The Best Therapy: A guide for wounded healers

by Jim LaPierre

I'm fond of saying, (emotionally) healthy people don't work in healthcare. Until I examined my expectations of myself, I couldn't escape perpetual burnout. It goes against our grain to make our own mental health a priority, but it's vital. We have to recognize a paradox central to our that being selfish—putting time and effort into our own well-being—makes us much more effective at helping our clients. The work we do is more in demand than ever. Our self-care and shared support needs to increase accordingly.

Genres: Self Help

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Jim LaPierre LCSW, CCS has worked in social services with a combined experience of over thirty years. He is the owner and director of Higher Ground Services in Brewer, Maine.

He is a recovery ally, an LGBTQ+ ally, a mental health therapist, addictions counselor, and professional coach for healers and entrepreneurs. For nearly 20 years now, Jim has specialized in facilitating recovery from addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, and past abuse.

His true passion is teaching, training, and clinically supervising – helping healers and helpers to become healthier and more effective.

Jim is an adjunct instructor at Husson University and supports several grassroots missions. Jim is the cofounder of Sobernow.com, an online addiction recovery program that is affordable and provides complete anonymity.

Connect with Jim at www.TheBestTherapy.org.

Reviews

[Sacha Fortuné · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacha's Book Reviews Blog

This was my thirty-fourth book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. This review also appears on Reedsy.

If you're interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid "tips" to review books!) check it out here.

The Premise
Mental health therapist Jim LaPierre LCSW recounts his own life and career experiences, and provides guidance for other “wounded healers” like himself who straddle the fine line of sanity while helping others with their own mental struggles. Through self-help reflective questions and exercises, readers can use this book to help their own healing and recovery.

The Pros & Cons
This was a raw, thought-provoking reflection of mental health and the internal wounds of its gatekeepers.

Through an engaging collection of short essays, the author recaps his personal experience with his past as well as throughout his career. He also offers self-help guidance in the forms of questions and exercises at the end of each chapter.

His recounts of experiences with patients were interesting and deep, and it was evident that they impacted upon his psyche and were influential in shaping his practice. He explains how many of us operate on a spectrum where we “pass for normal”; however, “we create internal conflict by avoiding external conflict.” There are many profound statements that inspire deep reflection, such as: “My brain does an awful lot of stuff without my permission.” This is so true, and really resonated with me.

In terms of the overall book as a whole, there are a few moments that feel repetitive, but nevertheless these elements give it a natural cadence of storytelling that is calming and reassuring — similar to a therapy session. There are a lot of images that stay with you as inspirational take-aways.

For instance, I liked his comparison to the tale of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, where toys that were abandoned or imperfect were able to come together and form a family — so, too, can “wounded healers” who can combine their strengths and capacities to make each other whole again, through their connections and bonds among the community:

We are different but in amazing ways. Nobody loves like we love. Nobody laughs like we laugh. Nobody will ever be as honest with you as we will. Our loyalty to each other is fierce, and we are the very best people to call at 3 a.m. when the wheels have come off the bus because nobody can be there for you like we can. Despite being so good to each other, we struggle to be good to ourselves.

Conclusion
The lasting message of this book is that to be able to be a healer, you must work on yourself first:

It is not selfish to take care of yourself while serving the world. Quite the opposite: it is absolutely and undeniably necessary.

I can see this book being very useful for its target market, particularly as a regular practice of daily or weekly reading, and as a reference guide to help practice mindfulness while working in this challenging profession. I would highly recommend to others, and I thank the author for the time and care to provide this valuable resource to the community.

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This review also appears on my blog. Visit to read more of my reviews: Sacha's Book Reviews Blog

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[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't resonate with me, as my background differs from the author; I found this a difficult read due to the formatting and some technical errors. I strongly recommend the author's video versions of this material on his website; he is a very strong communicator and things that seem abrupt on the page are delivered more effectively there.

Could work well as reflective workbook, and if one shares some commonality with the author, it may be much more relevant.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good points to the book. There is a lot of profanity throughout, which, for me, took away from the professionalism. Just an okay read.