Tag: mentalhealth
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I’m nominated for two UK Book Blogger Awards
Thank you so much for the nominations for Creative Excellence and the Book Blogger of the Year for the UK Book Blogger Awards 2025. https://www.thebookparty.co.uk/uk-book-blogger-awards I pride myself on trying to bring something different to the book review and blogging community – combining my love of psychology and books. I love taking a deep dive…
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Muckle Flugga, Michael Pedersen. A Psychological Portrait of Ouse, Firth and The Father.
Meet Ouse, Firth and The Father Please note, this article contains spoilers for the novel. Michael Pedersen’s highly anticipated debut novel, Muckle Flugga, launched into the literary world in May 2025. Published by Faber, the book is remarkable and Pedersen’s lyrical prose leap from the pages. In the two weeks since its release, the book…
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On The Calculation of Volume, Solvej Balle. A Psychological Portrait of Tara Selter.
What would you do if each morning, when you wake up, the day has reset, and you are forced to relive the 18th of November again and again? A seemingly endless time loop. You confide in your partner, parents and friends but each new day, they forget the conversation and you need to start again.…
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The Boy From The Sea, Garrett Carr. A Psychological Portrait of Brendan Bonnar.
Garrett Carr’s debut adult novel, The Boy from The Sea landed on the literary shore, much like the book’s protagonist, Brendan Bonnar: unexpected, mysterious, packed full of heart and special. The book is a marvel, an intimate tale of a family and small rural community in a fishing village in the west coast of Ireland. …
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Caledonian Road, Andrew O’Hagan. A Psychological Portrait of Campbell Flynn
Please note: This article contains spoilers for Caledonian Road. Caledonian Road is the latest novel from Booker Prize nominated author Andrew O’Hagan. It is a book of epic proportions, with a host of principal characters who are all part of a complex and interconnected web. Campbell Flynn is at the centre of the novel and…
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Two Sisters, David Greig: A Psychological Portrait of a Play
In February, I had the pleasure of watching Two Sisters, a new play written by David Greig and directed by Wils Wilson. Starring Jess Harwick, Shauna MacDonald and Erik Olsson, it ran at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh from 10th February to 2nd March 2024. Please note this post contains spoilers for Two Sisters. The…
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Fictional Formulations and The Paperback Psychologist
A reflection on reading, Compassion Focused Therapy, and taking psychological formulations out of the therapy room and into understanding literary characters A Guest blog post written for balancedminds.com I’m very proud to have been able to contribute to the Compassion Focused Therapy blog for Balanced Minds. It was a chance to step back and reflect…
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Mayflies, Andrew O’Hagan – A Psychological Formulation #9
*This posts contains spoilers for Mayflies* Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan Andrew O’Hagan’s Mayflies is a beautiful exploration of friendship, life and death. It truly is a privilege to meet Jimmy and Tully on their journey through Irvine, Manchester and Switzerland. The first half of the book explores their coming of age as they make a…
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A Christmas Carol- A Psychological Formulation #8, CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Merry Christmas from The Paperback Psychologist Charles Dickens first introduced the world to Ebenezer Scrooge in 1843. His novella, A Christmas Carol tells the tale of Scrooge a tragic, lonely figure who is bitter at the world and focused solely on work and wealth. We are given glimpses into Scrooge’s life from the three spirits…
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Ginger and Me, Elissa Soave – A Psychological Formulation #7
“I’m going to tell you something Wendy,’ she said. ‘People don’t like it when girls are a bit different because then they can’t fit them into the only image they have for them… But it’s important to always be yourself whether they like it or not because that’s the best person you can be. It’s…
The Paperback Psychologist 