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MiXED NUTS or What I've Learned Practicing Psychotherapy
"Some people assume that all therapists are new-agey hand-holders who just listen and nod like bobbleheads, then suggest an astrology reading, a gluten-free diet, and your choice of complimentary love flower or polished healing stone on your way out the door.
That's not me. My job is to help fix what's broken."
Speaking to the layperson and the practitioner alike, even Rick's irreverent humor can’t hide his wisdom, his deep understanding of mental illness, his desire to help heal it quickly and effectively, and his pragmatic and often creative approach to treatment.
"Mixed Nuts" is a memoir of a life working in psychotherapy.
That's not me. My job is to help fix what's broken."
Speaking to the layperson and the practitioner alike, even Rick's irreverent humor can’t hide his wisdom, his deep understanding of mental illness, his desire to help heal it quickly and effectively, and his pragmatic and often creative approach to treatment.
"Mixed Nuts" is a memoir of a life working in psychotherapy.
300 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2016
177 people are currently reading
1173 people want to read
About the author
Rick Cormier
8 books31 followersThe first person I ever interviewed was India's Prime Minister Morarji Desai at his suite at the United Nations Plaza Hotel as research for a two-year undergraduate project on Mahatma Gandhi. During my post-college years as a Director of Human Resources and later as a licensed, nationally certified psychotherapist, I conducted thousands of interviews, but none were as challenging as that first one.
When I was 22, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have answered, "a psychotherapist/ cook/ photographer/ musician who writes books". I've managed to fit all of those activities into my life. Now that I'm retired from treating mental health disorders, I spend my time doing "whatever is fun." That includes photography, writing books, drumming for several bands, teaching hand drumming in two public schools, running community drum circles, and cooking for my wife.
MY BOOKS:
"MIXED NUTS, or What I've Learned Practicing Psychotherapy," was my most difficult book to write. Psychotherapy is very personal for clients and clinicians. It's easy to be funny and flippant in the office, face-to-face with a client. It's much more difficult to do the same in writing and with such a sensitive subject. I didn't want MiXED NUTS to be a boring textbook or a joke book. The challenge was to share insights in a fun, easy-to-read, and entertaining way.
"American Baapu... India Through My Eyes" tells the story of how I came to have dozens of "unofficially adopted sons and daughters" in India without having known any of their mothers. In 2017, we stayed in five cities in India with five families. This book describes that experience and how it came about.
"My Life Cracks Me Up" was released in 2011. It was the most fun book for me to write. Imagine a memoir without loss, grief, or tragedy. It's my life in funny and serendipitous stories.
"Old Fart-hood... more of my life cracks me up" is my 2023 continuation of "My Life Cracks Me Up." More funny and serendipitous stories.
"Freestyle Community Drum Circles" (2nd Edition): Everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about hosting a freestyle drum circle.
"With more than 100 million worldwide users since 2010, Quora.com has ranked Rick among its top 25 most-read contributors in the topics of Behavioral Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Anxiety, Social Anxiety, and Therapists. He is ranked in the top ten most-read contributors in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychosis, Counseling, Therapists, Behavioral Psychology, and Panic Attacks and in the top three most-read in the topics of Psychotherapy, Abusive Relationships, Psychotherapists, Emotional Abuse, Psychologists, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy."
When I was 22, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have answered, "a psychotherapist/ cook/ photographer/ musician who writes books". I've managed to fit all of those activities into my life. Now that I'm retired from treating mental health disorders, I spend my time doing "whatever is fun." That includes photography, writing books, drumming for several bands, teaching hand drumming in two public schools, running community drum circles, and cooking for my wife.
MY BOOKS:
"MIXED NUTS, or What I've Learned Practicing Psychotherapy," was my most difficult book to write. Psychotherapy is very personal for clients and clinicians. It's easy to be funny and flippant in the office, face-to-face with a client. It's much more difficult to do the same in writing and with such a sensitive subject. I didn't want MiXED NUTS to be a boring textbook or a joke book. The challenge was to share insights in a fun, easy-to-read, and entertaining way.
"American Baapu... India Through My Eyes" tells the story of how I came to have dozens of "unofficially adopted sons and daughters" in India without having known any of their mothers. In 2017, we stayed in five cities in India with five families. This book describes that experience and how it came about.
"My Life Cracks Me Up" was released in 2011. It was the most fun book for me to write. Imagine a memoir without loss, grief, or tragedy. It's my life in funny and serendipitous stories.
