Exciting changes are on the way in 2026!!
THERAPIST
READING CIRCLES
In a field where burnout is common and connection is rare, THERAPIST READING CIRCLES invite therapists to slow down, engage deeply with meaningful books, and rediscover the professional community we all need to thrive.
What are Therapist Reading Circles?
More books, more topics, and more group leaders means more READING CIRCLES to choose from in 2026!
THERAPIST READING CIRCLES are virtual, closed, short-term educational book discussion groups for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals to come together to read, reflect, and discuss books written by therapists, for therapists. Each Circle offers a supportive, structured space to deepen clinical thinking, connect with colleagues, broaden perspective, and restore professional energy.
Each CIRCLE is led by a seasoned therapist who selects a book they know well and are passionate about. CIRCLE LEADERS bring advanced knowledge, training, or certification in the book’s subject area—and in some cases, the Leader may even be the book’s author. Leaders set the meeting dates and discussion outline, guiding participants through thoughtful, engaging conversations that connect the book’s ideas to real-world clinical practice.
READING CIRCLES meet during one of 3-4 semesters each year, each lasting up to four months. Meeting dates and times are determined by the Circle Leader and may or may not span the full semester.
Because groups are closed, relationships and conversations build naturally over time. Many participants find that Therapist Reading Circles become a rare place of genuine professional connection, intellectual stimulation, and renewal.
Small groups • Expert-led discussions • Closed for continuity
Three Ways to Join Us
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Three Ways to Join Us ~
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To complement the live Huddles, Therapist Book Huddle Podcast will be launching soon, featuring book-centered conversations with the authors and experts in our field.
Episodes will explore the ideas, interventions, and personal insights behind some of our field’s most impactful mental publications.
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Are you the author of a book about mental health that is geared toward therapists? Or do you specialize in a modality or population and have a favorite book in that area? And are you interested in being a guest on my podcast?
Contact me at cherie@therapistresetlounge.com.
Therapist Reading Circle Podcast
COMING SOON
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Therapist Book Huddle Leaders are therapists and therapist-authors who run Book Huddle Groups with licensed and pre-licensed therapists.
Huddle Leaders determine the book they would like to read, the pace their group will co-read, the virtual meeting dates/times, the group size, and the cost.
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Are you a therapist-author or seasoned therapist specialized in a certain modality, clinical issue, or population? Is there a book you would like to co-read with licensed and pre-licensed clinicians who are eager to read, learn, and connect?
Contact me at cherie@therapistresetlounge.com
Therapist Reading Circle Leaders
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Therapist Book Huddles are small, book-centered groups run by skilled therapists and therapist-authors who have demonstrated expertise in a Huddle Book’s content.
New Book Huddle modules will be offered on a quarterly basis (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec). Announcements and registrations for Book Huddle Selections will occur a month before each new module (in March, June, September, and December) so keep an eye out for those offerings!
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Interested in exploring Book Huddle options? Email me at cherie@therapistbookhuddles.com to subscribe to our newsletter where Huddle and Registration information will be announced.
Therapist Reading Circle Groups
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Trauma and Dissociation Informed Internal Family Systems by Joanne H Twombly
Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns
Therapy in Color: Intersectional, Anti-Oppressive, and Liberation Approaches — Thema Bryant-Davis et al.
The Developing Practitioner: Growth and Stagnation of Therapists and Counsellors by Skovholt
The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients by Irvin D. Yalom
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
Treating Trauma and Traumatic Grief in Children and Adolescents (2nd Ed.) — Judith Cohen, MD, Anthony Mannarino, PhD, & Esther Deblinger, PhD
Aging and Mental Health (2nd Ed.) — Daniel Kaplan, PhD & Barbara Berkman, DSW
The Postpartum Stress Center Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Perinatal Mood Disorders — Karen Kleiman, MSW
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workbook for Panic Attacks — Elena Welsh, PhD
The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time — Alex Korb, PhD
Examples of Possible READING CIRCLE Titles Include…
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottleib
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom
Cultural Humility: Engaging Diverse Identities in Therapy — Joshua N. Hook et al.
Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change by William R. Miller & Stephen Rollnick
Finding Meaning by David Kessler
Attached by Amir Levine & Rachel Heller
Polyvagal Theory in Therapy by Deb Dana
In the Name of Therapy: A Practitioner’s Guide to Ethics and Boundaries — DeeAnna Nagel & Kate Anthony
ACT Made Simple — Russ Harris, MD
The Developing Practitioner: Growth and Stagnation of Therapists and Counselors — Thomas Skovholt & Len Jennings
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
The Heart and Soul of Change: Delivering What Works in Therapy (2nd Ed.) — Duncan, Miller, Wampold, & Hubble
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd Edition) — Francine Shapiro, PhD
The History of Therapist Reading Circles
How Covid Isolation Sparked a New Paradigm of Professional Growth & Connection
I’m Cherie Gustafson, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Southern Maine. I began my training in the 1990s at Lesley College (now Lesley University) and have spent most of my career in private practice. I’m trained in EMDR and certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) — two modalities that have shaped both my professional and personal understanding of healing..
Like most therapists, my professional world changed dramatically in 2020. I went from sharing an office suite with wonderful colleagues in the bustling Old Port district of Portland, Maine — where we’d chat between sessions or grab a quick coffee — to working alone in the basement of my home, between the furnace and the litter boxes. Professional trainings, once rich with in-person dialogue and networking, shifted to large webinars filled with hundreds of muted screens.
Since returning to part-time office work, it’s clear that something in our field has fundamentally changed: too many of us now practice in isolation, despite what we know from research — that social connection is protective against burnout and essential for mental health.
Out of that sense of professional disconnection, Therapist Reading Circles (formerly called Book Huddles) were born.
As a devotee of IFS, clinical literature, and good conversation, I began offering small virtual groups for therapists in 2024, co-reading No Bad Parts by Dr. Richard Schwartz. Each group brought together five to eight licensed therapists for eight sessions. Participants read two chapters before each meeting where we unpacked the content, explored key concepts, and discussed how to integrate them into clinical practice.
The experience was deeply meaningful — not only for expanding clinical insight, but also for restoring the sense of connection and inspiration that so many of us had been craving. Huddle members shared that they gained a deeper understanding of the book’s concepts (even if they had read it before), felt grateful to meet new colleagues and friends, and left more confident in applying their newfound knowledge to their clinical work.
Because of the popularity and impact of these early Huddles, I’m expanding the model to offer more books, more modalities, and more skilled therapist leaders under my new business, IndigoTherapist.
Beginning in 2026, IndigoTherapist will host a diverse range of Reading Circles — each centered on a clinically oriented book and led by a therapist who either authored the book or has deep expertise in its topic, population, or modality. These Huddles will preserve what makes them special: intimate, discussion-based learning among peers, infused with curiosity, reflection, and mutual support.
In a profession where burnout is common and connection is rare, Therapist Reading Circles offer a refreshing antidote — a place to refuel, reconnect, and reignite our passion for this work.
some details…
Therapist Reading Circles are designed to be educational, collegial, and anti-oppressive. They are not supervision, therapy, or continuing education events, and no CE credit or modality certification renewal hours are currently available (this may change in the future).
Participation may count toward your State Licensing Consultation or Peer Consultation hours, depending on your licensing board’s criteria — please check your board’s specific requirements for clarification.
All participants must be licensed or pre-licensed mental health professionals, and no identifying client information or PHI should ever be shared. Verification of licensure status will be collected and confirmed during Book Huddle registration.
Contact me with any questions at cherie@theindigotherapist.com