{"id":799006,"date":"2025-06-09T16:07:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=799006"},"modified":"2025-06-18T12:48:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T11:48:39","slug":"five-key-learnings-from-my-work-as-a-psychologist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/five-key-learnings-from-my-work-as-a-psychologist\/","title":{"rendered":"Five key Learnings from my work as a Psychologist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before I wrote Flat 401<\/em>, I worked for over a decade as a clinical psychologist. I spent years learning to understand the human mind and people\u2019s experiences, and training to be able to help people overcome emotional challenges. At the time, I didn\u2019t think of it as \u2018preparation for novel-writing,\u2019 but it turned out to come in handy! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are five ways my clinical background has informed how I write; I hope you might use these ideas too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Tension: threat, not just action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Compassion-Focused Therapy, we talk about the threat system<\/em> – the part of the brain that activates when something feels dangerous. Importantly, it doesn\u2019t distinguish between actual<\/em> threat and perceived<\/em> threat. The same group of physiological responses can be triggered by a near car crash or by a passive-aggressive text from your partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fiction, this means tension doesn\u2019t require a gun or a chase scene. It can be built on what a character believes<\/em> might happen: being found out, losing face, hurting someone they love. If your character feels threatened – socially, emotionally, psychologically – the reader will too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip:<\/strong> Identify what your character is afraid of losing (status, safety, love, control), put it in jeopardy \u2013 and make sure the reader can see and understand this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Complex characters often don\u2019t act in their own best interests<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the therapy room, people rarely show up with clear motivations. Or, they might express a motivation (\u2018I don\u2019t want to be depressed or anxious\u2019) but have understandable difficulty getting on board with the path towards that goal \u2013 because it\u2019s hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Characters don\u2019t need to be likeable (it\u2019s often said), but the more memorable ones do<\/em> need to be layered. Often, the richest characters are the ones whose behaviour is coherent, but not always free of contradictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip:<\/strong> Ask yourself, what does this character do that inadvertently sabotages themself?<\/em> Put some of that into action by showing the unintended negative consequences of them pursuing (or avoiding pursuing) their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to read the rest of this article? Log in<\/a> or join our free community – you’ll get the rest of our top tips, plus a truck-load of other resources. Whoever said you don’t get anything in this life for free?<\/h4>\n\n\n\r\n