Job Therapy: Finding Work That Works for You

A psychologist’s guide to finding your most fulfilling job yet

When we’re unhappy in our jobs, we often attribute our frustration to a bad manager, boring tasks, and stressful workloads. But our dissatisfaction at work usually stems from a deeper psychological need that’s not being met at work, like not getting the recognition you deserve.

In Job Therapy, Dr. Tessa West helps you figure out the real reason you’re unhappy and shows you how to find a new position in which you’ll thrive, whether in a different role, company, or new industry altogether. Through her research interviewing thousands of people who have recently switched jobs or undergone career changes, she found there are five common sources of career frustration:

• having an identity crisis – does your sense of self no longer match your job?
• you’ve drifted-apart – do you no longer recognize the job you once loved?
• you’re torn between places – are you taking on too many roles at work, switching tasks too often, or stuck between two paths?
• you’re the runner up – do you always feel like you keep coming in second?
• you’re the underappreciated star – are you crushing it at work, but the people around you aren’t recognizing your performance?

Dr. West will guide you through a working week audit to help identify your unique psychological stressors and use that knowledge to understand what you want your future career to look like. Presenting cutting-edge insights on networking and hiring, from Dr. West’s interviews with over 1,500 professional recruiters, Job Therapy will help you land your best role yet – one that guarantees happiness for years to come.

Dr. Tessa West is Professor of Psychology at New York University, where she is a leading expert on the science of social relationships. Her academic research and writing for the media focuses on how to improve communication between employees, bosses, and hiring professionals across workplace settings.  She has over 100 academic publications and is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Her work has been covered by Scientific American, the New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, CNN, CNBC, ABC World News, TIME, Bloomberg, HBR,    Fast Company, and the US Supreme Court. Her first book, Jerks at Work, was published to rave reviews.