Counselling for Toads

"As a psychologist, one of the questions I most commonly get asked is about the therapeutic process; how it works, what it entails and what actually happens during therapy. Within the pages of this book Robert deBoard seeks to answer these questions with a beautifully executed blend of psychological concepts and relatable storytelling, that makes complex ideas around therapy accessible and engaging.One of the book’s strengths is its relatability. By using familiar characters like Toad, Mole, and Rat, the author illustrates the universality of psychological struggles, showing how even our most beloved fictional characters experience self-doubt, avoidance, and insecurity. Counselling for Toads beautifully bridges the gap between professional knowledge and everyday experience, making it a valuable addition to both psychologists’ bookshelves and readers interested in exploring the transformative power of counselling." - Linda Papadopoulos, PhD, is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is a regular commentator on psychological issues in the press and TV and radio networks both in the UK and the US.

"Brilliantly uses one of the world's favourite stories for all ages to engagingly and revealingly take us through the psychotherapeutic process and transactional analysis. Am I a better Toad for reading it? Of course I am!!!" -William Horwood, English novelist, author of the Wind in the Willows sequel series, Tales of the Willows

"Drawing on the figure of Toad, who is a rather pompous yet affectionate character who has fallen into depression, de Board takes us on a journey through the theory of Eric Berne’s classical transactional analysis. Toad goes to see Heron, the local counsellor, who is a gentle, kind, thoughtful, serious yet confrontational person, the type of person one would hope to meet in a counsellor. The theory is described clearly yet convincingly through the client/counsellor relationship with plentiful uses of metaphor, good humour, and irony that make us smile indulgently, not only at Toad but also at ourselves at times as we recognise some of our own frailties." - Helena Hargaden, psychotherapist, counsellor, and transactional analyst, author of Transactional Analysis: A Relational Perspective

"Through this anthropomorphic parable, de Board takes readers into a realistic, humorous, and humane account of being in psychotherapy. I suspect that Toad would find great pleasure to know that this story of his life, struggles, and recovering is still being read 25 years since its original publication. Counselling for Toads offers an overview of the basics of transactional analysis in practice. In the 25 years since the book was written, transactional analysis has continued to evolve and is now a model of human relations work applied in psychotherapy, counselling, education, and organizational development." - William F. Cornell, MA, TSTA, editor of the Routledge book series, Innovations in Transactional Analysis, and editor of Into TA: A Comprehensive Textbook on Transactional Analysis.

"Not only an instructive handbook for those in any way contemplating counselling... it is warmly funny and respectful of the spirit of Grahame's novel. If he had written his own sequel he might have ended it like this one." - Jan Mark, Times Educational Supplement
"For anyone wishing to know something about transactional analysis this is a clear and very readable introduction." - The Friend
"This engaging pastiche of Kenneth Grahame's riverbank classic... manages to be not only instructive and, at times, extremely amusing, but also to remain remarkably faithful to the cheery, bucolic spirit of the original... extremely enjoyable." - Paul Sussman, in the Independent on Sunday
"An imaginative attempt to explain the counselling process... the idea of counselling is all around, but this demystified it wittily." - Openmind
"A delightful book which... offers a gentle introduction to transactional analysis and much more." - Relate News
"A clever intertwining of the tale of Toad and the intricate thought processes behind the science of counselling... a classic journey of discovery, triumph and pain." - Book of the Day, Glasgow Herald
"Counselling for Toads is a joy. Not just because it is an extremely clever Kenneth Grahame pastiche, but because it actually explains counselling as a method of dealing with psychological distress with admirable clarity. You'll want to read The Wind in the Willows again after this version of the story - and you'll read it with new eyes." - Claire Rayner

"As a psychologist, one of the questions I most commonly get asked is about the therapeutic process; how it works, what it entails and what actually happens during therapy. Within the pages of this book Robert deBoard seeks to answer these questions with a beautifully executed blend of psychological concepts and relatable storytelling, that makes complex ideas around therapy accessible and engaging.One of the book’s strengths is its relatability. By using familiar characters like Toad, Mole, and Rat, the author illustrates the universality of psychological struggles, showing how even our most beloved fictional characters experience self-doubt, avoidance, and insecurity. Counselling for Toads beautifully bridges the gap between professional knowledge and everyday experience, making it a valuable addition to both psychologists’ bookshelves and readers interested in exploring the transformative power of counselling." - Linda Papadopoulos, PhD, is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is a regular commentator on psychological issues in the press and TV and radio networks both in the UK and the US.

"Brilliantly uses one of the world's favourite stories for all ages to engagingly and revealingly take us through the psychotherapeutic process and transactional analysis. Am I a better Toad for reading it? Of course I am!!!" -William Horwood, English novelist, author of the Wind in the Willows sequel series, Tales of the Willows

"Drawing on the figure of Toad, who is a rather pompous yet affectionate character who has fallen into depression, de Board takes us on a journey through the theory of Eric Berne’s classical transactional analysis. Toad goes to see Heron, the local counsellor, who is a gentle, kind, thoughtful, serious yet confrontational person, the type of person one would hope to meet in a counsellor. The theory is described clearly yet convincingly through the client/counsellor relationship with plentiful uses of metaphor, good humour, and irony that make us smile indulgently, not only at Toad but also at ourselves at times as we recognise some of our own frailties." - Helena Hargaden, psychotherapist, counsellor, and transactional analyst, author of Transactional Analysis: A Relational Perspective

"Through this anthropomorphic parable, de Board takes readers into a realistic, humorous, and humane account of being in psychotherapy. I suspect that Toad would find great pleasure to know that this story of his life, struggles, and recovering is still being read 25 years since its original publication. Counselling for Toads offers an overview of the basics of transactional analysis in practice. In the 25 years since the book was written, transactional analysis has continued to evolve and is now a model of human relations work applied in psychotherapy, counselling, education, and organizational development." - William F. Cornell, MA, TSTA, editor of the Routledge book series, Innovations in Transactional Analysis, and editor of Into TA: A Comprehensive Textbook on Transactional Analysis.

"Not only an instructive handbook for those in any way contemplating counselling... it is warmly funny and respectful of the spirit of Grahame's novel. If he had written his own sequel he might have ended it like this one." - Jan Mark, Times Educational Supplement
"For anyone wishing to know something about transactional analysis this is a clear and very readable introduction." - The Friend
"This engaging pastiche of Kenneth Grahame's riverbank classic... manages to be not only instructive and, at times, extremely amusing, but also to remain remarkably faithful to the cheery, bucolic spirit of the original... extremely enjoyable." - Paul Sussman, in the Independent on Sunday
"An imaginative attempt to explain the counselling process... the idea of counselling is all around, but this demystified it wittily." - Openmind
"A delightful book which... offers a gentle introduction to transactional analysis and much more." - Relate News
"A clever intertwining of the tale of Toad and the intricate thought processes behind the science of counselling... a classic journey of discovery, triumph and pain." - Book of the Day, Glasgow Herald
"Counselling for Toads is a joy. Not just because it is an extremely clever Kenneth Grahame pastiche, but because it actually explains counselling as a method of dealing with psychological distress with admirable clarity. You'll want to read The Wind in the Willows again after this version of the story - and you'll read it with new eyes." - Claire Rayner