Unlocked

Ten enthralling stories of different people in therapy online in various cultural and geographical contexts – in Saudi Arabia, the UK, USA, Italy, Belgium, and France. Each narrative explores a unique presenting situation and uncovers the complexities of the therapeutic experience. Inspired by real client sessions, the stories are fictionalised.

All therapeutic work described in this book happens online. The pandemic forced therapists to move to remote work but Anastasia Piatakhina Giré had already been working with her clients in this way for a decade. Her stories show how a curious and skilled online therapist can make the most of the unexpected gifts that ‘screen’ therapy offers – be it the intrusion of a pet, a parent breaking into the session, or a client taking her therapist for a trip outside. Rather than being somehow ‘less’, taking therapeutic conversations out of a physical therapy room breathes a new energy and new possibilities into the therapeutic process. These conversations happening through the screen have a surprising close-up quality and foster a different kind of intimacy and intensity. Giré’s years of experience reveal the positives of digital practice, including how it enables multilingual, cross-cultural therapy, and will inspire others who work in this way or are considering a move to online therapy. Her accessible storytelling has a broad appeal to those working in psychotherapy and to the general reader curious about human psychology, diversity, and contemporary psychotherapy.

Prologue

1. Laila, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2. Jane, London, United Kingdom
3. Alan, Manhattan, United States
4. Anna, Venice, Italy
5. JP, Brussels, Belgium
6. Alice, London, United Kingdom
7. Claudio, Rome, Italy
8. Elena, New Jersey, United States
9. Claire, Paris, France
10. Philip, Northumberland, United Kingdom

• By (author) Anastasia Piatakhina Giré

'Unlocked is an exquisitely compassionate and riveting window into our hearts and minds that will leave you thinking about these patients, yourself, and the lives of those you love long after you read the last word. The beauty of our messy humanity and the hope for redemption shine through on every page.' 

— Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed