I’m an author & LCSW on a mission to make learning about mental health and trauma more accessible.
As a mental health professional, I know the world doesn’t need yet another novel about mental illness that portrays therapists as ineffective or out of touch.
Honestly, I’d never thought I’d be an author one day—in fact, I’d almost given up on that dream entirely. But after years of soaking up narratives about suffering, trauma, and healing while working with actual clients, I realized that I hadn’t liked most fictional portrayals of therapists. Frankly, I felt that most of these novels made them look like idiots.
That’s why I felt the need to write about a flawed yet effective therapist—kind of like myself—because I didn’t want to see another book on the shelves of Barnes & Noble that depicts therapy as a one-dimensional or overly simplified path to healing our pain and traumas. The truth is that therapy is complex, which is exactly what you’ll see in Home for the Bewildered.
Meet Michelle Tobin
I’ve worked with clients as an LCSW for over twenty years. So, in my writing, it was important for me to explore the common themes I’d encountered throughout my career—especially if I wanted to give a voice to the often unheard.
Love. Redemption. The wounded healer. The need to be heard. Being true to oneself. Social injustice. The many ways humans hurt each other.
Each of these themes has reared its head in therapy sessions at one point or another with my clients, all presenting in entirely different ways. And it struck me that while we are all unique, many of our experiences and struggles are universal.
I was abroad in Ireland in 2016 when I learned that the Irish refer to insane asylums as “Homes for the Bewildered,” which felt utterly appropriate to me—so much so that it’s what ultimately inspired me to write my novel.
As a society, we tend to brush off the mentally ill as if the illness is the sum total of the person. So, though writing has been a constant in my turbulent life and career for 30 years, my first book, Home for the Bewildered, is my public attempt to change that perception.
What readers are saying
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“It’s remarkable how much ground Michelle Tobin covers with this complex, flawed, and dynamic cast of characters. I feel connected to them from the very first page.”
— Beth Gylys, Ph.D., author of Body Braille, English Literature professor at Georgia State
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“Michelle Tobin’s Home for the Bewildered is a poignant, funny, inspiring exploration of the healing power of empathy and common humanity. A compelling work of fiction that could also serve as an excellent resource for teaching the art of psychotherapy.”
— John Neafsey, psychologist, author of A Sacred Voice is Calling
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“Tobin masterfully takes us deeper and deeper into the stories and the minds and hearts of her characters. She brings us with them into their mental confusion, their efforts to cope, but then on to their heroic efforts to heal. You finish, wanting a sequel.”
— Dan Mulhern, J.D., Former First Gentleman of Michigan (Governor Jennifer Granholm), TedX speaker, UC Berkeley professor
Fast facts about me:
Cooking is a huge passion of mine. (I even left my teaching position at a small university in 2016 to train as a chef at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland!)
I have LOTS of hobbies to keep me busy. You’ll probably find me swimming laps, walking my dog, practicing yoga, or volunteering at my local soup kitchen in my spare time.
My favorite book—one that I’d happily read over and over again—is The Long Man by Amy Greene.
Though my husband and I met in Chicago, we now live in Pennsylvania, which is where we raised our three children.
Like Ruth, a character in my novel, I’m also one of twelve children.
Grab your copy and