And her problems were not minor her suicidal thoughts were steeped in serious commitment issues, and she was desperate to find a man to call her husband so every new relationships she entered was picked apart by her group members. Clearly group therapy is not a fit for everyone, but as complicated as Tate’s life was, she did find it helpful, much to my shock. Opening up to a single therapist is one thing, telling a regular person with no medical or psychotherapy training is quite another. And although I’m terrible at keeping secrets and boldly proclaim myself an ‘open book’ (no pun intended) to anyone who will listen, I can’t quite imagine myself in this author’s shoes detailing the nitty gritty embarrassments of my life to a group full of strangers who offer both advice and condemnation equally. I love a good dish, so witnessing other people’s problems immediately appealed to me. A quick scan of her biography will tell you the book ends happily, but the ups and downs of her personal life detailed in this memoir are both shocking and scintillating to read about.Ī fast pace, juicy details, and a positive message wrapped up in an entertaining journey, this book hit the mark for me. She sticks with this group, even adding a second one for many years, vacillating between both disgust and dependence on them and their infamous Dr. He also harbours a painful insistence on complete and brutal honesty in his group therapy sessions which Tate struggles with, especially when her sex life is picked apart only minutes after meeting these people, many of them men.

As soon as she meets him, she’s struck with the realization that she has met him before at a 12-step recovery program for people with food addictions strike one against him. Despite these achievements, she finds herself fantasizing about her own death, and realizing this isn’t a healthy train of thought she starts seeing Dr. She’s struggled with eating disorders in the past, but she’s now got that *mostly* under control. This book doesn’t hold much back, and that was my favourite part about it!Ĭhristie is a classic high-achiever, and she’s just gradated from law school at the top of her class. This understandably sounds like a nightmare to many but my gossip-loving self was dying to dive in.

It’s a memoir written by a woman who joins a group therapy program where you essentially meet with the same group each week for years at a time, all talking about your problems in an open environment with each other. Group, How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life by Christie Tate is banking on the fact that you’re like me and interested in other people’s problems. If you had the chance to secretly sit in on someone’s private therapy session, would you? Does hearing about the drama and disappointments of someone else’s life make you feel better about yours? I would personally answer ‘yes!’ to both those questions, but I may be in the minority.

Christie tate therapist