Book excerpt: "Counsellors from a psychodynamic and psychoanalytical background will feel very at home with the contents. I found it a thoroughly enjoyable read;it actually made me laugh out loud on a couple of occasions. I found the anecdotes entertaining and well chosen; any therapist who has been in practice for a while will be able to identify with them." Therapy Today review, February 2013 "This book is a marvel! Packed with truly vital information both for the newly qualified and for the experienced therapist in private practice. The frequent vignettes and discussions are a delight, bringing a range of complex and challenging technical issues to life. This book gives an engaging and practical insight into what is usually the very private world of private practice." Susanna Abse, CEO, The Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships, London, UK "The book takes seriously the needs of therapists throughout their professional life - the need for developing support systems and care of the therapist's well being, looking after their bodies as well as minds ... In the Foreword Susie Orbach describes the book as a gift to the profession and I agree." Oxford Psychotherapy Bulletin "Although addressed primarily to psychotherapists and counsellors, practically every page of this book applies equally to the practice of complementary medicine - acupuncture, osteopathy and so on - and it is essential reading for these practitioners. For it teaches, in far more depth than their training ever does, just what it means to be a therapist; and the book's clarity and wisdom will enhance the work done in any treatment room." John Hamwee, Acupuncturist and author of Energy Medicine and Acupuncture for New Practitioners "I have often wondered just what goes on in therapy between psychotherapists and their clients in the secrecy of the consulting room. This book gives me an intriguing, bird's eye view from inside the room of how and why the process works." Lisa Jayne Bloomer, Lisa Jayne Art Studio, UK "A highly experienced and deeply wise practitioner of psychotherapy, Pauline Hodson serves as the most trustworthy of guides and mentors, providing mental health professionals with a cornucopia of illuminating advice about the crucial minutiae of our work. Written with admirable concision and with the page-turning delights of a fine novel, this book will be a joy for seasoned colleagues, and a life-saver for students and for those newly qualified. The Business of Therapy: How to Succeed in Private Practice leaves all other contenders in the dust!" Professor Brett Kahr, Centre for Child Mental Health in London and Roehampton University, UK "I wish this marvellous book had come my way earlier. It's an essential read for any therapeutic practitioner, but particularly for those in their first years in the profession or who are still in training. Pauline Hodson has applied her extensive experience and 'know how' to create this valuable tool kit that covers all the practicalities, and much more, of running a private practice or clinic. Written with great heart but also in a boundaried psychodynamic style, The Business of Therapy is practical, wise and down to earth without ever being prescriptive. It's a pleasure to recommend it." Carol Leader, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist (BPC and UKCP) Creating a comfortable consulting room, grappling with the thorny question of money, finding clients, paperwork, legal issues, boundaries and confidentiality - Pauline Hodson analyses both the psychological and practical issues which need to be addressed when setting up a private practice. Once your practice is established it is important to be able to anticipate and think about situations that impinge on the therapy: illness, holidays, neighbours, pets and children, which if not paid attention to, can destroy the safe environment necessary for effective and sensitive work to take place. The Business of Therapy gives both detailed anecdotes and a jargon free overview of the theory and practice of the work of therapists. It is a much needed handbook for all those who work with clients in the privacy of a consulting room - and for all those who are curious about what therapy actually involves. This book is a valuable resource for psychotherapists and counsellors, for graduates setting up in private practice, for established practitioners and for those planning retirement. With a foreword by Susie Orbach.