Customer Reviews

Tales from the Couch : Writers on Therapy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

A psychotherapist, I find this among the best presentations of what therapy is about, from the standpoint of those who have made use of it and tell it like it is. Some 17 essays give a range of views, not all flattering, but most supporting the process as a unique if not foolproof source of enlightenment. Because these patients take writing seriously, the reader wins. Should be required reading for anyone in, or contemplating, therapy, as well as for its practitioners.

Wonderful book for anyone who wants insightful advice on what it is like to participate in the process of therapy. I am keeping this book available for my clients, as I am an interning therapist. This book brings readers into the private lives of other average people who happen to be fantastic writers. This match gives the reader an opportunity to hear about the private experiences that are inherent in therapy through the eyes of thoughtful and witty writers.

The contents of this book shed no light on the complexities of the self and the creative process or on any sort of relationship between therapy and writing. The contributors just happen to be writers who also happened to have therapy. Big deal! So am I. And my story is about as interesting as most of theirs--which is to say, "not very." (There are a couple of exceptions.) Don't waste your money.