Both Sides of the Couch

In July 2020, Anna Wickins travelled over 200 miles so that she could revisit the site of her sexual assault with the support of her psychotherapist, Paddy Magrane. Therapies is an account of their shared journey and a story of how one woman healed from historic trauma through a therapeutic relationship, while also examining how the collaboration shaped both of them. Written in alternating chapters that cleverly mirror the back and forth of counselling itself, this book illuminates the therapeutic process by recounting the story from both sides of the couch and exposes the ups, downs and frustrations that counselling can unleash. While authors like Gabor Maté and Bessel Van Der Kolk have revealed the impact of trauma on clients, there is little information about what it is like for a counsellor to hear clients recall their experiences.

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