The Performing Art of Therapy

The Performing Art of Therapy explores the myriad ways in which acting techniques can enhance the craft of psychotherapy. The book shows how, by understanding therapy as a performing art, clinicians can supplement their theoretical approach with techniques that fine-tune the ways their bodies, voices, and imaginations engage with and influence their clients. Broken up into accessible chapters focused on specific attributes of performance, and including an appendix of step-by-step exercises for practitioners, this is an essential guidebook for therapists looking to integrate their theoretical training into who they are as individuals, find joy in their work, expand their empathy, increase self-care, and inspire clients to perform their own lives.

Editorial Reviews

"The Performing Art of Therapy is a significant contribution to the field of counseling and psychotherapy. Mark O'Connell has given us a smart, practical, and deeply personal book that will be useful to therapists of all orientations. So much of psychotherapy is taught by text, in a removed, scientific, objective style. O'Connell presents therapy as a creative art, emphasizing performance and the experiential dimension of the encounter. This is not a list of techniques but rather a journey into the use of oneself as the essential instrument of therapeutic engagement."
-- Lewis Aron, Ph.D. seminal psychoanalyst, author, teacher, and former head of the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis


"The Performing Art of Therapy brilliantly explores the nuances of therapist and patient on the therapeutic stage. O'Connell's creative, useful and inspiring work offers us new ways of thinking about our clients as well as our own aliveness, engagement, and self-care."
--Galit Atlas, Ph.D., author of Come Closer, and Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients and the Legacy of Trauma

"Mark O'Connell writes to enliven therapists' use of their selves as creative artists. He situates himself at the intersection of acting and psychotherapy from which he offers practical exercises that focus on mind, body, emotion and breath; he does so not in the manner of a how-to guide but in keeping with a therapist's reach for the freedom of potential and the luxury of being. Sweetening the read, O'Connell serves up wonderful anecdotes from well-known actors who help bring to life his valuable psychotherapeutic suggestions."
-- Ken Corbett, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis


"This revelatory book proposes that the elements of observation, empathy and truthful self-examination so essential to the art of acting are also fundamental to the practice of therapy. In clear, readable, almost conversational prose that is remarkably free of scientific jargon, Mark O'Connell shares insights learned through years of training and practice that are equally applicable to artists and mental health professionals. Any student actor could open a page of this delightful, thought-provoking book and find a nugget of wisdom or practical advice, and any seasoned professional could find--analyzed with simple clarity--the lessons of a lifetime of experience and training. This book, written in a voice that is at once wise and wise-cracking, serious and ironically self-effacing, is a great gift to the field of therapy."
-- Brian McEleney, Head of M.F.A. in Acting, Brown University


"The Performing Art of Therapy, is a tour de force presentation of how skills in which actors are commonly trained, can become ways to prepare for being on the "stage" of each therapeutic session. [Both therapist and client] assume a variety of roles depending on the contemporaneous dramatic context. These roles shift rapidly for both participants, revolving through being players, audience, directors, editors, and so forth to one another, all in an effort to author a new, more meaningful and fulfilling fiction."
-- Philip Ringstrom, Ph.D., Psy.D., author of A Relational Psychoanalytic Approach to Couples Psychotherapy


"The Performing Art of Therapy explores the value of the relationship that develops between therapist and client. It brilliantly demonstrates how authentic connection forms the foundation of all therapeutic processes, and more important, how therapists can use their presence to help build this connection with their clients."
--Psych Central

Modern Brides & Modern Grooms

Content: Part practical wedding planner, part relationship guide book, part memoir, the book helps both same-sex and opposite-sex couples plan personalized, creative events without losing their individual identities.

Approach: The author uses psychotherapeutic strategies to help couples bridge relational gaps and handle family conflicts, while treating the wedding event like a collaborative theatrical production.


Editorial Reviews

“The most impressive aspect is the book's inclusivity. Not only could it be used as a very practical wedding guide--regardless of your religious background, income level, or sexual orientation--it could function as a broadly insightful text for anyone interested in reflecting on their relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners (past, present, or desired future). This is not a book about necessarily rejecting traditions of any shape, size, or form; rather, it is about exploring the many and various ways you can choose to make your own traditions--recognizing and celebrating the history, beliefs, and values that matter most to you.”
-Out Magazine

"No matter what circumstances surround your relationship or what kind of wedding you want, Mark's perspective and advice will prove invaluable to working out the kinks and having not only your dream wedding but better communication with your significant other, family, friends, and in-laws." --Liza Monroy, author of The Marriage Act "This is the most timely book published this year. O'Connell's book is a breeze to read, filled with wonderful examples of what he calls 'queer marriage' and illustrated with examples from his own marriage to another man, as well as from other marriages. It is a pleasure to read. I expect his next book will be about queer adoptions. And why not?"
--Charles Silverstein, PhD, gold medal winner for lifetime achievement in the practice of psychology and coauthor of The Joy of Gay Sex

“This well-written and engaging book is helpful for anyone in a relationship whether dating, engaged, or already married. There are many useful tips in this book about planning a wedding and having the day reflect the couple getting married. More importantly, the reader is given guidance on how to better understand their relationship and improve communication with their significant other. Mark O'Connell's humor helps make a stressful topic fun and relatable. The author openly and honestly shares his own personal experiences and in doing so he gives his readers the freedom to acknowledge the stress that goes along, not only with planning a wedding but creating a future with someone else.”
-Jessica Moskowitz, Journal of GLBT Family Studies

“Part ‘how-to’ and part memoir, this book manages to transcend both and achieve something rather refreshing. Not a light or quick read, but well worth the journey.

• I read Modern Brides and Modern Grooms in practically two sittings. This is a very well-written and clever resource for planning gay and straight weddings. The author is a therapist in NYC and he includes several case histories of wedding couples to support his ideas and strategies. The book is contemporary, practical, and fun to read. I loved it.

  The nonfiction content of this book and the wonderful writing style, full of wit, empathy, and profound understanding of others definitely puts this book close to the top as far as LBQT advice tomes are concerned.”
  -2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention
  
  "So, your wedding day . . . It has to be perfect. Mark O'Connell's book immediately allows you to take a deep breath and say, 'We can do this!' It'll help make your dream a reality with stress-free planning, communication, and love for your wedding day."
  --Del Shores, award-winning director and writer of Sordid Lives,