Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life

Christie Tate portrays herself as a high achiever with challenging emotional needs and desires. She needs Dr. Rosen and group therapy to help her learn to trust herself so that she can form the connections she actually wants. As a high achiever, Christie has managed to manufacture intimacy; however, the lack of connection has left her unfulfilled, which has resulted in self-loathing. This illustrates key aspects of Christie’s character: She has a deep desire for connection, she is determined to accomplish her goals, and she can make questionable decisions and even blatant mistakes in the process.

Tate uses humor to offset the tension in many of the story’s tense episodes. Descriptions of self-harm, disordered eating, nonconsensual sex, and suicidal ideation provoke difficult feelings that could result in her giving up her journey of healing. Tate’s self-aware humor helps her see the lighter side of her experiences, reminding her that there is hope. Because Christie is willing to make mistakes and try things out, she is an interesting and relatable character. Her memoir fits into the category of women who have the drive to overcome difficult circumstances. In Tate’s case, the difficult circumstances are witnessing a

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