The One Behind the Psychologist

by Courtland O.K. Smith

New York City psychologist Dr. Nicholas Thesiger has lost his wife, his private practice, and all remnants of his former privileged life. Now he is looking back, parsing the layers of lies and deceit, and reliving the time leading up to his incarceration as he struggles to understand what went wrong, how he went wrong. But years of assuming different personalities to aid his patients’ therapy, a technique he picked up in graduate school, has left him unsure of what is real and what is construct. Step inside the doctor’s life, inside his home, inside his office, inside his head and find out what is behind the psychologist.

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2013

About the author

Courtland O.K. Smith is a native New Yorker who majored in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he satisfied his creative impulses with a minor in Studio Art. New York called him back for graduate studies in Psychology at New York University and he has been living and working in the city ever since.
Or maybe it's a pseudonym with a fictitious bio created to protect the confidentiality of the doctor, his (former) family, and his patients. A true story, based on a true story, or true and absolute fiction? Decide for yourself what is real and what is not.

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to have received this book via Booktasters for review.

This book feels cleverly and emotively written.
I'd imagine it is just as good whether read in one sitting or taking weeks, as I did, to finish it.

The central character is such that at times you are angry at him, but then in other situations you feel for him. Not as much as his poor suffering wife though.

He's a seemingly skilled and excellent psychologist but as a human being he is flawed and failing to apply his knowledge in order to heal his own real relationships. He is quite focused on social standing and money. Sometimes it takes more than simply having the knowledge of a thing to see it through successfully. Success, or lack thereof is of great importance to him and a contributory factor to his problems.

The book focuses on the clients he sees and the relationship between he and his wife which is under considerable strain. It appears he knows how he could help himself and start to repair the tears in their relationship but can't bring himself to do it, every time he considers a course of action that could benefit them he decides on or ends up doing the opposite.

I will be reading the next instalment, as the book leaves you at a point where nothing has yet been concluded and I feel invested in what happens to Dr, Nicholas Thesiger.
He has focused so much on work and gaining the upper hand or feeling superior that he has lost much of life.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this Book through Booktaster’s Service and the Author. I have been enlightened and entertained by the telling of the Protagonist’s story through his own eyes. The Psychologist is unhappy with his progress at the time of his life and age. He is worried about money. He goes into great detail about each Client and how he goes about “helping” them. It is extremely interesting to me, a Psychiatric Nurse.

I cannot say much more about the Psychologist without spoilers. However I can tell you that the Author has crafted a suspenseful story about the dynamics between Doctor and Patient. The Psychologist is both a study in Middle Aged crisis and an altruistic Keeper of the Oath he swore to keep in the therapeutic sessions of his Clients. Its a fast reading story as you find yourself wanting to know what the Doctor will do next. Very nicely done.

I am now going to read the Second and Third Installments in this series. I want to delve further into the mind of the Psychologist. He really is much like us. I highly recommend this Book and Author. If you follow him on Social Media you will be privy to numerous articles about the human mind body and spirit.

[Selim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book thanks to Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well writen and original story. In fiction, as in real life, psychologists are a human tool to descipher and unravel the troubles and anxieties of their patients. Conversely, in this novel, the reader is introduced to the complexities and shortcomings of a psychologist, living in expensive Manhattan, barely able to mantain himself and his wife. His practice is fading, and his marriage in shambles.

The novel starts out with our main character, Nick, in prison and being asked by his attorney to recount the previous days leading up to the incident that caused him to be jailed. From here onwards, Nick narrates in detail his daily routines, his tormented relationship with his wife, the psychological neglection and even abuse he inflicts upon her, his unethical practices to keep patients emotionally attached to his practice,and what I enjoyed most: the patients themselves with all their problems and conflicts. The novel reminds me an Argentinian tv show called "En terapia", in which a similar techique is used to interweave the plot with the different stories brought forth by the psychologist's clients.

I will give this story 4 stars out of five.

[Sreekanth Nandakumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thank booktasters for sending me this book for a review, I enjoyed this book. The writing style was simple and easily understandable.

Nick being a psychologist meets a lot of patients who has problems in their life. As the first book in a trilogy, we see Nick having marital problems with Julie. Nick and Bill being best friends and in the same profession meets at a bar daily to drink and discuss their problems.

We see a number of patients of Nick and their problems via emails, video chats, video, and face to face.