"Old Fart-hood... more of my life cracks me up" is my 2023 continuation of "My Life Cracks Me Up." More funny and serendipitous stories.
"Freestyle Community Drum Circles" (2nd Edition): Everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about hosting a freestyle drum circle.
"With more than 100 million worldwide users since 2010, Quora.com has ranked Rick among its top 25 most-read contributors in the topics of Behavioral Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Anxiety, Social Anxiety, and Therapists. He is ranked in the top ten most-read contributors in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychosis, Counseling, Therapists, Behavioral Psychology, and Panic Attacks and in the top three most-read in the topics of Psychotherapy, Abusive Relationships, Psychotherapists, Emotional Abuse, Psychologists, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy."
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 11, 2016
Hmmm what to make of this book? I have mixed feelings - hence the three stars.
What I liked
Though I was unsure initially (for reasons I'll explain in the next section), I finished the book feeling that Cormier is clearly an effective therapist with a wealth of experience. I particularly agreed with his aversion to Rogerian counselling - I've had infuriating experiences with therapists just repeating what I've said, how is that helpful?! I very much appreciated that he was solution focused and very much person-focused; not in the Rogerian sense, but in his dedication to flexing his style to what was needed. I liked that he brings in less traditional techniques that have been less effective - e.g. his drumming workshops; and that he makes thoughtful choices in who he works with rather than assuming he can take on anything and anyone. I also enjoyed reading the about the wide range of disorders he'd treated and the chapter about relationships.
What I didn't like
The style of writing and the language used was my biggest barrier to saying I liked this book. As I said above, I believe that the author has a lot of experience and insight to offer, but this seemed to be constantly undermined by self-congratulation and his use of "humour". There were quite a few incidences of 'humble-bragging' - say, one of his teachers proclaiming to the class that he is just the perfect guy! Naturally, one person's sense of humour won't appeal to all readers, but I have to say that I found the humour juvenile at best, and disrespectful at worst.
Take the nicknames. Up front, Cormier says that he cares deeply for his patients (and that does come across in the other ways he talks about them) and that he uses humour almost as a coping mechanism to prevent his being dragged down by all the awful things he would be listening to.
However, "Frau Striktbottom"?! "Isabella Fussolini"?! "Chris Creepo?". His patients are obviously happy because he has clearly been successful. Maybe they even know his nicknames for them and they're fine with it because he's helped them and they're happy? The issue I have is that this comes across as making fun of the client and their problem. In theory, Cormier can do that, because he is taking them seriously by treating them. However, the average reader may not be a therapist. So if they see that it's okay for a therapist to be using language like that, it gives them permission to be using that language. In a society where there is still a huge amount of stigma attached to mental illness, the prospect of earning a nickname such as "Isabella Fussolini" is hardly going to encourage transparency and challenge stigma. It's regressive.
I felt the same about the title - Mixed Nuts?! Yes okay, Cormier is including himself in that - the cover illustration shows one nut (Cormier) helping others. However, the frequent references to 'nut', 'nutty', 'crazy', from a licensed practitioner left me feeling quite uncomfortable. As with the nicknames, it felt incredibly regressive to be using the same kind of language that has been used to shame sufferers into silence and embarrassment. Cormier may not be using it in that context, but that doesn't make it okay.
That same lack of respect came across when he frequently referred to how much fun he had treating anxiety clients. Yes, if it's not associated with trauma, then challenging their obsessions is obviously an effective way of treating them, and using humour may also be an effective tool. However, as an anxiety sufferer who hasn't been treating by Cormier (i.e. I haven't got the benefit, so all I see is the language used to describe my own condition), I don't find anxiety funny. Sure, I can laugh about some of the ludicrous things I worry about, but the impact it has on my life is not funny. If I found out my therapist was speaking that way about me, it would definitely undermine my trust in him. Again, for the people actually working with Cormier, this is potentially not a problem - he's helping people and it's working. But for people reading his book who then think it's fine to find anxiety funny? Not cool.
Perhaps it depends on who this book is targeted at (which was unclear). If it's meant to impart wisdom to other practitioners who will have seen the more 'serious' side that balances this 'humour' out, then it's fine. If it's intended for those with mental illness, it could be a bit hit and miss - some might see that he's good at what he does and has plenty of useful insight, and therefore not have an issue with the language; while others might not appreciate the way in which their illness is portrayed. However, for a layperson who does not have an illness or any experience of the field? That would concern me. It's giving insightful, practical advice; all the while using a position of experience to say this type of regressive language is okay.
