The Characterist

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Bianca Marais bringing Queenie of the Witches of Moonshyne Manor to therapy. As far back as Queenie can remember, she's felt like she's had to keep it all together for everyone's sake. But when her inability to ask for help or admit when she's been wrong threatens her coven's livelihood and home, she's forced to come to therapy and see if t...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Anamely Salgado Reyes bringing her beautiful Olivares family to therapy. For generations, the Olivares women have sought to control their daughters’ destinies, starting with their names. In life, Olvido constantly clashed with her carefree daughter. Then teenage Angustias discovered she was pregnant and left her mother’s home in search of her own. Ten years later,...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Debra Lobel, bringing Frankie Scrooge to therapy. A modern twist on a classic favorite, Frankie, the great great great nephew of the renowned Scrooge comes to therapy with all the baggage and bitterness you can imagine. Join us as we help him unpack the past traumas of his own making and move toward redemption with his family. Bio: Debra Lobel is a retired softwar...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Ruth Marie Friedman who brings Frankie to therapy. Facing the loss of her brother to suicide, Frankie confronts the painful present, which, dredges up trauma and memories from the past. Armed with a talisman from childhood, a relic from The Healing Machine, we attempt to hold her shame, grief, and loss in an inanimate object to give her some distance and relief fr...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Seema Yasmin who brings Laylah to therapy. In a not-too-distant America, abortions are prosecuted and the right to choose is no longer an option. But best friends Laylah and Noor want to change the world. After graduating high school, they’ll become an OBGYN and a journalist, but in the meantime, they’re working on an illegal guide to abortion in Texas. But all of...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Kirthana Ramisetti in bringing Dava and her intricate family drama to therapy with secret adoptions, affairs, and faked obituaries. We follow her youngest daughter and her struggles with the power dynamics within the family. Set six months after the novel Dava Shastri's Last Day, we unpack how our parent's expectations for themselves influence their expect...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Helly Teller bringing Greta in for therapy. She's struggling with anxiety that manifests in various ways, but the one that is most pressing, is when her boyfriend is traveling for work (as a musician on the road) she is all consumed by a fear he will get into a car accident. Using Acceptance and Committment Therapy strategies, we bring her on a metaphorical bu...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Jackie Jones Clowney bringing Harry, a trapeze artist in Paris in the 70s to therapy. He's a gay man who struggles with navigating trauma and loss through maladaptive coping strategies like drug abuse and isolating himself from everyone he loves. When life begins to mirror the tightrope walk, he knows he has a problem. Using Acceptance and Committment Therapy...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Rhiannon Rollness who brings marine biologist Dr. Korvira Silva to therapy. Korvira receives a grant from a prestigious university to build an observation bridge over the largest river in the Aeon Jungle, she thinks she’s finally about to crack the mysteries surrounding the endangered Zinia dolphins. But the coveted grant comes with one catch. Her rival, Dr. Tirim...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and author Naomi Kanakia who brings her character Jhanvi to therapy. Years after fleeing San Francisco and getting sober, Jhanvi has made a life for herself working at a grocery co-op and saving for her surgeries. But when her friend (and sometimes more) Henry mentions that he and his techie festival-goer friends spent $100,000 to transform a warehouse basement into a sex du...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and writer J.D. Yanez who brings her character Reina to therapy. Reina has led a very tough life, starting with early childhood abuse, significant loss, trauma as a U.S. Veteran, and the paranormal takeover from a hostile spirit: El Sombrerón. Follow Dr. Naranjo on insta @dnaranjo or facebook: @diana.naranjo.7106 J.D. Yanez is a retired veteran who hopes to take the scariest...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and writer PL Hernandez who brings her new character Francie to therapy. Francie is a Mexican-American woman in her late twenties who is finishing her PhD. As one part of her life ends, another possibility opens up...one that would take her far from home and away from everyone she knows and loves. We dive into her inspiration to get higher education, the multigenerational tr...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and writer Jes Smyth who brings her new character Lena to therapy. Lena is in her mid-30s, is a cisgendered female, who is grappling with the loss of her ex-fiance who died suddenly a year before. She can't bring herself to move on, and what's more, being fiercely independent is making it hard to accept help during this period of unusual circumstances in life. Follow...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and writer Emma Scott who brings her new character Rowan to therapy. Rowan is a 30-year-old cisgendered female, who has a tragic history that still haunts her. When she was fifteen, her boyfriend was killed in a car accident right in front of her. She feels guilty for being the one still alive, for moving on, and for almost reaching her goals. Using techniques from Acceptanc...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and writer Neely Tubati Alexander who brings her new character Sloane to therapy, from A Not So Perfect World. Sloane is a 28-year-old cisgendered female, who is adjusting to her happily ever after. Every so often, maladaptive patterns of coping rear their ugly heads from leftover childhood trauma and deep seated parental dynamics. We take a look at her "doomsday preppi...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and writer Elizabeth Lyons who brings her new character Hallie to therapy, a 42-year-old cisgendered female, who just found out 5 weeks ago that her husband of 11 years is leaving her. She’s shocked, sad, confused, but most of all, worried for their 8-year-old daughter’s wellbeing. We take a look at depression and anxiety as diagnoses, versus situational depression/worry. Li...

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo and writer Carmina Esquivel who brings her new character Odette to therapy, a 16-year-old cisgendered female, transitioning to a new city and having trouble adjusting socially. She's struggled with opening up and trusting people since her mother abandoned her at 6 years old. Listen as we unpack her past, talk about her family dynamics, and find her strengths. Follow Dr....

Join Dr. Diana Naranjo in the therapy room where she will invite authors to bring their favorite characters for a session. Real therapy is done with fictional characters at all stages of development.