Arran therapist publishes self-help book
A self-help book by Arran therapist Chris Attkins has finally been published ... 14 years after being written.
Since relocating to Arran in 1997,
Chris has been providing psychological support to island residents and many visitors to the Belvedere Guest House, which until recently offered residential personal development breaks.
He wrote the book, 50 Steps to Happiness, to share some of his insights from working with clients from very different circumstances and it contains ‘50 short, jargon-free, tried and tested principles you can easily try for yourself in order to live a more fulfilling life’.
The book took Chris, who lives in Brodick, a year to write.
He said: ‘I knew it would be a challenge to stick at it, so I asked four friends who work in related fields to subscribe to a weekly article. That way I was committed — and I received some invaluable feedback on what I was writing.’
But why the delay in publishing? Chris explained: ‘I was disheartened by the initial publishers rejection of the manuscript, so concentrated on other projects. The lockdown provided time for another push, and this is the result.’
The book, which has been self-published, is available in print from the Book and Card Centre in Brodick at a discounted price of £4 – the same price as the digital download from Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and others.
During lockdown Chris and his wife Jan have also relaunched their self-help website, which is now offering entirely free advice for many of the challenges that face us all, based on more than 20 years’ professional therapeutic experience at www.help-yourself.net