Do readers judge books by their covers? Perhaps, but when the name Jan Resnick appears beneath one, it promises substance, honesty, and emotional clarity.
For over four decades, