Book: Good Morning, Monster

Book Title:

Good Morning, Monster – A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery.

Author(s): Catherine Gildiner.

Year: 2020.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press.

Type(s): Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, and Kindle.

Synopsis:

In this fascinating narrative, therapist Catherine Gildiner’s presents five of what she calls her most heroic and memorable patients. Among them: a successful, first generation Chinese immigrant musician suffering sexual dysfunction; a young woman whose father abandoned her at age nine with her younger siblings in an isolated cottage in the depth of winter; and a glamorous workaholic whose narcissistic, negligent mother greeted her each morning of her childhood with “Good morning, Monster.”

Each patient presents a mystery, one that will only be unpacked over years. They seek Gildiner’s help to overcome an immediate challenge in their lives, but discover that the source of their suffering has been long buried.

As in such recent classics as The Glass Castle and Educated, each patient embodies self-reflection, stoicism, perseverance, and forgiveness as they work unflinchingly to face the truth. Gildiner’s account of her journeys with them is moving, insightful, and sometimes very funny. Good Morning Monster offers an almost novelistic, behind-the-scenes look into the therapist’s office, illustrating how the process can heal even the most unimaginable wounds.

Book: Working with Sexual Issues in Psychotherapy

Book Title:

Working with Sexual Issues in Psychotherapy: A Practical Guide Using a Systemic Social Constructionist Framework (Basic Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy).

Author(s): Desa Markovic.

Year: 2017.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: Red Globe Press.

Type(s): Paperback and Kindle.

Synopsis:

Whilst many psychotherapists work skilfully and creatively with the subject of sex, the lack of professional support systems such as training and supervision mean that the topic is often still treated as taboo in the psychotherapy room.

This secretive treatment may increase clients feelings of shame and embarrassment, thus mirroring the confusing views on sexuality in society and leading to the onset and development of sexual dysfunctions.

Bringing the medical perspective of sexology together with systemic psychotherapy informed by social constructionism, this timely book seeks to fill the gap in psychotherapy literature, research and training by providing a theoretical framework, as well as practical guidance, for effective therapeutic interventions in working with sex and sexual relationships in clinical practice.

Exploring topics such as sexual prejudice, the significance of sexual diversity and the assessment and treatment of sexual dysfunctions, enriched with a wealth of engaging case studies, Working with Sexual Issues in Psychotherapy is a fascinating and important read both for students new to this complex topic, and for practitioners looking for a comprehensive source of reference.