At first glance, Therapy Quest is an oddly named fantasy novel, complete with tree-lined cover, fairies and other standard characters from fiction. It’s only when you look closer you see the badge Self-help Guide and the strapline An Interactive Quest through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Further examination of the back cover reveals the author is Dr Janina Scarlet, a clinical psychologist and runs superhero-therapay.com a site based on a previous book, Superhero Therapy.
I’ve not been in acceptance and commitment therapy but do have a passing familiarity with psychology. This book is really a self-help aid wrapped in the trappings of something like a classic Fighting Fantasy novel. Herein lies the problem.
While there is clearly an audience who seek more understanding of the relevant psychological issues, the fantasy element of Therapy Quest is, at best weak. There are long segments of story-telling, each setting up a ‘what do you do next’ question. For the most part, the decisions are easy to guess – giving up or rushing in foolishly generally leads to defeat, and while the quest piece is about collecting points for courage/wisdom or inner strength, these do nothing as you pass through the various challenges. There’s the germ of an idea in here, but if you’re looking for a gaming challenge, this isn’t the book for you. Perhaps it wouldn’t be worth the effort, but a series of challenge questions/paths based on how you choose to collect points could be more instructive.
The fantasy elements are written in what could be labelled YA, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing (and perhaps that’s the target audience), the explanation sections are written for a more adult audience, at least in style. There is plenty of useful material here, and it resonates with other techniques you may have encountered from NLP or mindfulness; if you are interested in learning about these from a book, there are better options.
Really, then, this book has a noble intent but may well have a limited audience.
THERAPY QUEST / AUTHOR: JANINA SCARLET / PUBLISHER: LITTLE, BROWN BOOK GROUP / RELEASE DATE: AVAILABLE NOW
