Wednesday, May 01, 2019

Top ten books about psychotherapy

Bev Thomas was a clinical psychologist in Britain's NHS for many years. She currently works as an organizational consultant in mental health and other services. She lives in London with her family.

About her new novel, A Good Enough Mother, in a starred review from Publishers Weekly: “[An] exceptional debut... Thomas melds astute psychological insight with powerful storytelling in this moving thriller.”

At the Guardian, Thomas tagged her top ten books about psychotherapy, including:
Regeneration by Pat Barker

Set during the first world war, the role of the conflicted real-life protagonist Dr Rivers is to help shell-shocked soldiers recover enough mental fitness to return to the frontline. While Rivers, in his work with characters such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, uses his pioneering treatment to contain the feelings associated with trauma, so he changes his own views about the war. An illustration of how the therapist might learn from the client and be transformed by the process.
Read about another entry on the list.

Regeneration is among Daniel Mason's ten top novels about the First World War, Elizabeth Lowry's top ten books about psychiatry, Phil Klay's top ten books about returning from war, Sarah Moss's top ten hospital novels, and Hermione Norris's six best books. The Regeneration Trilogy is on William Skidelsky's list of the 10 best historical novels.

--Marshal Zeringue