Webchat with Professor Tanya Byron: Tuesday 8 July, 1-2pm.

[RachelMumsnet]

Professor Tanya Byron will be joining us for a webchat at 1pm on Tuesday 8 July. Tanya is a practicing consultant in child and adolescent mental health and author of several books including her latest, The Skeleton Cupboard, our June non-fiction book of the month.

The Skeleton Cupboard is Professor Tanya Byron's fascinating account of her years training as a clinical psychologist. The Skeleton Cupboard recounts the period when she found herself in the toughest placements of her career. Through the eyes of her naive and inexperienced younger self, Tanya shares remarkable stories of the people who came to her for help with a multitude of difficulties. The patients she sees suffer from loneliness, anorexia and anxiety, as well as severe cases of dementia and a psychopath with a knife.

Find out more about the book, read an extract here

Come and chat to Tanya about her experiences training and working as a psychologist, her book or tap into her expertise and ask her a question about any psychological and emotional issues that may be affecting you or your family.

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

I think that's probably right blue but will the 4 children stay living with you, or will (his) three move out with him?

[MrsRedWhite214]

I haven't managed to finish this yet, I'm hoping to get a bit more time to read soon

[GretchenWiener]

I dont think a psychologist knows about mortgages, particularly

[Cakecrumbsinmybra]

Still working on on free copy but will be posting my thoughts soon!

[mumtooneson]

Thanks for the free copy. I enjoyed the book and the insights into the different case strategies. I'm not entirely sure who the target audience is as I did find the blend of fictional cases and some personal input a bit of a mishmash.

[MrsRedWhite214]

The skeleton cupboard takes you on the journey of qualifying as a clinical psychologist. Tanya Byron talks through each of her placements in different areas of mental health and brings an understanding of how the psychologist can feel in these situations. It is a fiction book based on her experiences in training, but straddles the fiction/non-fiction boundary well. It doesn't read like a story but you also don't get bogged down in facts.

It is a very easy book to read. She doesn't complicate the cases and is honest about how she dealt with the situations. Her book manages to humanise the psychologist as well as the patients.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in mental health, or becoming a mental health practitioner. I liked the way she explored the boundary between personal and professional opinion and the necessity to deal with those feelings properly.