A good start for a series. 4/5

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted on my blog The Writer's Library.
“‘When we first met, Julie asked her family what they thought of me, a second opinion. When you’re asked to give a second opinion, you automatically look for the negatives to validate being asked in the first place; highlight the things the person clearly doesn’t see for themselves. And her family had no trouble finding problems with me.’”
A little over a year ago, I was introduced to the literary concept of the villain protagonist when I read my first manga. Essentially, the villain protagonist actively works against the heroes (who act as antagonists) of the story, stopping them from doing what is right. This is different from the antihero, who may simply lack heroic attributes despite being at the center of the story.
Now, I bring this up because I was thinking a lot about my favorite villain protagonist throughout reading this, because some of the main character’s behaviors were reminding me of him. Now that I’ve finished the story in full, I don’t think the central character Nick is a villain protagonist (he’s an antihero at best), but early on in reading, his behavior was setting off alarm bells for me, and I was concerned for the people around him. Let’s take a deeper dive!
Story
The narrative opens in a prison, where Nick is being told by his friend Bill to write down what happened over the past week and what led to Nick being here. The following story reveals those writings as we see exactly what led up to his incarceration. That is essentially the hook the plot relies on, because in the beginning, the reader doesn’t know why he is there, either. Will the writings help Nick? Or is writing it all down an exercise in futility?
Thoughts
That opening scene is definitely going to stay with me…
I like the setup of this story. I like that we go through every detail over that last week before Nick is incarcerated, showing what exactly he was dealing with, diving into his feelings and actions leading up to that ending. It perfectly shows what led to that opening scene, and I was horrified when I read about what led to it.
Seeing Nick actually unravel the way he did was horrifying, and it revealed what I had suspected all along: he needed help, and he wasn’t getting it when he needed it. I didn’t really like Nick in the narrative but (as I will elaborate on) I think that was intentional. I feel worse for the people he affected with his actions.
Characters
Nick
“She looked absolutely beautiful while I looked like a slob. I was unshaven; looking as if I had just come out of the woods and put on a suit. There was no excuse for my disheveled appearance. It was a day we would never forget and I never forgot it for the wrong reason: regret.”
Okay, again, I am wondering how to put this. Nick’s behavior very early on disturbed me. I didn’t like the way he acted, and I didn’t like the way he treated people. This dislike grew throughout the narrative as I learned more and more about him, and I was wondering why the people in his life put up with him. He came off very arrogant, self-centered, and some of his thoughts were outright disturbing.
Here’s the real kicker, though: you can dislike a protagonist and not want to stop reading, if there’s a snap to the writing, a pull that makes it impossible to not want to know what comes next. I said in one of my other book reviews that, for me, it’s crucial that I like the main character. That is no longer true – I’ve read stories where I’ve loathed the main character and still enjoyed the story. As an example of this, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov has a protagonist about twenty times worse than Nick, and I personally couldn’t put that book down, either. It’s possible that their horrific actions or views even drive you to want to know what happens next, because you’re thinking along the lines of, “How much further can this go? What’s he/she going to do next?” That’s a lot like what my thought process was with Nick, even when I hated him. My thing with Nick was, I wanted to see payoff for that opening scene – I wanted to know why he was in prison.
Before I wrap up Nick’s character section, it would be remiss of me to not talk about how he treated people. I’ll go into more detail in the other character sections as well when I discuss the relationships in this story.
In general, we see how Nick treats other people right away, and it rubbed me the wrong way almost immediately. The biggest example I can give is his wife, Julie. We can see clear conflict in the marriage, but Nick never seems to think that he’s wrong about anything, even for a second. It was obvious that he was burying himself in his work to avoid the problems of his marriage, and I’ve seen characters do that before. Personally, for me, it’s always a turn-off that a character buries themselves in their work to avoid problems, because I know it’s just going to make said problems worse in the long run. However, as I said earlier with Nick, this is all intentional because we’re seeing his downfall. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable, unsettling, maybe even disturbing, and the setup for that is practically flawless, so I can’t get mad that it’s there at all. I can only be mad at the character.
Julie
“As I stood at the end of the short hall connecting our bedroom to the living room, I regarded Julie as she sat on the couch, her long brown hair still darkened and wet from her shower. She was watching what sounded like an idiotically scripted soap opera, which, I realized, was a redundant label.”
Okay, I have to be honest here. I felt very bad for Julie throughout the entire thing. Throughout the whole narrative, we see her try to repair things with Nick, try to make it so they behave like a married couple at the very least, and he just wasn’t into it at all. She has him come to a wine tasting, there’s a dinner with friends that she wants him to attend. There’s effort here at behaving like a couple from her side. And he just didn’t want to participate at all.
We see frustration from Julie because he’s not into it, and it does come across that he’s just not into her, which the narrative later confirms with a particular patient he has. When I saw that patient and how he acted with her, I was both horrified and sad for Julie. Because, again, it’s obvious he’s not into her and being married to her. It’s clear he isn’t happy with her, and I feel like she was bending over backwards to try to get him to behave like a normal husband. That’s why the wine tasting was there, that’s why the dinner with her friends was there. And Nick just wasn’t responding positively to any of it. He was being himself and – as I mentioned in his section – his normal self is not a good person, and he is never focused on her needs for even a second.
Bill
