Mr. Szymczak offers a humorous look at the field of psychotherapy through the personalities and life experiences of some real characters. The author claims his material was inspired by his real life encounters. This fact might prove a bit disconcerting to the faint-hearted and especially those who may have a naive idea of the health and normalcy of those trying to lead the masses to health and normalcy. The book will probably have its greatest appeal to those working in the field. While you will chuckle at some of his entanglements, you will also sympathize with the main character Peter through his painful growth as a young professional psychotherapist coming to grips with the realities that come his way. He is also struggling to untie the apron strings of an overbearing mom. You the reader might want to keep a little note pad to help keep track of the characters...there are quite a few, each a bit more cuckoo than the other. Don't look for a definitive ending. You'll be left with a ray of hope for poor Peter, but you'll be wondering...and ready to read the sequel, which is on its way.

This book is absorbing, one of those books you just couldn't put down until you finished it. It is a story about a psychologist who, at age 29, still lives with his parents in Australia, which is the setting of the book. He works in a psychiatric department which is staffed with a lot of crazy professionals. I'd hate to be a patient with one of their therapists. It had some disturbing scenes which reminded me of "One flew over the Cuckoo's nest" I was blatantly shocked at how they used one way mirrors.