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What Psychotherapists Read

For bibliophile psychotherapists - a space to talk about and recommend books on healing/therapy/self help.

15/02/2020

Usually, the focus of pregnancy physical health - the mom to be’s changing body and the arrival of the new body. We assume that the mother to be only has positive emotions about the pregnancy and tend to neglect what maybe ambivalent or so called negative emotions.
The author does a great job of explaining the identity shift that a mother to be goes through this process as well as normalizing and validating emotions such as guilt and fear, fantasies, and most importantly addresses her relationship with her own mother and how that could affect her bond with her child.
What is missing however, are thoughts on parenting as a single mother or non heterosexual person. The author also touches upon returning to work as a new mom but assumes that one would return only if they had financial issues - this is a bit of a wasted opportunity and the chapter could have been better utilised by addressing both sets of women, ones who are forced by circumstances to return and those who wish to return even without financial constraints.
Still, very useful read for first time mothers and therapists who would like to work with maternal mental health.

Rating: 3.5/5

09/06/2019

You are not crazy: Letters from your therapist by Dr David Klow is a series of letters, well categorised into themes, to his clients. The book is full of psychological insight and the author’s voice is empathetic, compassionate, warm, thoughtful, humorous, sometimes annoyingly poetic and always caring. He uses metaphors and analogies to simplify concepts and the hope is that this book decreases psychological isolation. This book is for people who have never been to therapy and also people who have experience with it - the wide variety of themes that the book covers ensures that most people will relate to at least one letter.
As a therapist, I found this book useful to understand how another therapist thinks and works. I was waiting for him to describe a single session in detail in the first half and found it in the couple’s therapy section. I do wish that he had described tools and techniques he utilises in session to help the client access the wisdom found in the book though - it may have been useful for potential clients to become familiar with how therapy is done in a session rather than just the outcome of it.

Rating: 3.5/5

12/04/2019

Both these books focus on different types of addiction. Though written several years ago, they are still highly relevant. @ Republic Plaza, Singapore

20/01/2019

What a great start to the year!

03/12/2018

I debated whether or not to write about this book on a page meant for therapy books. Then I looked up the definition of bibliotherapy again - it relies on fiction or self help books to provide therapeutic value to clients outside the session.
A Man Called Ove is a story about a cantankerous bitter old man who just wants to live his life - many therapists might say live his life extremely rigidly, with no room for flexibility and consequently, no room for love and laughter. You can almost dislike the guy.
But then the author goes deeper. What is behind this facade? What gives meaning to Ove’s life? What emerges is a story about loneliness, grief, depression, and even su***de. Through this, the author explores how Ove finds meaning in life and eventually heals.
This book is in no way as dark and gloomy as it sounds. It is about healing, and light and a wonderful sense of humour. The book makes you laugh out loud but tugs at your heart strings at the same time.
I would recommend this to clients in the later stages of grief.
Rating: 5/5

06/11/2018

We read this book for the Singapore Therapist Reads book club this month and there was an equal amount of appreciation and criticism for it! We were all therapists, and this is what we thought.
People liked that it served as a great reminder to bring the aspect of shame more into the therapy hour. It was also acknowledged that it is a good recommendation to make to clients who are dealing with their shame for the first time. We appreciated that she has brought shame to the forefront with her books and it is indeed a very important aspect of therapy.
However, there was also a critique concerning the repetitiveness of the book and examples. It was also felt that Brene Brown could have elaborated a lot more on great research on shame done previously and which are still valid - this would have only served to enhance her material. Lastly, the book may not be culturally relevant as the concept of shame differs from culture to culture and this book focuses on the American culture. We would all love to see her explore shame in the context of other cultures - maybe it played an evolutionary role?!

Rating: 3/5

13/10/2018

I thought it would be just another mindless book, full of celebrity gossip with the author being actress Alia Bhatt’s sister. Biased, I know.
And am I glad to say that I was wrong.
Hard hitting and very relatable are two words I can use to describe it. She tells it like it is, no frills and no self pity either. The book is short and does not meander into needless philosophy and speculation. Just a quick account of what depression is, what it feels like, how it has affected her and why medication and psychotherapy are so important.
There are some lovely quotes by other authors, meaningful conversations she has had with her father and raw honesty. She takes every symptom of depression that hit her and describes it effectively. I especially like the part where she illustrates how she cannot express it accurately as it’s different for everyone.
I also like that she acknowledges the effect her illness has on her family and relationships
Though she mentions exercise briefly, I wish she had described coping mechanisms in more detail - especially ones learnt in therapy, as it could potentially be useful in pushing people towards it.
I can see myself recommending this book to families of people suffering from depression - especially parents who do not understand what and why their child “is like this.” I can also see myself recommending it to clients who feel alone with this disease.
Rating: 4/5

08/09/2018

Well, what do I say? What an absolutely INSPIRATIONAL read. 29 therapists, the best in their field, share case stories of what they consider to be their finest work. Not only do they talk about the cases, but also break down what worked and what didn’t for the reader. They broke rules, they defined new theories, they healed their clients - the most important being the relationship they developed with their clients. Hard hitting at times, you will learn and grow as a therapist. With each chapter. With each case. Look it up, quick!

01/09/2018

Read this book if you need someone to tell you why you should sleep and why it is important. If you know that already, it’s okay to skip it.
has enough convincing arguments backed by strong research, statistics and entertaining anecdotes on why you need sleep; but misses out on the crucial ‘how to get it’ part.
May make an interesting gift for your manager who is making you stay late to work everyday though!

23/08/2018

I came across this podcast and these two episodes were a couple of my favourites (swipe to see which ones!). The purpose of this group is to make therapists better at what they do and more informed, and even though this is not a book, I really wanted to share it with you.
Key learning from Episode 163: inspirational talk on how one therapist started her own private practice. She talks about building it from the ground up and has some practical tips for using Google Ads.
Episode 164: all three insights were so useful! I especially liked the tagline that Melvin uses “Riches are in the Niches.”
Worth listening to. Enjoy!

12/08/2018

An informative and engaging book on psychosomatic disorders, written with real case studies by a neurologist. What struck me most was the anger that the author frequently faced in disclosing to patients that their physical pain was due to psychological factors - it’s something difficult that most of us find hard to accept. Other than the stories, the book is quite technical, so be prepared for a slightly heavier read.
Rating: 4/5
Shared by fellow therapist and reader .

07/08/2018

I’ve reread this book multiple times and each time I’ve come away with something new to use in my practice (swipe to see just how many post it’s I’ve used to mark important passages).
In this read, I’ve picked up nuances of using imagery in my work and brushed up on the different categories of core beliefs.
This book is a must read for all learners of therapy, whether CBT enthusiasts or not.
Rating: 4.5/5
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