“On paper, Bill was a very lonely man. Never married; he never found the particularly right woman, or rather women never found him to be the particularly right man. His parents had passed years earlier, as had mine. No children, no siblings, several cousins, but they lived thousands of miles away toward the other side of the country. Bill never found them to be the kind of family to reach out to or rather they never found Bill to be the kind of family to reach out to.”
Bill is one of the first characters we meet, as he is with Nick in prison in that opening scene. I don’t hate Bill – I just wonder what he sees in being friends with Nick. Their drinking sessions at the bar reveal that Nick is training Bill in how to pick up girls, for one thing. Another session talked about one of Nick’s former patients, Courtland. That conversation was a hint of the real story behind Courtland, so it doesn’t bother me, but I was just so bothered by Nick’s behavior toward everyone else that I wondered why Bill continued the friendship.
That said, I do like that he gets Nick to think about Courtland, a patient who kind of hangs over Nick’s life like a shadow, as he tells Bill. I like that Bill tells him what the truth is: it slipped over his head, he didn’t know, he didn’t see what Courtland wanted to do coming. And it’s understandable that it haunts Nick given his profession, but I don’t think he’s to blame here. He just thought Courtland was being himself, and I like that Bill pointed that out to him.
Courtland
“He only dressed in dark clothes, blacks and grays, never anything with a hint of color. When he stood in the doorway, with the white wall behind him and the dark carpet under his feet, he appeared as though he were on a black and white postcard, a postcard one would have sent years ago to inform their loved ones that something tragic had occurred.”
Courtland was one of the few patients that stood out to me because he is brought up in the narrative multiple times before we see him. I like the idea of Nick being haunted by this patient’s demise and wondering if it is in part his fault because he is the kid’s psychologist. I think he is one of Nick’s motivators for his later actions - although this is never outright said - because it’s obvious that Nick is in pain over Courtland’s situation.
I like that we see the situation that is leading to Nick’s pain. This kid needed help, and he was crying out for it, but Nick unfortunately didn’t realize it. I liked that Courtland was the patient that Nick felt comfortable being himself around and I enjoyed seeing what little of their relationship we did. The touch of Courtland feeling that his depression was just normal, just part of his personality, made something clench in my chest, because I know from experience that struggling with mental health can become so routine, so expected, that potentially no longer having to deal with that struggle can be a bit jarring, to say the least.
Structure
Given that Nick is writing all this down from prison, the narrative is set up in sections covering the past week, including all the patients he had at work. This structure kind of bugged me at first because not all the patients are dealt with in memorable ways. I found myself easily forgetting the ones that were counseled over email, and it bothered me. I understand it’s the most realistic – not every patient is going to have the same type of session - but the ones that did it over email had the flattest personalities. I honestly can’t even remember one that was handled through written email, and I’m sorry I can’t.
The good news is, the ones that were dealt with over video chat and in person had tons of personality. Harry is one I remember well. His situation was intriguing to see, and I felt sympathy for him easily. I also remember how the session with Kristin made me very uncomfortable, given how Nick felt about her. As a last example, I remember the student who had the flair for drama, the one who sent the video over email. That’s the one email I remember.
When Nick’s not dealing with patients, we see more setup for the ending reveal. We see more and more of Nick being dissatisfied with his life and how the routine is kind of interrupted by certain events and how that affects him. For example, the “Dinner with the Lowerys” section sticks out because it breaks up the monotony of the routine of going to work, meeting Bill for drinks, walking to and from the office, et cetera. Also, given that it’s one of the final chapters, we know (at least at first glance) that we’re getting closer to that reveal I talked about, so the tension is higher throughout the chapter (it was actually so close to the end that I was starting to worry that Smith would never answer that first question I had!).
Writing
The writing in this story is enthralling enough that I wanted to know what would happen in each section. Smith can build a scene and keep you wanting more. One of the best examples I have of this is the opening scene in the story. The way the scenario is written made me want to know more. I remember the handcuff being linked to the table and thinking, “Why?” I wanted more, because that one detail stuck with me.
Now, as I mentioned in an earlier section, I did have a problem with the way the patients’ emails were written. They were flat and had no flair, which led to the earlier problems I mentioned with characterization. The writing in those sections was not memorable at all, which is a shame, because I remember most of the other sections.
And that’s the thing. I think Smith excels at writing dialogue and building in-person scenes. When you’re writing an email, you strip all of that away and you only see the writer’s personality if you are very aware of who they are and how they would speak/act if they were in person in a session. It is very hard to get personality across in an email because you take away actions, you take away dialogue on both sides. It is essentially a one-sided conversation, and that is very hard to maintain control over.
Conclusion
This ended up being a lot more fun than I expected it to be! I particularly liked Smith’s setup here and how he handled the story. While there were moments where it slowed down, those moments were easy to get through and they didn’t make me want to put down the story for good. Even the main character had a personality to him that kept me enthralled even though I didn’t like him.
The other characters kept me equally engrossed in the story and the way the plot just built and built up until the reveal at the end was great! I’m definitely curious if Smith's done more with this, because I feel like there’s more that could be done with the setup of this particular story. I feel like there’s more that can be said. All in all, I would say that this is definitely something to look into if you like stories about antiheros. I promise, it will grab you and not let you go until the very end!

