Bird Gotta Land: The Education of a Young Psychologist

Intelligent…An intriguing tableau of modern psychotherapy. - Kirkus Reviews

A young grad student in psychology discovers that in order to heal others, he must first face his deepest wounds. A debut novel from psychologist Gerald S. Drose.

Stephen Swift is a divorced 27-year old father who has stumbled into a doctoral program in clinical psychology at Georgia University. Which is ironic, because he’s estranged from his cancer-stricken father, barely sees his sister, and is stuck in a false narrative that he’s not good enough to succeed in anything. His romantic relationships also leave little to be desired. In a nutshell, he’s a mess.

But as study begins and Stephen starts learning how to plumb the psyches of others, he quickly finds himself on a parallel path of self-discovery, thanks to a sympathetic professor, his therapist, a psychotic prisoner, intramural softball, and an endearing, free-spirited classmate named Ally who challenges Stephen’s views of love, connection, and what it means to show up.

Debut novelist and veteran psychologist Gerald S. Drose gives a wry, thoughtful, and intimate view of one young man’s journey to heal himself before he can begin to heal others. Ideal for fans of contemporary, character-driven fiction, for readers in their 20s and 30s struggling through a quarter-life crisis, and those who simply want to see how therapists get trained. A must-read for undergraduate psychology students seeking a peek behind the curtain of graduate school and other therapists exploring the transformative art of psychotherapy.