Overall, as I said, Cormier is clearly an experienced and successful psychotherapist. I found the book insightful, and thought-provoking in many ways. It's a shame that the image that the author wanted to portray of himself had to be so focused on how he uses humour. I didn't really find him funny at all.
What I liked
Though I was unsure initially (for reasons I'll explain in the next section), I finished the book feeling that Cormier is clearly an effective therapist with a wealth of experience. I particularly agreed with his aversion to Rogerian counselling - I've had infuriating experiences with therapists just repeating what I've said, how is that helpful?! I very much appreciated that he was solution focused and very much person-focused; not in the Rogerian sense, but in his dedication to flexing his style to what was needed. I liked that he brings in less traditional techniques that have been less effective - e.g. his drumming workshops; and that he makes thoughtful choices in who he works with rather than assuming he can take on anything and anyone. I also enjoyed reading the about the wide range of disorders he'd treated and the chapter about relationships.
What I didn't like
The style of writing and the language used was my biggest barrier to saying I liked this book. As I said above, I believe that the author has a lot of experience and insight to offer, but this seemed to be constantly undermined by self-congratulation and his use of "humour". There were quite a few incidences of 'humble-bragging' - say, one of his teachers proclaiming to the class that he is just the perfect guy! Naturally, one person's sense of humour won't appeal to all readers, but I have to say that I found the humour juvenile at best, and disrespectful at worst.
Take the nicknames. Up front, Cormier says that he cares deeply for his patients (and that does come across in the other ways he talks about them) and that he uses humour almost as a coping mechanism to prevent his being dragged down by all the awful things he would be listening to.
However, "Frau Striktbottom"?! "Isabella Fussolini"?! "Chris Creepo?". His patients are obviously happy because he has clearly been successful. Maybe they even know his nicknames for them and they're fine with it because he's helped them and they're happy? The issue I have is that this comes across as making fun of the client and their problem. In theory, Cormier can do that, because he is taking them seriously by treating them. However, the average reader may not be a therapist. So if they see that it's okay for a therapist to be using language like that, it gives them permission to be using that language. In a society where there is still a huge amount of stigma attached to mental illness, the prospect of earning a nickname such as "Isabella Fussolini" is hardly going to encourage transparency and challenge stigma. It's regressive.
I felt the same about the title - Mixed Nuts?! Yes okay, Cormier is including himself in that - the cover illustration shows one nut (Cormier) helping others. However, the frequent references to 'nut', 'nutty', 'crazy', from a licensed practitioner left me feeling quite uncomfortable. As with the nicknames, it felt incredibly regressive to be using the same kind of language that has been used to shame sufferers into silence and embarrassment. Cormier may not be using it in that context, but that doesn't make it okay.
That same lack of respect came across when he frequently referred to how much fun he had treating anxiety clients. Yes, if it's not associated with trauma, then challenging their obsessions is obviously an effective way of treating them, and using humour may also be an effective tool. However, as an anxiety sufferer who hasn't been treating by Cormier (i.e. I haven't got the benefit, so all I see is the language used to describe my own condition), I don't find anxiety funny. Sure, I can laugh about some of the ludicrous things I worry about, but the impact it has on my life is not funny. If I found out my therapist was speaking that way about me, it would definitely undermine my trust in him. Again, for the people actually working with Cormier, this is potentially not a problem - he's helping people and it's working. But for people reading his book who then think it's fine to find anxiety funny? Not cool.
Perhaps it depends on who this book is targeted at (which was unclear). If it's meant to impart wisdom to other practitioners who will have seen the more 'serious' side that balances this 'humour' out, then it's fine. If it's intended for those with mental illness, it could be a bit hit and miss - some might see that he's good at what he does and has plenty of useful insight, and therefore not have an issue with the language; while others might not appreciate the way in which their illness is portrayed. However, for a layperson who does not have an illness or any experience of the field? That would concern me. It's giving insightful, practical advice; all the while using a position of experience to say this type of regressive language is okay.
Overall, as I said, Cormier is clearly an experienced and successful psychotherapist. I found the book insightful, and thought-provoking in many ways. It's a shame that the image that the author wanted to portray of himself had to be so focused on how he uses humour. I didn't really find him funny at all.
May 7, 2019
A friend gave this book to me as a birthday gift, so I did my best to finish it.