[His Wife7474 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book via BookTasters in exchange for an honest review. Here goes...

I scored The One Behind the Psychologist by Courtland O.K. Smith a high 3 out of 5 stars. I round down instead of up. Please read below if you are interested in the reasoning behind my score.

Character Development- 5
Entertaining- 3
Plot- 3
Flow of Story- 5
Gripping- 3
Immersive- 5
Well-written- 5
Likely to recommend- 3
Likely to read a Sequel- 3
Praying for a Sequel- NA

Character Development: (Characters had their own unique voices and personalities. They were believable.) Smith seems to have a talent for making his characters come to life. Even those who made only slight appearances, and there were a few, all had their own personalities and distinct voices. His characters crossed genders, ages, races, and degrees of sanity. Each character added another layer of depth to the main character.

Entertaining: (The book was fun to read. There were parts that caused me to react physically- I am known to throw a book across a room lol- and/or emotionally.) The first half of the book felt like a chore. After reaching the halfway point I started asking myself, “OK (no pun intended lol), what the hell is going on?!”

Flow of Story: (The story flows well and seamlessly. It doesn't have to stick to a traditional timeline, but the story isn't annoyingly choppy or disconnected.) This book flows seamlessly. There are many sections/chapters, and the author does a great job of making sure they are all connected. The majority of the book is written as a flashback, but the author does a great job at not making it feel like a flashback.

Plot or Storyline: (In literature, the plot is driven by conflict. No problem to solve...no plot. This story has an interesting, well-defined plot.) The plot- the psychologist is in need of a psychologist. Nick, the main character, is an absolute ass…and this is only magnified by his deteriorating mental health.

Well-written: (I'm not much of a grammar nazi ,at least, not anymore. So, while an occasional misplaced comma, misspelled word, or questionable sentence structure will not ruin a book for me, it is an important element of my book reviews.) Smith is a wordsmith, no doubt, and he takes several luxuries at proving this point. Be prepared for some $10 words. Thank goodness for Kindle’s whisper sync lol. Without it, you may need a dictionary handy. The book is well-written. The way the main character speaks puts me in the mind of Frazier.

Gripping: (A great book will sink its claws into you and not let go. Such books have readers staying up the wee hours of the morning just for "one more chapter". And if the reader happens to fall asleep while reading, the book will accompany the reader while brushing teeth, eating breakfast, morning commutes, lunch hours, etc. The reader takes every opportunity to jump back into the book.) This book began to sink its claws in the second half of the book. By the last quarter, I wasn’t able to put it down for very long.

Immersive: (If a story is immersive, I can visualize myself right amongst the characters...like some peculiar spectacle.) Absolutely! Nick dragged me with him to and from his apartment, office, taxi rides, and anywhere else his day took him.

Likely to Recommend: Perhaps. If I know for sure someone is into psychological thrillers, then I’d absolutely recommend this book.

Likely to Read a Sequel: (Some books just stay with me and I want more! I'd be interested to know what happens to the characters 1, 5, 10 years after the story ends.) Likely... but not immediately. I have to get Nick out of my head for a few days .

Praying for a Sequel: (Some books just stay with me and I NEED more! Like a spin-off to a great tv series. Think Frasier, which was a spin-off of Cheers! I'm likely to pester an author, via tweet or email, about writing a sequel.) N/A. This is the first of three!

I am still new to this genre of book. It was a pleasure sharpening my teeth on The One Behind the Psychologist. Enjoy!

[Liam Birkner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as a sort-of fictional memoir, The One Behind the Psychologist is a strangely good book. Certainly not my typical read, having no real... how would you put it... drama? or action sequences, this book follows Nick Thesiger, a mid-level psychologist and all-round narcissist, as he recounts the events leading up to his incarceration, where we meet him in chapter one: MacGuffin.

At first, I kinda liked Nick. I found him to be quick, quirky and actually pretty funny, but I decided that I liked him less and less as the book wore on. His relationship with his wife, Julie, is - to put it mildly - strained. To me, they seem like chalk and cheese; her being over-enthusiastic about almost everything, and always wanting to go out, see people... an extrovert. But Nick is the polar opposite. He doesn't care any more. he's tired; the life almost completely drained from him, and all he wants to do is sleep, rather than respond to his wife in even a civil manner.

He's quick to anger, and completely apathetic about everything else, which, you'd believe, would be a major contributor to why he's locked up in the first place. Chapter one also alludes to - what, reading it, you would think to be -  his wife's untimely death.

Now, onto the book itself, and the story.

In terms of dramatic content, this book is severely lacking, so don't be expecting fight scenes and killing and such. Instead, you'll need to be ready for a real thinker. 

Through reading it, I quite often found myself wanting to contact the author, and simply talk to him. I don't know why, but I've come to think that it's because his way of writing; the way he thinks, is fascinating. The psychological (illnesses) that he manages to describe in great detail are simply brilliant, and I could see their personalities clearly in my mind's eye; a feat that not many authors have been able to do.

Every character in this book just feels so unique, and extremely well thought-out, like they're real people that you could know from work, or living next door or down the street. And Nick himself, though a little extreme in his  thought processes and his actions, feels the most relatable. Even though he really, really is a real narcissist. The first-person narration absolutely helps with that, but it's that feeling of apathy. It's being tired all the time. Tired of life and what's expected of you.

So, the book is basically, as I mentioned earlier, a memoir. It's simply Nick recounting his last week before his incarceration, in pretty full detail. From his sessions with patients, to home with his wife, to wine tastings and dinners with those snobby, too-wealthy friends of your wife.

