Created: 1/2/2026
Notes: Links and additional descriptions coming later. Author names will be added late. Read time needs to be added.
Harborview’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Program is committed to fostering a healthier community by bridging gaps between healthcare and existing community resources. We are dedicated to supporting patients and their supporters affected by gunshot wound injuries and gun violence through engaged, compassionate, and trauma‑informed care.
In addition to our core mission, we are excited to share something a little different but deeply meaningful to us: we have a little library. While it may be familiar to some, it is new to many, and we are glad to share more about it here.
Our small but growing library serves as both an educational resource hub and a source of comfort, creativity, and connection. It includes books for professionals, and anyone interested in deeper learning, as well as items that VIPPS participants are welcome to keep.
We offer books across a wide range of topics, including:
- gun violence prevention
- trauma‑informed care
- community health
- healing‑centered engagement
- the patient experience
We also carry books and resources that resonate on a more personal, emotional, and creative level. These include poetry (such as Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence), guided journals, personal stories, memoirs, and other works that explore resilience, identity, loss, hope, and human connection.
In addition to books, we offer art supplies such as sketchbooks, coloring books, and other creative tools that support emotional expression and grounding.
For families with young readers, we carry children’s books that gently address difficult subjects such as trauma, grief, safety, and emotional awareness. We also include gratitude journals and activity books for a range of ages and genders.
Guided Journals
Guided journals are something a little new and a little old. Writing has always given people a private space to process emotions, make sense of difficult experiences, and recognize personal strengths. Journaling has been around forever, with some of the most well‑known people in history keeping journals or diaries: Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, Virginia Woolf’s A Writer’s Diary, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and many more.
For many, journaling can support grounding, reduce stress, and help track progress over time. And while the formal research on this continues to grow, the lived human history of writing things down is already here. The journals and diaries mentioned above were not guided; they were simply people writing about their experiences as they happened. In VIPPS, guided journals are offered as optional tools that support emotional recovery, self‑reflection, and resilience. They meet people wherever they are in their healing process. Though we do also give out a lined notebook that can be used for unguided journaling!
To read more about the relevance of journaling, here are some helpful articles from Psychology Today:
- Journaling Is Your Safe Place to Face Your Trauma
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-healing-works/202009/journaling-is-your-safe-place-face-your-trauma - The Use of Journaling in Trauma Therapy
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/expressive-trauma-integration/202011/the-use-journaling-in-trauma-therapy
Some guided journals we tend to have consistently include:
- Breathe
- I Am Abundant
- Gratitude Journal for Teen Boys
- Seen, Loved, and Heard
- How I Feel: Grief Journal for Kids
We carry additional gratitude journals as well. Inventory changes over time, and we also carry journals suitable for adults, youth, and younger children. If you are interested in a gratitude or guided journal not listed here, please let your VIPPS team member know.
Art Books
Creative expression can play an important role in trauma recovery. Art is a particular method or way to process emotions, regain a sense of control, and practice calming, grounding techniques. Our art books and sketchpads are included to support patients and families who find comfort in drawing, coloring, or exploring creativity. These tools align with VIPPS’ commitment to offering accessible ways to manage stress and foster emotional well‑being.
To learn more about the relevance of art in healing, the journaling resources above apply here too. There is also an article from Psychology Today that explores adult coloring specifically:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/a-modern-mentality/201803/are-adult-coloring-books-actually-helpful
And a TEDx video titled The Power of Arts Therapy that discusses art in therapeutic spaces:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5GpwCGO8Nc
Examples of art materials we carry:
- Draw and Create 365
- Mandala coloring books
- Sketchpads and sketchbooks suitable for pencil and pen artwork
Children’s Books
- Help Your Dragon Cope with Grief
- Coping With Homicide
- Help Your Dragon Cope with Trauma
- After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)
- A Terrible Thing Happened (also available in Spanish)
Books on Coping and Resilience
- Trauma Stewardship
- Burnout and Self‑Care in Social Work
- The Age of Overwhelm
- Coping with Traumatic Death: Homicide – A Book to Help You in Your Time of Need
Longer Reads
- Brothers in Grief: The Hidden Toll of Gun Violence on Black Boys and Their Schools
- Private Guns, Public Health (New Edition)
Personal Perspectives
- Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men
- Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence (comic book edition)
Our Commitment
Through this library, we aim to promote continuous learning, reflection, creativity, and knowledge‑sharing within our community, while fostering personal growth and development for both patients and staff. Together, through our commitment to patient care, ongoing education, and shared storytelling, we strive to create a safer and healthier future for our community.
Note for VIPPS Participants
If you see a book that interests you, please reach out to Tarrell, Paul, or Claire, or mention it the next time you speak with a VIPPS team member. If there is something you would like to read that is not listed here, please feel free to ask whether we have it or whether we may be able to obtain it. As long as it aligns with our program’s mission, we may be able to acquire it for you.