I don't know how effective Cormier is as a therapist, but I felt shame to be his colleague.
He is way too self-congratulatory, beyond anything I have read in my life. For example. without any need whatsoever, he writes how his mentor and others praised him in the past, even without him being present.
PS: The nicknames he gave to his patients, well, I will save you the pain to read those.
I don't know how effective Cormier is as a therapist, but I felt shame to be his colleague.
He is way too self-congratulatory, beyond anything I have read in my life. For example. without any need whatsoever, he writes how his mentor and others praised him in the past, even without him being present.
PS: The nicknames he gave to his patients, well, I will save you the pain to read those.
July 29, 2016
This book was very entertaining, intriguing, and could hold my attention. It is not a difficult read, yet provides insight into many psychological issues and circumstances. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested (even a little bit) in psychology.
I received this book through a giveaway, yet this did not at all influence my opinion on the book. I would have written the same review had I gone out and purchased the book.
I received this book through a giveaway, yet this did not at all influence my opinion on the book. I would have written the same review had I gone out and purchased the book.
September 15, 2016
I can't tell you how much I loved this book! Not only does it provide great information, Rick adds his sense of humor to make this one of the best reads in a very long time. I loved learning about his career and how he learned to solve very difficult situations with his clients. Just the right amount of lightheartedness. I only wish he was still practicing! I would love to meet him!
December 7, 2024
My rating changed a few times in my head while I was reading this book. There is a lot of good, solid information about psychotherapy and different diagnoses written by an author who, in my opinion, comes across slightly pompous and opinionated. Some chapters left me feeling uneasy and “put off” while others are covered in highlights and notes. I’m going to attempt to “practice what I preach” with my clients- take the information that is useful and thought-provoking and leave the rest behind.
January 4, 2024
DNF. I’d be pissed if I was this guy’s client & he was writing about me in the flippant way he does in this book. I get it’s supposed to be entertaining but damn dude, try a little humility🙄
December 21, 2024
Absorbing summary of psychotherapies and stories on the side told from an entertaining storyteller who sprinkles in little tidbits of advice as he drums along
April 7, 2017
Loved this book.
I enjoyed the author's practical approach to helping others. His anecdotes move the book along with humor and insight. So wonderful that he has been able to help so many people. He is good at what he does and his confidence helps him to excel in his procession! Happy drumming to you, sir!
I enjoyed the author's practical approach to helping others. His anecdotes move the book along with humor and insight. So wonderful that he has been able to help so many people. He is good at what he does and his confidence helps him to excel in his procession! Happy drumming to you, sir!
December 11, 2018
This is one of the best books I have ever read on psychotherapy. The humor element completely changes the idea of what a teaching book should be. It's not like academic books full of jargons and unnecessarily stretched sentences which you will cleverly skip. Every sentence is tightly knitted. I think the main reason why it got me so engrossed is because it is a narration of experience and experience teaches faster than anything else. It's a fun book, almost like a novel, a real page turner (Try not to finish it in one go, 5 divisions advisable). It's full of innovative techniques, approaches and contribution of psychologists you never knew existed. For mental health professionals it's a teacher they never had. A pocket friendly Guru. Language is so simple that anyone without background in psychology will also benefit. If psychology is a subject of your interest or ever made you curious, go for it, it's luckily available on Amazon.
It's also a self-help book. I started reading it from the perspective of a therapist but didn't realize when I switched place as a client. It conveys bitter truth about you in such a way that you will chuckle and simply start working on it. No need to cross stages of resistance etc, after all it's a book, won't bite for sure.
It covers almost everything. From dealing with schizophrenics to next door relationship issues. Answer of the questions we often wonder. It emphasizes a lot on brief therapy which is a big plus and makes the whole process way easier than it's often portrayed.
Rick Cormier, thanks for writing this book :) I wanted to read it from the first time when I interacted with you on Quora but well... I need to work on my procrastination too. 😜
Eagerly waiting for your upcoming book.
P.S. I'm seriously considering drumming now. 😁
It's also a self-help book. I started reading it from the perspective of a therapist but didn't realize when I switched place as a client. It conveys bitter truth about you in such a way that you will chuckle and simply start working on it. No need to cross stages of resistance etc, after all it's a book, won't bite for sure.
It covers almost everything. From dealing with schizophrenics to next door relationship issues. Answer of the questions we often wonder. It emphasizes a lot on brief therapy which is a big plus and makes the whole process way easier than it's often portrayed.
