, and if you've half-heard it quoted you might think you already get it. Watch it properly. It's the clearest account of why the men who cope best aren't the ones who feel the least. They're the ones willing to be seen not having it all together. ›
Listening to Shame — Brené BrownTED · 20 minHer follow-up, and the more useful one for most dads. She draws the line between guilt (I did something bad) and shame (I am bad). Shame is the one that keeps you quiet in the car on the driveway. Naming it is most of the work. ›
Anger, Compassion, and What It Means To Be Strong — Russell KoltsTEDx · 13 minA clinical psychologist on why the snap often isn't strength at all. It's the quicker way to avoid the thing underneath it. He makes the case that facing that thing, with some compassion for yourself, is the harder and stronger move. If anger is the bit of fatherhood you least like in yourself, start here. ›
Not manuals. Books that help you understand why you react the way you do at 6.30 on a Tuesday.
The inherited-script book. Why you hear your own dad come out of your mouth, and what actually interrupts it. This is the one that does the "am I becoming him" work properly. ›
The Book You Wish Your Parents Had ReadBook · Philippa PerryReadable, honest, not preachy. Its whole spine is repair over perfection, which is the message most dads need and least expect. ›
Good InsideBook · Dr Becky KennedyBuilt around the idea that you can be a good dad having a bad moment. Strong on repair after you've lost it. Easy to read in bits on the commute. ›
Why the same patterns keep running, and what to do with them.
The original schema book. Why the same patterns keep running no matter how many times you decide to do it differently. Dense, but worth it. ›
Your Coping Skills Aren't WorkingBook · Richard BrouilletteThe modern successor to the one above. The strategies that got you through your twenties (working late, going quiet, white-knuckling it) once kept you safe. It walks through why they now cost more than they give. ›
The Happiness TrapBook · Dr Russ HarrisPairs with the videos above. The practical ACT book, for the man who wants tools, not theory. ›
I Don't Want to Talk About ItBook · Terrence RealNames what a lot of men are carrying and calling something else. If one book on this list makes a dad feel less alone, it tends to be this one. ›
Guided practices on other sites I rate.
Not therapy. Everything here is practical, educational material built on clinical frameworks — not clinical or therapeutic care. If you want individual therapy, that's available separately at nnpsychology.co.uk.
If you're going through something that needs more than a page right now, please reach out to your GP or call Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24/7).