Diary of a Country Therapist (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "What a strange line of work this is, where the ability to feel is such a primary tool...." (more)
Key Phrases: country therapist, feminist therapy, Town Meeting, Alarcia Hill

Editorial Reviews

Review

A page turner! I highly recommend this book to therapists at all stages of development. -- Polly Young-Eisendrath, PhD, Author of Women & Desire: Beyond Wanting to Be Wanted and The Resilient Spirit

My wish is that everyone would read this book at least once and therapists at least twice. -- Jean Baker Miller, MD, Director, Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, Stone Center, Wellesley College

Product Description

Gain remarkable insight about practicing therapy in a rural community!

In Diary of a Country Therapist, Dr. Marcia Hill chronicles more than a decade of her thoughts and feelings about practicing therapy in rural Vermont. The author reveals her empathy for her clients, her frustration in money matters, and her anger at the maltreatment of women. This book focuses not on the specifics of her clients' cases, but on the trials, successes, and fulfillment of working in this emotionally challenging profession.

"What a strange line of work this is, where the ability to feel is such a primary tool. Who would think that one's heart could be harnessed and used intentionally as a resource? It's such a paradox. My feeling response is what it is; it cannot be commanded or faked. Yet it is not a matter of giving in to emotion, but one of using feeling purposefully, like a scalpel. It's an experience of simultaneous yielding and restraint. The job of the professional empath is like that of an artist or poet: to take raw experience, direct emotional response, and somehow make it a vehicle for change and enlightenment."

From liberating breakthroughs to personal anguish, Diary of a Country Therapist is witness to a decade of changes, both in Marcia Hill's practice and in her personal life. With the advent of managed health care, she struggles to give her clients the best care she can. She talks about many of the clients she met over the years—what therapies worked and which didn't, her discomfort when she interacted with her clients in and around her small country town, and the valuable lessons she learned about life from her sessions with them.

"If therapists are exposed to what is most tragic in life, we are also privy to what is most inspiring. We have the benefit of experiencing many lives. If my work has offered me the opportunity to learn wisdom and compassion, my wish is that through these essays I may pass some of that gift along to you."

Diary of a Country Therapist is the honest scrutiny of a psychotherapist's life from her own heart and soul. While this text will be enlightening for mental health professionals of all kinds, its accessible, jargon-free style makes it an excellent selection for nonprofessionals who want insight into the mind of a practicing therapist.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (August 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789021153
• ISBN-13: 978-0789021151
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,231,535 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OPENING THE HEART, September 1, 2004

By	J.M. Hinz (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary of a Country Therapist (Paperback)

In graceful prose Marcia Hill opens her heart about the job she loves--being a psychotherapist. As the seasons of her Vermont year turn, tiny details of the changes nature makes in the woods and sky reflect and enhance the human stories she tells. To open the heart of another, one must endure the heartbreak and revel in the joy of each moment, but above all, one must listen. From violent to nearly mute, the voices of Marcia's clients speak to her soul, transforming therapist and patients alike.
To relish this book, one needs no formal training in psychology, although therapists will appreciate the companionship of a walk with Marcia Hill. However, anyone who has worked with people and watched them grow, anyone who has ever paid attention to her own cycles of loss and fruition, and anyone who enjoys sensitive, authentic writing will delight in this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very moving experience for me, September 12, 2004

By	Gail O. Anderson "Gail Anderson" (Monticello, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Diary of a Country Therapist (Paperback)

Reading this book was a moving experience for me as a therapist. I found Marcia Hill's observations to range from mildly amusing to profoundly wise. She modeled the kind of vulnerability within a framework of integrity which no doubt makes her a very special clinician. She has the ability to laugh at herself and the profession while it is obvious she is deeply committed to her clients and her vocation. I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders about what makes good therapy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving and powerful read, September 11, 2004

By	A fan in Barre (Barre,T) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary of a Country Therapist (Paperback)

Hill's understanding of and compassion for her clients touched me deeply. Her entries reminded me of Rachel Naomi Remen's My Grandfather's Blessings in that each entry stands alone as a single pearl of wisdom but the whole is a beautiful strand of intimate knowing. I felt bereft when I finished; I wanted to continue in the company of this wise and powerful woman.