“If you have ever wondered what a shrink’s life is really like – from education, to training, to the large and small details of treating other people’s inner pain every day– this book is for you. Gitlin’s stories about her career as a psychiatrist in an underserved rural community are warm, funny, human, and deeply humane.” Kristin Kimball, The Dirty Life; Good Husbandry

Patient ambushes! Clinician pratfalls! Community curveballs! Practice, Practice, Practice: This Psychiatrist’s Life gives you a fly-on-the-wall view of therapy sessions along with actual transcripts of what’s going through this therapist’s mind as she’s working, living and saving the day (or trying to). What else does this immersive memoir spanning twenty-five years of rural psychiatric practice expose? Flawless performance is not required for a therapist to be genuinely helpful.

Written with unsparing candor and a light touch, these interconnected clinical and personal tales reveal a way of thinking that is essential for learning actively, living fully, and doing good work, with a sense of wonder, year after year. Whether you’re simply curious, already in the field, or a mental health educator, you’re sure to get some ideas for what to do (or not do!) with the people in your life.

“I loved this book. It’s interesting, compelling, and very insightful. I found it a sort of DIY therapy—Ohhh, so that’s how I should approach…. Also, the faux science articles are HILARIOUS.” Lori B. Duff, If You Did What I Asked in the First Place

“You’ll enjoy this witty, scintillating account of treatments rendered to patients living hardscrabble lives. You’ll benefit from her clinical acumen too— I’ve already used some of her nuggets with my own caseload. Noteworthy is her struggle to save her practice when a key insurance company drastically slashes her reimbursement rates. Get ready for an exciting read!” Alvin Pam, Ph.D, Splitting Up: Enmeshment and Estrangement in the Process of Divorce.