My opinion, if you made it this far, is that it's a real page-turner. I really did enjoy it, but I'm sorry to say, that it doesn't warrant a five-star review. Simply because it didn't have me needing  to turn the page. I was intrigued enough, sure, but I wasn't hooked.

Without further ado, I give The One Behind the Psychologist a solid 4.5 out of 5.

And I'm definitely going to be reading the second book in the series: The Two Behind the Psychologist!



L. 

[Donna Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting concept. The psychologist, finding himself incarcerated with no re-collection of the actual events leading upto him being in jail.

The best friend that accompanies Nick on a Tuesday night escape where they both skulk off to a bar to catch up, where Nick goes to escape his mundane life, his mundane wife, his mundane office & patients. Bill is also a psychologist-Helping Nick as he has been imprisoned-urging him to relay the events of the week leading up to him being incarcerated.

The problem is Nick is a chameleon, bending & shaping into whatever his patients want him to be. Telling them what they want to hear. The therapy market is competitive. His small office, his small apartment, he is barely breaking even. He needs to adapt, yes, he needs to adjust, it’s like a job interview of sorts, obtaining new patients.

Nicks reality is warped. When you spend so much time bending reality how do you ascertain the difference between the real world & the world you’ve created inside your head? You do something to give you a reality check so you’re sure what’s happening really is. And maybe that something lands you in jail.

I liked the portion of the book that focused on Nick’s patients. Many of them corresponding by email & video link. It broke the book up a little, the cameo roles of the different patients. The character was very likeable in his work life as oppose to his home life.

I’d have liked to have seen Nick spend a little more time with his wife Julie to see more of his characteristics. The limited time he did spend outside of the office environment showed manipulation, narcissism, illusions of grandeur. However his wife did not help matters in my opinion.

I liked that the author snuck his own name in the book as a patient; Courtland whom took his own life the day after a session. The psychologist never fully recovered from this. It is compulsory, you must always write yourself into your first book. Or at least your name.

I look forward to the next installment.

[Kerstin Vollbrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing insight into the psyche of a psychologist

Psychologist Dr. Nick Thesiger, being incarcerated, reflects about his life, giving insight in his thoughts and feelings about his life, the relationship with his wife Julie, his patients and his approach to the world. As a result, the reader learns him to be a misanthrope, not interested in others and their feelings, and absolutely not seld- critic regarding his behavior and disregard towards those closest to him. The picture that's given of him, through his own reflections, is that of an arrogant, troubled, anxious, unhappy and lonely man, who has difficulties in moving along with the rest of the world and believing in his abilities, because he is so focused in comparing himself to the economic success of others, that he is completely unaware of his the good things in his life, especially his wife that shabby by him despite his disrespecting and not considering her needs, his strengths and possibilities. Even as a professional, he confesses that he oftentimes doesn't even pay attention to what they are telling him during their sessions and looks down at them.
It is a very interesting journey into the internal world, his struggles and obsessions, of Dr. Thesiger, being a psychological doctor who himself is in urgent need of professional help. The plot of the story outs very well developed, relating the happenings in detail, including thoughts and emotional states, of the first two days of the week before his imprisonment. The characters are very lively described, giving a clear notion of their personalities.

[Mina Chrys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, I was interested as soon as I saw this title via Booktasters.

I was not disappointed, this book, though not fast-paced, is cleverly written and definitely, worth reading. Written from a first person POV, it focuses on the narration of Nicholas Thesiger’s days previous to his incarceration.

The narration is clever, sarcastic and utterly funny (it had me laughing at things so-politically-unacceptable, my mother would be ashamed of me), though admittedly, Nick should be no one’s favourite character, he starts off as clever, but everything escalates up to him showing his arrogant, proud, full of himself kind of personality. The rest of the characters fill up the story in a way that makes it fun and interesting enough to follow his story.

About the story itself, maybe readers won’t relate to Nick’s personality, but his life is pretty much like everyone else’s: financial struggle, his carreer is going through a hard patch, as well as his marriage. So it is kind of fun to read how he tries to manage it all, while dealing with the frustration of his own expectations, his own obsessions, and the need to pretend everything is going just as planned.

I’ll definitely be reading the second book in this series, see how that unfolds, and what leads to the third book in the series.

[Ivona Kafedjiska · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that keeps your attention and makes you curious. I did not find the plot to be full of surprises, but I was nevertheless very intrigued and kept on reading. Page-turner, but by no means shallow. I especially liked that the author explains some concepts in psychology and therapy in a subtle way, by inserting them successfully when he talks about the patients of the main character. This book made me analyze the situations and even correlate to or form certain opinions about the characters. This, I believe, is a sign of very skilled writing. The story is coherently presented and above all it realistically shows that even if we are great in helping other people it does not mean we are always capable to follow ourselves the advises we give other people. A book that is a food-for-the brain, The One Behind the Psychologist is a story worth your time.

