The Cut editorial director Stella Bugbee announced today that Lori Gottlieb will write a weekly “non-advice” column for the site, What Your Therapist Really Thinks, examining the daily problems of living from a psychological perspective. Because therapists don’t give advice, Gottlieb, a practicing psychotherapist, will explore reader questions on love, marriage, friends, family, emotional struggles, existential crises, and more, sharing what a therapist might be thinking — but perhaps not saying aloud. Her inaugural column tackles a question on suspected sexual infidelity, and challenges the letter writer to consider the ways that she, too, might be less-than-truthful in her marriage.
“For all our readers who’ve wondered what their therapists might be holding back, Lori’s column is a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain,” says Bugbee. “In long and thoughtful responses, Lori will unpack the underlying defenses we employ and unconscious motivations that determine our behavior, offering at times tough but always compassionate guidance.”
Gottlieb is the New York Times best-selling author of four books, most recently Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. She has contributed on-air pieces to the public radio programs All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, This American Life, and Marketplace, and has appeared as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, Good Morning America, and other outlets. Her forthcoming book, Girl Walks Into A Therapy Room, examines our lives from both sides of the couch.
Advice columns have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, and Gottlieb joins the Cut’s Ask Polly columnist Heather Havrilesky and Ask a Boss columnist Alison Green. Readers can submit questions to Gottlieb at [email protected].
“This column will marry the widespread interest in the advice sector with the widespread interest in the workings of the mind and the therapeutic process,” says Gottlieb. “My goal is to use my professional knowledge to help people think about themselves in entirely new ways, to go deeper and pinpoint what, in fact, is keeping the letter writer ‘stuck’ based on what I’m trained to look for — essentially offering a free case consultation.”