Carlton psychologist releases new book to improve mental wellness 

Carlton-based psychologist and acclaimed author, Dr Ahona Guha, has just released her second book, titled Life Skills for a Broken World, offering a practical framework for cultivating “good mental health”. 

Currently practising as a clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr Guha specialises in the field of complex trauma, with her work also extending to patients with mood issues, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, perfectionism, and individuals facing bullying.

Following the success of her first book, Reclaim: Understanding complex trauma and those who abuse, which focused on victims and perpetrators of abuse, Life Skills for a Broken World takes a broader approach; centering around “mental well-being” and how to harness skills to navigate life’s challenges.

“It was designed to be beautiful, short, sharp and punchy – something that’s useful to dip in and out of when you’re struggling,” Dr Guha said.

It covers quite a wide range of skills that you can use to apply to some of the more complex situations that we are faced with, whether it’s accepting change, navigating times when you’re disliked by people, or understanding how to manage heartbreak.

Dr Guha began writing the book at the end of 2021 as Melbourne had started coming out of lockdowns, where she noticed heightened levels of anger and “geopolitical strife”. 

“It became quite apparent that it wasn’t just about the lockdowns, it wasn’t that we were suddenly mentally unwell – it was that there was a lot that was broken in the world, and it felt important to address that,” she said.

“Not just from an individualistic framework, but also in terms of understanding the structures that we built around us and how we’ve really failed each other – I wanted to present a different way of living where we have different expectations and different ideas about why we’re here and how we can live that out.”

Covering around 40 skills in the book, Dr Guha hopes that readers will be inspired to “find hope” and understand that achieving good mental health doesn’t necessarily require a complete lifestyle overhaul.

“You can start to make changes in small ways, and I hope readers will see that these small changes can really pay off,” she said. 

While it is currently available to purchase online and in selected stores, Life Skills for a Broken World will be officially launched on February 18 at Northside Wines in Thornbury, with all proceeds from the ticketed event going to greyhound rescue. •