[Beverly Carrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange one. I waited the whole book to find out what was going on. 96% finished I found out. Meanwhile I’ve discovered the main character, Nick, is a miserable man. Literally and figuratively. I knew going in there were two sequels that went with this. I figured I’d play it by ear if I would read the other two , now it seems like I have to. I’m left in a state of confusion and curiosity. Nick is a psychologist who could maybe benefit from having his own psychologist. I just started the second book so I’ll be back to offer more about this I’m certain.

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok this is not me

Ok this is definitely not my kind of book. I found it hard going. So didn't like it very much. I liked how it was written however I just couldn't get into the story

[Ja-Relle Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Booktasters for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(So let me start by saying that I am literally allergic to negativity. It’s just too stressful to be negative, ya know? With that being said, it absolutely pains me to write a review that I feel is minimum 51% negative. I’m making myself feel better by reasoning that it’s simply MY opinion and no one is healthier nor wiser for taking it to heart.)

I REALLY wanted to enjoy this book. The title intrigued me and the fact that I enjoy reading about human behavior made this a “must read”. Unfortunately the book’s description didn’t at all mesh with my understanding of the book’s description. Instead of a story about how the Dr.’s approach to his profession ultimately led to his all-around demise, it was story after detailed story of each client session + the doc’s condescending opinion...errr diagnosis...errr thoughts on...errr lie about each. My main emotion while reading was pure anger. I really think that Dr. Theisger’s dismissive attitude toward others may have blocked my ability to get to the root of the story. By the end of the book though, I realized that the reason this man spouts off so much about others is because his own self-worth is gone. I felt sorry for him despite my anger during several points in the book. To be only concerned with appearances doesn’t fall too far from the real world tree as we all know people whose life is “keeping up with the Joneses”.

In his practice, he changes his personality (is deceptive) in order to facilitate a smooth session and give the impression that he’s competent. Having admitted it during one of the chapters and knowing it’s wrong, he doesn’t feel he should stop. In his marriage, he consistently assumes the worst of his wife, treats her Iike a 2nd class citizen, and devalues his union. I often wondered if he was a sociopath. Narcissistic, most definitely.

There were a couple of things that I can say made me smile, though. The fact that the author addressed mental health stigmas (i.e. schizophrenia) and ableism was awesome. These topics definitely weren’t a topic of focus in the book but the characters conversation allows readers to possibly reflect on prejudices and biases that they hold and act upon.

It has never taken me months to read a book (well, except for all my TBR’s—y’all know the struggle). I often stopped reading just to see if maybe a break in between chapters would pull the story together. It never did. I believe the fact that the author is so intelligent kept me in the game. I just couldn’t “quit” the book. His writing style is eloquent and the intellect wasn’t forced. You can definitely surmise that he is extremely educated; both formally and via LIFE.

This just wasn’t the book for me.

My rating: 🤦🏾‍♀️

[Barbie Schuchart-Carlisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Done Author Courtland O.K Smith

I like to read books that are mind bending yet relatable. The One Behind the Psychologist was definitely both and so much more. At first I thought it was going to be boring and hard to read but then, I found myself lost in each of the characters or, patients and exactly how and what the Psychologist thought of each one of them and his role in their lives. Author Courtland O.K. Smith gave such realistic detail, I felt as though I was either each patient or the Psychologist himself!
This was definitely well written and once I was lost in the story I didn't want to stop. The way each life was described but, more importantly, the way the Psychologist and how he viewed himself was described and why he did what he did. He even, if you will I believe, "looked down on his patients," in his own mind and I quote from the book; "It was hard not to roll my eyes, but I held them steady. I really wanted to tell her, “Everyone feels anxious when they have to interact with unfamiliar people.” I thought do all psychologist think like this?
For a Psychologist telling others to take credit for their patt in their lives, he failed to practice what he preached! While the good doctor thought he was superior to all of his patients I felt that he felt a weakness towards his wife and his relationship suffered, which he also avoided at all costs.
I won't give away any details because I highly recommend you read this for yourself so you can enjoy every detail as mych as I did! Based on today's world, this could very well be based on a true story. If not, Courtland O.K. Smith is an an excellent author and I look forward to reading more of his books. I have to admit, I did feel many emotions throughout reading "The One Behind the Psychologist!"

[Christina F · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book intrigued me for which I am grateful as I really enjoyed this book. It was unique which was refreshing. The book focuses on Nick, a psychologist, and his relationship with his wife and his relationship with his client’s. I often found myself unsure of how to feel about Nick- there are times when it seems like he wants to do the right thing and times when he seems downright rude and/or potentially dangerous. I’m so glad it was written from his point of view.

There are sections of the book that focus on his clients. We learn about their problems as he talks to them in person, via video or email. He adapts to each client to what he believes will be “helpful”- but is it helpful or potentially harmful?

Other sections of the book focus on his relationship with his wife, Amy, which is severely strained. He is often mean to her or just ignores. At times she seems whiny and demanding and quite frankly annoying; making me wonder even more how they got to where they are now. I would love to see more development of their relationship to understand the dynamics better. Hopefully I will see that in the second installment of this trilogy!

