Book Review: Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

Abstract

Reported incidents of mental health issues at universities have soared – not just amongst students but also amongst faculty and staff. Although this was a pattern pre-pandemic, the impact of successive lockdowns and COVID-related restrictions have further impacted the mental health and wellbeing of our campus communities. Academic faculty are often in the frontline of providing immediate help to students, whilst dealing with workplace-related stress and the effects of the pandemic themselves. Academics in business schools are not mental health specialists; publicly-funded mental health services are significantly over-subscribed in the UK and many students cannot afford private services. It is into this gap, therefore, that Dr Julie Smith’s work steps. The thesis of her book is to introduce advice and concepts that the author uses in her clinical therapeutic practice to an audience that might not be able to access psychotherapy. This is a book that is not only useful but is also realistic about the world in which we live and the desire of people to lead a meaningful life.Ultimately if we are to support faculty, staff and students in managing mental health and wellbeing then resources such as this one can be helpful.