The Gossamer Thread: My Life as a Psychotherapist

by John Marzillier

This book is a memoir of the author's professional life as a psychologist and psychotherapist. It shows his progression from a hard-nosed behavior therapist with a strong commitment to science to a psychodynamic therapist with an interest in narrative. Along the way he shows the way the main schools of psychotherapy (behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic) work, drawing on case material from his professional practice. He shows the mistakes he made and the lessons he eventually learned from his patients. His focus on clinical cases enables readers to see psychotherapy in operation and get drawn into the ups and downs of trying to help some fascinating and often tricky people who rarely conform to what is expected of them.The book is free of jargon and can be enjoyed without any prior knowledge of psychology or psychotherapy. It is designed to entertain and inform the general readership about the mysterious world of psychotherapy, what goes on behind the consulting room door. It will be of particular interest to the increasing number of people who encounter psychotherapy either through their own experience of seeking help or the experiences of family and friends or through reading of popular books such as those of Oliver James and Irving Yalom.It should also prove invaluable for those interested in training as a clinical psychologist, counsellor or psychotherapist.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Memoir

290 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2010

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for any psychotherapist, particularly in the early stages of your career. I found the evolution and development of therapeutic trends very accessible (unlike so many other books..). Most importantly this book is an honest and authentic account of what it is to be a psychotherapist.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like wry British humor and this book has it. I also enjoyed the narrative very much. For anyone interested in psychotherapy, psychology or human interaction, this book is a fascinating read. What I didn't like were all the typos. Many typos. Where was the editor???
Still, it was a good read.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fascinating to follow the author's journey from a staunch behavioral therapist to a psychodynamic one. I think that his initial enthusiasm and later skepticism about the whole (C)BT enterprise will resonate with many therapists who never stop searching for what actually works for our clients. Style-wise, it seems that the book transitioned from a hopeful and positive funny tone to a more somber one, indicating the challenges associated with a dogmatic look at what makes a therapeutic paradigm effective. Unfortunately, I struggled to understand the goal of the book, as it read both as an autobiography and a collection of mini case studies. It also felt that the author tried too hard to "write a book". That being said, I would recommend it to any established or beginning therapist underwhelmed by the promise of behavioral therapies.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtfully written and engaging account of his career, from the birth of behaviourism and psychoanalytic psychotherapy to CBT. A compelling, funny and very human writing 'voice' made this an easy read. Marzillier also explains some psychological theory in a very simple and comprehensive way, so that concepts I've struggled to understand from text books made sense.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely recommend for any training therapists. It gave me a good insight to behavioral therapy/CBT and the differences between pyschoanalysis.
An honest account of his frustrations and zig zag career. His curiosity has served him well.

[Dominika · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a fantastic one!
Sooo captivating and at the same time informative - the journey of the author in terms of his approach to therapy was really fascinating to read about, and I got to know a lot about the various therapeutic schools of thought in general. I can only recommend.

[Kimberly Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book ... especially the vulnerability in his depiction of how he evolved as a therapist.

[Rick Bach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable history of how mental health has been seen and treated during the long career of this insightful psychotherapist.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know what it is like to be a psychologist you could do worse than read this fascinating memoir. As the author himself says towards the end of the book – helping human being is a messy and complicated business and there is no guarantee of success. Even if you can agree with anyone, including the patient, on how to measure success in the first place.

The author writes in an interesting and never less than compassionate manner about his patients and also about his own successes and failures. He shows what it is like to try out a new type of therapy when none of the rules have been established. He emphasises that whatever helps people to live their lives how they want to without debilitating depression, anxiety or phobia is a good thing.

Reading this book made me realise that the human mind and human behaviour are ultimately so complex that psychology is still only scratching the surface. Trying to help another human being understand their problems must always be a worthwhile job but it is one fraught with pitfalls and a false step can have devastating consequences. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in psychology or self help.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very enlightening to me as a psychotherapy practitioner. The author gives, with great honesty, his thoughts and reflections when he was with his patients. Though sometimes these thoughts sound fallacious, they make a lot of senses to practitioners who have been trained and worked with patients in therapy. His professional transition from a behavior therapist to psychodynamic psychotherapist is well illustrated with a genuine curiosity about and compassion for his patients. It's definitely a good read and very helpful for psychotherapists to develop their own thoughts and stand in this field.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good depiction of the growth of a therapist over time. We learn from his struggles and experiences in a well written and humorous way. A great read!