Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
In this raw, unflinching memoir, seasoned therapist Lori Gottlieb pulls back the curtain on psychotherapy—by stepping into the client’s chair herself. When her long-term partner abruptly leaves her, refusing to raise her young son, Gottlieb is thrown into grief, self-doubt, and existential panic. Forced to confront her own unprocessed pain, she seeks treatment with Wendell Bronson, a wise, no-nonsense therapist who challenges her to look beyond anger and denial. Interwoven with her journey are stories of four clients: John, a narcissistic screenwriter masking crippling grief over his late son; Julie, a newlywed professor fighting terminal cancer; Rita, a 69-year-old planning to end her life if she doesn’t find meaning by 70; and Charlotte, a 25-year-old paralyzed by anxiety and alcoholism. As Gottlieb guides her clients through darkness, she learns therapy is never one-sided—healing happens when both therapist and client embrace vulnerability, confront truths, and choose to grow.