Rick Cormier, thanks for writing this book :) I wanted to read it from the first time when I interacted with you on Quora but well... I need to work on my procrastination too. 😜
Eagerly waiting for your upcoming book.
P.S. I'm seriously considering drumming now. 😁
January 5, 2023
We need more therapists like Rick Cormier. Giving, humorous, and always trying to help their patients anyway they can.
I also gave it to my friend who is a new LCSW and a therapist and she was very impressed.
I love how grounded and relatable the stories are. Like the person with two clocks with rotating minutes who had to stop between the first and second clock every minute. Simple solution? Take one clock out of the room. Or using practicing deep breathing and lists to help people with panic attacks. Or that hypnosis can help people with their fears.
I will admit I have bipolar disorder and I haven't found many therapists or psychiatrists I would like. Some are just their for diagnosis. A lot of therapists fall into the "well what do you think?" trap. I think I would like Rick Cormier.
Outstanding book.
I also gave it to my friend who is a new LCSW and a therapist and she was very impressed.
I love how grounded and relatable the stories are. Like the person with two clocks with rotating minutes who had to stop between the first and second clock every minute. Simple solution? Take one clock out of the room. Or using practicing deep breathing and lists to help people with panic attacks. Or that hypnosis can help people with their fears.
I will admit I have bipolar disorder and I haven't found many therapists or psychiatrists I would like. Some are just their for diagnosis. A lot of therapists fall into the "well what do you think?" trap. I think I would like Rick Cormier.
Outstanding book.
July 8, 2016
Entertaining.
April 20, 2020
As a mental health clinician myself I always enjoy reading books from fellow clinicians to ensure I am on the same page with my clients and my overall view of treatment. The author seems to be quite knowledgeable on mental health topics and presents the book to fellow clinician and to layperson alike. HIs case studies are interesting and he writes with a good sense of humor that keeps the book from becoming too dry. My only critique is he writes only of his successes. It would’ve been nice to hear some cases where he made a mistake or at least made an adjustment to his intervention.
May 2, 2025
A breath of fresh air
This was such a well written book. I have told numerous people about it and while I read it on my kindle app, I went ahead and bought a paper copy of it to be able to let the people in my life borrow it. There were so many different scenarios stories in here that were so powerful. I loved the way that the author wrote this book and how he made each story, even the hard to read ones so relatable. Rick seems like the type of guy I would like to meet and chat with. Great job sir!
This was such a well written book. I have told numerous people about it and while I read it on my kindle app, I went ahead and bought a paper copy of it to be able to let the people in my life borrow it. There were so many different scenarios stories in here that were so powerful. I loved the way that the author wrote this book and how he made each story, even the hard to read ones so relatable. Rick seems like the type of guy I would like to meet and chat with. Great job sir!
October 23, 2023
DNF - Cormier is clearly an effective and successful therapist, but the way he wrote about treating his patients completely turned me off. There were multiple spots of bragging and self congratulation while putting down a lot of his patients’ conditions. He suffered from depression and cured himself, and instead of seeming sympathetic, his instruction to me seemed “just get over it dummy!”
June 15, 2025
I picked up this book on Kindle Unlimited, and it does NOT disappoint. I loved his writing style and mix of non-fiction with humor. As a practicing school counselor and PLPC, his descriptions of the different therapies are spot on. This book may actually be more helpful than some of our graduate level class that cost hundreds of dollars - sadly.
March 20, 2023
Interesting and thought provoking
A quick read that will help you to think about how you think. Sprinkled throughout with stories of people the author has helped (and not helped) with therapy.
A quick read that will help you to think about how you think. Sprinkled throughout with stories of people the author has helped (and not helped) with therapy.
June 13, 2024
I found this book both dislikable and enjoyable (Is that a thing? I guess I made it a thing.😂) I enjoyed his clients’ stories much more than his own take on psychological theories. While I do agree our country’s healthcare system is very quick to push medication on people for a quick fix, I felt his downplaying of medication could be harmful or perceived as judging to people with mental health illnesses who use medication for relief. All in all, the book kept my attention, but not as enlightening as I had hoped.
August 11, 2022
Brilliant
Best book I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed reading it. Be ready to look into your life and relationships as you're reading.
Best book I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed reading it. Be ready to look into your life and relationships as you're reading.
January 14, 2023
I LOVE this book so much! It was very insightful and as a mental health professional, I could appreciate the humor and had many literal laugh out loud moments. GREAT BOOK!
