01/02/2017
In a book first published in the U.K., clinical psychologist Sedley uses the language and tactics of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to encourage teens to recognize the feelings negatively affecting them, and offers tools and ideas for how they can mitigate or otherwise get a handle on them. Sedley doesn’t get much into the specifics of what might have caused the hurt readers are feeling, and he doesn’t need to. Worry, shame, and anger (just some of the “stuff that sucks” covered) can have any number of sources, and the suggestions he proposes—identifying one’s core values, reaching out to friends (or professionals), and trying to think of persistent negative thoughts as annoying rather than day ruining—are broadly applicable. Occasional b&w line drawings are perhaps a tad juvenile for the target audience, but Sedley’s informal but candid tone is consistently reassuring. Ages 13–up. (Mar.)

"There’s no getting around it: some things in life suck. With this basic premise, this empathetic book guides readers through some of the inevitable bummers of the teenage years. Sedley, a clinical psychologist and an experienced practitioner of family and adolescent therapy, presents plenty of generalized problems and issues that are common among young people, and offers potential solutions and ideas to combat them. Confronting negative thoughts and feelings is the basic strategy of the acceptance and commitment therapy that Sedley puts forth. He describes skills that can help readers stop trying to fight against their unwanted emotions and cope with inevitable setbacks. Sedley’s credibility is bolstered by his openness about not having the answer to every problem or question faced by readers; rather, he encourages kids to look for strategies that work for them. Some exercises are written, while others are behavioral or observational. At its core, the book is a self-help tract on learning to accept one’s emotions that will serve readers through their adolescence and beyond."
—Booklist


“I love Stuff That Sucks! It is a pithy, genuine, and skillful application of ACT for adolescents. As a compassion-focused therapy (CFT) practitioner, I think this book is a wonderful way to help adolescents meet the stuff that sucks in their lives with acceptance, self-compassion, and the courageous willingness to get their lives moving toward the things that matter to them. I can guarantee that I’ll be using it with my own clients. Highly recommended!”
—Russell Kolts, PhD, professor of psychology at Eastern Washington University, and author of CFT Made Simple and The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Managing Your Anger



“Undoubtedly, sometimes life sucks. It can be difficult, painful, and filled with big scary things. And within this realization, opens up a whole new way to approach these experiences—one without constant fighting and struggling with thoughts and feelings that are often out of our control. In this book, Ben brings together the cutting-edge ideas from psychology to help you mindfully choose the life you want. It’s written in a simple and fun way to make it useful for young people and parents alike. Written with wisdom and wit, this outstanding book is set to become a self-help classic.”
—Joe Oliver, PhD, director at Contextual Consulting, and coauthor of ACTivate Your Life


“In Stuff That Sucks, Ben Sedley takes the key elements of ACT, and presents them in ways that are immediately accessible, relatable, and actionable. Indeed, I would rate it as a must-have for every adolescent’s bookshelf.”
—Tiffany Rochester, clinical psychologist at The Charles Street Clinic in North Perth, Australia


“I love this book! It’s a great gift for parents to give their teenage kids, and a fantastic resource for therapists working with adolescents. Ben admirably pulls off the hat trick of making ACT simple, practical, and very entertaining. Stuff That Sucks is really stuff that rocks!”
—Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap and ACT Made Simple



“Fast-paced, fun, and useful, this book shows how to deal with stuff that sucks. It’s all scientifically based, but you’ll be having too much fun to notice. This book absolutely, positively, does not suck.”
—Steven C. Hayes, PhD, codeveloper of ACT, and author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life



“Ben Sedley has written a wonderful book for teens. A must-have for the collection.
Stuff That Sucks delivers with powerful images, clear messages on what it means to be a human, and lots of ideas for helping teens. A fabulous book.”
—Louise Hayes, PhD, coauthor of The Thriving Adolescent and Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens


“Put simply, Stuff That Sucks is good stuff! Short and to the point, it can help teens from thirteen to at least forty-nine learn to handle life’s yucky stuff in a way that will help them get to the good stuff. Far from being a stuffy psych book, this is a concise how-to guide to the stuff that really counts: living a life free from getting stuffed by the stuff that sucks.”
—Benjamin Schoendorff, MA, MSc, founder of the Contextual Psychology Institute in Montreal, QC, Canada; international acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) trainer; and coauthor of the recent The Essential Guide to the ACT Matrix and The ACT Practitioner’s Guide to the Science of Compassion

02/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—Teens and advice go together like, well, chocolate and sardines. But if a teen were to have a hankering for advice from a book, this might be one to suggest. Using a catchy title, this brief but informative selection presents Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which includes a heavy dose of mindfulness, an emphasis on accepting feelings, and a commitment to future goals and methods to change behavior. The author, a clinical psychologist, is well versed in this field and practiced in working with teens. Sedley's approach is viable for those with issues large and small. He provides strategies for self-talk and ideas for dealing with friends, discovering personal values, and overcoming defeatist behaviors. Although the text is laudable, the design isn't. Unfortunately for libraries, there are three pages where readers are asked to write down answers to questions posed. While this volume isn't marketed as a workbook, the write-in feature encourages readers to enter their thoughts, and those entries could influence future ones. Handwritten chapter titles seem to be amateurishly scanned, but serviceable black-and-white illustrations appear throughout. Back matter offers those interested in ACT three additional reading recommendations but no other resources. VERDICT Useful information that could have benefited from better presentation. Consider only where self-help materials are in demand.—Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

2016-12-26
A very generalized introduction to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).Developed by psychologist Steven Hayes, ACT is designed to help patients move beyond the stresses caused by negative thoughts. Author and clinical psychologist Sedley begins by acknowledging many of the negative emotions that teens may experience: worry, sadness, loneliness, anger, and shame. Then, using a caveman analogy, he explains that human brains are hard-wired to look for danger, which in the modern age is social rejection. ACT contends that breaking the cycle of negative thoughts involves accepting them—rather than focusing on shame about past behaviors or fear about potential future behaviors—and using mindfulness to focus on the immediate moment. The book suggests activities such as listening to music, staring at a body of water, or paying attention to breathing to aid with mindfulness. Sedley also includes a rating scale to help readers discover their personal values, which they can then use when setting goals for working toward a lifestyle that demonstrates these values. The brevity of topic coverage (typically only a page) necessitates a lot of generalization, and readers may find themselves frustrated. The childish, black-and-white line drawings lend the book a distressingly patronizing feel. This may work as an introduction to the concept of ACT, but it's too simplistic to help readers engage in self-directed ACT practices. (Nonfiction. 14-18)