Tony Bates is one of Ireland’s leading psychologists. He has worked with thousands of patients throughout his many decades in practise, most notably as head of the Department of Psychology at St James’s Hospital, a position he held for over 30 years. He also created Jigsaw, The National Centre for Youth Mental Health. And if you’re a fan of Bressie’s podcast, Where is my Mind?, you’re probably very familiar with Tony from his regular appearances on that great show.

But having spent his career seeking to understand the lives of others, Tony has now turned his therapeutic eye on himself and describes the events and people in his own life that have made him the insightful thinker and teacher that he is today.

His new book is called Breaking the Heart Open: The Shaping of a Psychologist. And In it, he recalls the traumatic events in his own childhood that brought him to a very low point in his 30s ,the years he spent building himself back up, from which he spent years, and what he has learned from the many people in his care over the years. Tony shares that story with me, but this whole area of trauma, recovery, family relationships, therapy, and learning about ourselves and who we are is one that fascinates me, so we talked a lot about all these things too.

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