Overall, I thought this book was really well written and again unique! The book leaves you hanging as no answers are given as to why Nick is in his current situation which of course just makes me want to read the second book even more. I am also very curious about Nick’s supposed friend Bill and what his real motives are.

Thank you to the author, Courtland O.K. Smith, and BookTasters for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris Maddix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my job these days is to go to various locations to perform my function. I punch the address into my GPS, hit "Go", and then proceed to my destination. Along the way, I encounter short distances, as in "in 2.8 miles turn left," and the recurrent thought arises, "Where am I and where the heck am I going?" These thoughts characterize my reaction to "The One Behind the Psychologist." The opening scene has Nick, the main character, handcuffed, talking to friend Bill (both are psychiatrists) and being asked to write a summary of his experiences, so as not to miss detail. OK, so we established the destination, which is Nick, in custody; enable the GPS. Doctor Thesinger, who is Nick, clearly has a bad relationship with wife, Julie, characterized, in the initial scene, by Nick borrowing her shoebox and then stabbing it to pieces. Somewhere, clearly, the relationship will result in Nick's doing something wrong to Julie. But how do we get there? The book traverses a number of psychiatric meetings with clients. Does this one portend some evil? Where are the hints toward the destination, which was clearly laid out at the beginning? I found Nick's encounter with patient Kristin, who clearly held more interest to Nick than wife Julie did, and his meeting with Courtland, a suicidal patient who was "too much" like Nick because "both had given up on life" to be particularly telling, although neither gave a clear picture of where the story was headed.

This is an atypical novel. Actions do not lead to an outcome, yet the interactions with patients make the tale hard to walk away from.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting story about a New York City psychologist who is struggling in all areas of his life. He struggles to get clients, struggles financially, and struggles in his marriage. The beginning of the book finds him in prison with his best friend visiting him. His friend asks him to do him a favor and write down the events leading up to the day in question. Nick decides to write it in a more literary style, like he is writing a book, or telling a story.

The book is very well written. I truly wanted to like this book more, but I didn’t care for the characters. I wanted to like Nick but he was very condescending and pompous. I wanted to like Nick‘s wife Julie, but she seemed very whiny and clueless. Also, the author used his own name as a character whom Nick reflected on a lot as that character was one of his patients and committed suicide. He often had dreams or nightmares about this patient. It left me thinking that the story has something to do with this character, or that this character’s death had something to do with Nick’s unraveling. It really doesn’t!

Having a BA degree in psychology myself, I thought I would love the book and really bond with Nick and his diagnoses of his patients. What I found was that I don’t know how he could help other people when he had so many issues himself. What I took away from this book is that mental health issues are real and very scary. They are nothing to dismiss or play around with. Mentally unstable people should seek help!

I received this book for free from Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very smart and well written, lots or ten dollar words. The main character is immediately pretentious and tremendously unlikeable.
We are taken, almost hour by hour, through his day as tension builds between he and his wife and he sees and speaks to clients with varying degrees of efficacy. Since the story begins with his detainment by police we assume we will eventually get to the point where the crime occurs and we are let in on the events which lead to the arrest. As the book winds down and we still don’t know, it becomes increasingly obvious we’re not going to get closure on the events and the story is clearly set up for a second installment. The bulk of the story thus doesn’t deal with the events which lead directly to the main characters arrest, but instead the day to day recounting as remembered and by Nick, the main character to Bill who will be helping with his defense. The friction between Nick and Julie, his wife, seems vague, confusing, and one sided and is sprinkled into the story but sets up the framework for the event which leads to Nick’s crime and arrest. The pace of the story is slow and while it’s extremely detailed, I’m left wondering why much of it was included and much of it ends up feeling extraneous at the conclusion of this first book.

[Ashley Ow · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's definitely a fun book to go through. In each chapter, we meet a new client with a different condition and needs than the last, or someone else the doctor met. I particularly love that we get to see the clients from the eyes of the psychologist. It's definitely interesting to read about the different psychological barriers, along with how the doctor treats and tailors their session for each client.

It also contains a lot of conversations about the broken marriage between the psychologist and his wife, which creates an underlying tension that ties the entire book together.

Although it’s meant to be a psychological thriller, it’s not intense at all and is suitable for reading before bed. I think it’s especially interesting to read about the behaviours and therapy sessions with the clients. That’s what bought and kept me in.

I haven’t read a fiction book in forever, so I found this to be an okay start. Each chapter isn’t very long too. I think this is a good transition to help me start picking up fiction again after having read non-fiction in the past few months.

I’ve yet to read books II and III of the trilogy, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading them. Great book! Would recommend!

[Advita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the type of book I would love to own! It's the book cover that captured my attention (it's all mysterious and dark). The One Behind the Psychologist is cleverly written, has the perfect amount of humour and sarcasm, excellent choice of characters and definitely worth reading!

I love the way the author gives us insight into Psychology through the story and the use of quotes and references from various literature to support the storyline. It's a captivating book where you get to enter the Psychologist's (Nick's) mind and see the world from his perspective. You also get to meet Nick's interesting set of patients which helps you to understand Nick's character better. The ending was really dramatic and a little bit confusing (but I think it was required in order to understand Nick's mental situation). Now all I want to know is what in the world did Nick do to his wife that he ended up in prison? Can't wait to read the next book in the series :)

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review through BookTasters.

