In Episode 5 of Trust the Process Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Melbourne-based clinical psychologist, freelance writer and author Dr Bianca Denny.
Bianca has over 15 years’ experience providing psychotherapy to adults. Her clinical and research interests include psychological distress related to illness and injury, personality disorders, trauma, and the training and wellbeing of health professionals. Bianca writes widely for both academia and mainstream media on topics related to mental health, mental illness, psychology, and therapy.
She is the author of two books, Talk to me: Lessons from patients and their therapist, and The how-to of psychotherapy: A practical guide for therapists.
In this episode:
We delve into Bianca’s journey from academic writing to mainstream media
Bianca shares the inspiration behind her books ‘Talk to Me: Lessons from Patients and Their Therapist’ and ‘The How To of Psychotherapy: A Practical Guide for Therapists,’ and the ethical considerations in writing about patients.
Bianca discusses the challenges and benefits of integrating personal experiences into professional writing
Listeners will gain insights into the therapeutic process, supervision, and the dynamic relationship between psychology and writing.
‘I have a rule in my writing, which I picked up from a workshop that I attended, which is to write from the scar, not the wound. So I was very careful to only write about things that for me were historical and not a current source of tension or, not current events for me.’
Bianca Denny, Clinical Psychologist & Author
Have you caught up on past episodes of Trust the Process?
Ep 01: Writing crime fiction with Georgia Harper. Listen here.
Ep 02: Writing non-fiction with Dr. Ahona Guha. Listen here.
Ep 03: Writing Psychological Stories with Kylie Ladd. Listen here.
Ep 04: On the expression of female anger in fiction with Liz Evans. Listen here.
Talk to Me: Lessons from Patients and their Therapist by Dr Bianca Denny
Sharing the extraordinary stories of ten everyday people engaging in psychotherapy, this book takes the reader into the room, showing the realities of being in therapy and providing insight into the perspectives of both the patient and the clinician.
Through these cases from her own practice, author and psychotherapist Bianca Denny dissects, unravels and reconstructs experiences of grief, denial, jealousy, shame, desire, and letting go. A terminally ill woman desperate to reconcile with her estranged family. A new mother on the precipice of admission to a psychiatric unit. A delusional man, intent on harming his wife. A bachelor who self-sabotages his last chance of happiness. An adult daughter struggling to understand the relationship with her mother, in the wake of her parents’ divorce. A person for whom a diagnosis of ADHD raises more questions than it answers. Denny shares her personal and professional insight through reactions of vulnerability, sadness, compassion and frustration. Readers are invited into the minds of patients as well as the internal workings of a therapist’s mind.
Exploring the complexity of the patient and therapist relationship, and what actually happens in therapy, this book is essential reading for qualifying and early career therapists.
Connect with Bianca via Instagram or on her website.
Support the author, purchase Bianca’s books here:
Talk to Me: Lessons from Patients and their Therapist
The How-To of Psychotherapy: A Practical Guide for Therapists