February 7, 2023
Good fun reading
Who says therapy was all crying and whining if can be fun and laughter as well. Rick Cornier brings humor to his history
Who says therapy was all crying and whining if can be fun and laughter as well. Rick Cornier brings humor to his history
July 9, 2016
Rick Cormier is a semi-retired psychotherapist specialized in anxiety disorders, PTSD and relationships. He writes an introduction to the psychotherapeutic job, although I failed to understand who the intended audience is. Is it the layperson? Patients? Students? No idea. Sometimes, if I have to be honest, it just seems a self-celebratory book.
However, we learn that Cormier is, or was, a very good psychotherapist. Some of the techniques he talks about I've tried myself, so I know how successful they can be. For example, I used to suffer from panic attacks, and a therapist taught me diaphragmatic breathing and distraction techniques which were very much the same as those used by Cormier. I never had a panic attack again, and it's been 4 years now. They might seem shallow and silly when you first hear about them, but I can assure you they work. So Cormier is certainly a good therapist in this respect. I can't vouch for the rest of the issues he treats - also because he doesn't really delve into it. Of course, he talks about a lot of things he did in therapy, but he has a tendency to digress. Which I didn't like.
I agree with the author when he says that no therapist is perfect for everyone. I agree with him when he says that therapists have to adapt their strategies to suit the client's needs, instead of blaming the patient for the failure of therapy. I agree with him when he says good psychotherapy is not listening to the patient chatting about his problems - as he says, this is paid friendship, or something like that.
I said Cormier is specialized in some fields. Every therapist should be specialized in some fields, and I believe almost all of them are. I don't believe in generalist therapists. They probably don't understand a single thing.
The author states he only accepts one schizofrenic and one borderline patient at a time, since they are difficult to treat and pose a lot of challenges. This is absolutely fine, not everyone should take on every patient. Only, I feel sorry for the borderlines he treated, since he openly states they are manipulative, over-generalizing in a way that is absolutely out of place. I would like to humbly point out that not all borderlines are manipulative, in fact many are not manipulative at all. They are just suffering, is all. This is not to say there are no manipulative borderlines. Just as there are manipulative depressed people, manipulative sufferers from PTSD, manipulative bipolar people, and manipulative non-mentally ill people.
This is when the book started getting on my nerves. That, and when I started to see the self-celebratoriness and the digressing. I'm not saying this is a bad book. In fact, I gave it 3 stars. Only, I don't see the point, and I believe Cormier's generalizing is completely unacceptable, coming from a professional.
However, we learn that Cormier is, or was, a very good psychotherapist. Some of the techniques he talks about I've tried myself, so I know how successful they can be. For example, I used to suffer from panic attacks, and a therapist taught me diaphragmatic breathing and distraction techniques which were very much the same as those used by Cormier. I never had a panic attack again, and it's been 4 years now. They might seem shallow and silly when you first hear about them, but I can assure you they work. So Cormier is certainly a good therapist in this respect. I can't vouch for the rest of the issues he treats - also because he doesn't really delve into it. Of course, he talks about a lot of things he did in therapy, but he has a tendency to digress. Which I didn't like.
I agree with the author when he says that no therapist is perfect for everyone. I agree with him when he says that therapists have to adapt their strategies to suit the client's needs, instead of blaming the patient for the failure of therapy. I agree with him when he says good psychotherapy is not listening to the patient chatting about his problems - as he says, this is paid friendship, or something like that.
I said Cormier is specialized in some fields. Every therapist should be specialized in some fields, and I believe almost all of them are. I don't believe in generalist therapists. They probably don't understand a single thing.
The author states he only accepts one schizofrenic and one borderline patient at a time, since they are difficult to treat and pose a lot of challenges. This is absolutely fine, not everyone should take on every patient. Only, I feel sorry for the borderlines he treated, since he openly states they are manipulative, over-generalizing in a way that is absolutely out of place. I would like to humbly point out that not all borderlines are manipulative, in fact many are not manipulative at all. They are just suffering, is all. This is not to say there are no manipulative borderlines. Just as there are manipulative depressed people, manipulative sufferers from PTSD, manipulative bipolar people, and manipulative non-mentally ill people.
This is when the book started getting on my nerves. That, and when I started to see the self-celebratoriness and the digressing. I'm not saying this is a bad book. In fact, I gave it 3 stars. Only, I don't see the point, and I believe Cormier's generalizing is completely unacceptable, coming from a professional.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews