Books From Your Therapist

In this episode of Books From Your Therapist, we’re joined by therapist and author Dr. Han Ren to discuss her debut book The Hyphenated Life . Dr. Ren is committed to making mental health accessible and resonant, especially for historically overlooked communities and her book is a powerful reflection on navigating identity, belonging, and the complexities of living between cultures. This conversat...

In this episode, Amanda and Tara explore the powerful and often misunderstood difference between loneliness and being alone, and how to find a healthy balance between solitude and connection. The books we're talking about are: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and Alone: On Different Ways of Living by Daniel Schreiber. Through these works, we reflect on friendship, independence, aging, and the m...

In this episode of Books from Your Therapist, we’re joined by therapist and author Andrea Gutiérrez-Glik to talk about her debut book Healing the Oppressed Body . Together, we explore how trauma healing can be reimagined through an anti-oppression lens, centring the experiences of those left out of mainstream mental health conversations. Andrea shares her approach to “oppression-based trauma,” and...

This month, we’re diving deep into shame, mother wounds, and the stories women are finally telling out loud. We sit down with author Melissa Petro to talk about her powerful debut, Shame on You . With fearless honesty, Petro unpacks the social systems that teach women we’re never enough. Blending investigative reporting, science, literature, and raw personal stories—including her own—she challenge...

This month we talk with Christine Droney, LCSW about grief, dealing with loss and life after death. The books we discuss are Moving On Doesn't Mean Letting Go by Gina Moffa and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. After nearly two decades of clinical experience and her own journey after losing her mother to cancer, Gina Moffa knows all too well how disorienting, painful, and lonely grief can...

This month we talk with Oona Metz, LICSW about divorce, starting over and discovering yourself again. We discuss Oona's newly released book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women and Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage by Heather Sweeney. In Unhitched , nationally recognized divorce expert and therapist Oona Metz provides a compassionate yet practical roadm...

This month we talk with Jenet Dove, LPC about overcoming imposter syndrome and building shame resilience. We discuss Jenet's book Turn the Volume Down on Imposter Syndrome Journal and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't) by Brené Brown. In the Turn Down the Volume on Imposter Syndrome Journal , Jenet unpacks seven key components on overcoming imposter syndrome & shares personal anecdotes an...

This month we talk with Zoë Hall, LMFT & LPCC about the intersection of spirituality and mental health. We focus on two books: The Awakened Brain by Lisa Miller and Of Water and the Spirit by Malidoma Patrice Somé. The Awakened Brain is a groundbreaking exploration of the neuroscience of spirituality and a bold new paradigm for health, healing, and resilience. In Of Water And The Spirit , is t...

In this episode, Tara and Amanda dive deep into the theme of love — all kinds of love — through the lens of two iconic books: All About Love by bell hooks and Just Kids by Patti Smith. From radical self-love and friendship to art, grief, and romantic longing, they reflect on how these works have shaped their understanding of what it means to love and be loved. It’s an honest, layered conversation...

In this episode we’re talking with Haley Graham , licensed clinical social worker. The books we chat about are I Don’t Want To Talk About it: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression by Terrence Real and Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. A bestseller for over 20 years, I Don’t Want to Talk About It is a groundbreaking and hopeful guide to understanding and destigmatizing male...

In this episode, we’re talking to Jonah Bayer, LMHC . Jonah is a writer, podcaster, musician and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. We talked to him about his career change from working in music journalism to becoming a therapist, which he wrote about in this great article . The books we discuss are The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Band People by Franz Nicolay. The Power of Now by Eckhart Toll...

In this episode, we’re talking to licensed social worker, Nicholas Rissone . We talked to him about the books It's Not Always Depression by Hilary Jacobs Hendel and Decolonizing Therapy by Dr. Jennifer Mullan.  In It’s Not Always Depression , Hilary Jacobs Hendel tells stories of patients who came to her seeking treatment for depression but in fact none of them were chemically depressed. Inst...

In this episode, we sit down with psychologist, scholar and author Dr. Thomas Vance to discuss book: My Pocket Therapist Journal: Dating & Relationships . Dr. Vance brings his insights and culturally responsive approach to mental health to our conversation, sharing the inspiration behind his 7-week guided journal designed to help people heal from heartbreak, build self-awareness, and foster he...

This month, it's Amanda and Tara talking about the topic of burnout and ways to prevent it. We're discussing the book Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA. We dive into the stress response cycle, what this is and how essential it is to completing the cycle. The second book we talk about is My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. This book features a protagonist strugg...

This month we’re talking to Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming , author of How to Have a Happy Birthday . We chatted about why it's important to honour your birthday and celebrate yourself. The second book we discuss is Elizabeth Gilbert's inspirational Big Magic . If you’d like to reach out with your own recommendations or are a mental health practitioner interested in coming on to share, you can email us at...

This month we’re talking to Christina Taylor , Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Christina helps teens and young adults in North Carolina overcome their self doubt, perfectionism, anxiety and negative experiences, allowing them to embrace and love who they truly are. We talk to Christina about the books What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. If you’d like...

This month we’re talking to sex educator and intimacy coach Justine Barre from The Witch's Therapist . We're discussing non-monogamy, polyamory, relationship anarchy and the book The Ethical Slut by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton. Widely known as the “Poly Bible”—The Ethical Slut has dispelled myths and showed curious readers how to maintain a successful polyamorous lifestyle through open commun...

This month we’re talking to Dr. Adam Dorsay about his new book Super Psyched . Adam is a licensed psychologist and executive coach in Silicon Valley where he works with high-achieving adults (including professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes). Adam is the host SuperPsyched , an award-winning podcast and he has given two highly regarded TEDx Talks . Adam’s book Super Psy...

In this episode, we're talking to licensed therapist and mental health writer Dr. Kathleen Smith about how to stop people pleasing and start being yourself. Kathleen's latest book True to You is a relatable self-help guide for people who want to learn to live less focused on others’ reactions and more confidently by their own principles. We chat about Bowen family systems theory and how learning m...

In this episode, we're talking to Emma Stern about how to set lasting boundaries with the people in our life but also with ourselves. The books we chat about are Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo . Set Boundaries, Find Peace by licensed counselor and relationship expert Nedra Glover Tawwab presents simple-yet-powerful ways to...

In this episode, we're discussing wild women and intuition in some recent reads that have stayed with us. The books we chat about are Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD. and I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman . Women Who Run With the Wolves dives a "psychic archaeological digs" into the ruins of the female unconscious. Dr. Estés uses multicultural myths, her...

In this episode, we’re talking to Jess Barton, a research coordinator at the centre for youth bipolar disorder (CYBD) . Jess conducts research amongst youth with or at high risk of developing bipolar disorder and it was really interesting to get insights from a different side of work within mental health. The books we chat about are Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD and Bravey by Alexi Pappas .&...

In this episode, we’re talking about to Anna Goldfarb about her new book Modern Friendship . Anna is a prolific journalist and “Friendship Explainer” whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Time, Vice, The Cut, Vox, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Modern Friendship is a definitive step-by-step guide to understanding the fundamental mechanics of friendship. Anna shares insights int...

In this episode, we’re talking to Robert Hilt, MD . Bob is a Professor in the UW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Bob talks to us about his journey from working as a pediatrician to leading The Partnership Access Line (PAL) , a state-funded program providing mental health consultation for questions such as diagnostic clarification,...

This month, we’re talking to Adam James Cohen , a Marriage and Family Therapist about his upcoming book Second Adolescence: the Messessary path to queer adulthood , which based on his podcast Second Adolescence and also Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan Adam’s podcast Second Adolescence is all about the messy, exhilarating, awkward, healing-filled queer adulthood that comes after growing through...