Maybe you should talk to someone: a therapist, her therapist, and our lives revealed. (Lori Gottlieb)

Welcome to 2025, this year we are embracing learning and leadership. As part of our contribution to our wider community and networks we are using the College blog to inspire and encourage, through a series of writings where staff, students and even possibly wider community members can share their learning through the books they read or the podcasts they recommend.

I am going to kick things off by sharing a blog about one of the books I read during the Christmas break. I’ll introduce myself a little. I am Gina Black (Georgina is my ‘in trouble’ name). I work at the College as the Director of Business, which means that I keep the wheels turning in the background - administration, finance, property and sales/marketing.

It may seem strange that I am contributing to this, but we encourage all staff at NAC to be learners, and that includes me. I am currently undertaking postgraduate studies in Psychology and so when a friend recommended this book written by Lori Gottlieb about her experiences as a Los Angeles psychologist, treating a range of people, and receiving therapy herself, it piqued my interest.

Lori’s journalistic writing experience is evident as this book is both humorous and poignant as she shares her own experiences working through an unexpected life change that throws her off course and causes her to seek therapy. She intertwines her journey with that of her ‘patients’ (carefully constructed mosaics of those she has treated). The overlay of her therapeutic journey and that of her patients give us a raw picture of humanity and our struggle to understand and make meaning of our lives and the impacts upon it.

This book is carefully crafted and dispels myths associated with seeking therapy. It makes us think carefully about who we are and how we respond to situations and those people around us.

My favourite quote from the book is:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

The book challenges us to do the hard work of finding space to grow, to consider the hard questions and situations that we face, and to own our choices, whether on our own, or with support. This aligns strongly with the growth mindset, famously championed by Carol Dweck, that we encourage at the College. Gottlieb is a champion of personal growth and recognition of the connection between the present and the future. This novel is a surprisingly good read, comfortable and easy to get into, but also gives the reader the opportunity to see themselves and their humanity reflected in the challenges of others. If you are looking for something more than fiction, not fitting the self-help bucket, but with lots of opportunity to encourage personal reflection, this is a great option.

Gottlieb, L. (2019). Maybe you should talk to someone: a therapist, her therapist, and our lives revealed. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.