Happy Reading!

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exceptionally well written. It was easy to read and I found all of the characters to be interesting. The descriptions of the city, Nick's office, and Nick's car made you feel as if you were part of the book.


I found Nick to be the most interesting, yet confusing, annoying, and frustrating character. His level of insecurity was surprising. I also found it interesting that he didn't seem alarmed to be losing chunks of time.

I will say the for the category of psychological thriller, I did expect a bit more action. I was hoping that things would become more clear in the very last chapter in the book, maybe being left on the edge as a move into the next book. I am now curious to check out the second book in the series, to see if it clarifies anything or picks up a bit.

The book was interesting. I found it to be a great piece in studying human nature. It was almost like people-watching, but from the safety of your own home.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

To be honest, this book was not what I expected. That said, it was a wonderful read. Once I started it, I kept reading every chance I got.
This is the story of Nick Thesiger, a psychologist with many issues of his own. I spent the whole book trying to figure out how I feel about Nick. He does seem to help people. But he also seems to have a really cruel streak. Since the story is told from the first person, the reader sees his true thoughts and feelings.
We also get to meet some of Nick's patients. I found that quite interesting because I could relate to a few of them.
The ending was a bit confusing, but there are two more books in the trilogy. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
I would definitely recommend this book.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review through Booktasters.

[EmioÑa Hammam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book through the title, since I am into phsycological topics in literature in general. The cover is simple and gets the eye to wonder. When I started reading I really liked the way the author narrated this book. The writing itself is catchy and one of the best that I read lately, only one downside to it was that it was too discriptive and got me bored at some points, though still I see it creative in general and well writen. Despite the fact that I wanted to read this book so much, it turned out to be not my cup of tea. I liked the protagonist clients' sessions and wanted more of it. Maybe more action to it would be wonderful. I seriously would recommend this to anyone who loves good style novels and like to get into people's thoughts and actions day to day, I was amazed and surprised at how the author went deep into this aspect.

[Aysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Laughing and crying sound the same when muffled through the indifference of the absence of attention."

I was instantly interested in this book when I saw this book listed on BookTasters!

The story portrays the characters in an interesting way, particularly as we would not usually see this side of a psychologist. The beginning of the story intrigued me, though at points I felt I did not understand it. Nonetheless, as the story began to unfold, and the state of Nick's mind becomes apparent, I began to put the pieces together. I really enjoyed the references to Plato and Socrates' quotes, and I thought they were brilliantly embedded. Overall, the book was a interesting read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you are interested in the inner workings of someone's mind, I would recommend this.

[Isabel Widera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literary.Tragical. An INTERESTING BOOK that let me know the thoughts, feelings and emotions, while tasting some days in the life of a Psychologist, who deals with the mental illnesses and disorders of his patients. A study of characters with many brilliant dialogues, not many scene changes and actions mainly focused on the little details.
Towards the middle part of the author's work (chapter 7 to 14), I personally would have welcomed a little more suspense, connecting them more to the main problem of the story ... The end is surprising and invites to read the following part of the trilogy.
Thanks VERY much to the BOOKTASTERS and to COURTLAND O.K. SMITH for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Andrea Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked and not loved this book. Part of the reason was the main character. I found him to be an awful person so I was not reading it as fast . Julie should have left him for good that time he brought that expensive car. I also didn't feel that he held any love or affection for her. She seemed to not have any backbone. I did enjoy near the end when he had to win a bet by making the waiter do his bidding. It was a well written story and a good plot. I wish Nick did something to redeem himself in my eyes . The psychology scenes were interesting and the author did a great job with the formula of storytelling.

[Nayab Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started this book, the first chapter confused me. I couldn't understand who was the psychologist and who was the client. As I read on, I came to know that both opening characters were psychologists. One was in chains, imprisoned and the other, just a visitor, to help him.
He suggested that the protagonist should write everything that has lead him to being incarcerated.
Then we get transported to the chunks of Nick's life where he writes about his past.
Courtland wrote a complex character in a beautiful and curiosity-inducing way that leaves the reader to want to take in every word, slowly and gradually.
A must read!

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t for me

If you like to read into the mind of a person in a downward spiral, this book is for you. The writing style was interesting because of the choppy style that is presented, the quick changes, you really can see doc heading in a downward spiral. He sounded manic in specific places, something I know much about. Maybe I’m just way into a fantasy type of reading, that drives my imagination to more imaginary places. If you’re in the mood for some realistic reading of a man who believes he is smarter than god himself, read this. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

[Tracy Huebsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being that I hold a degree in psychology, I was quite interested to read this book. I found the style of writing, the chapters being like diary entries, easy to follow and it made the book more interesting in my opinion. The closer you get to the end of the book, the more the suspense builds but unfortunately the book left me with more questions than answers. Knowing this book is part of a series, it makes more sense that there wasn’t a “typical” conclusion to the book. It definitely left me wanting more and I am eager to read book two.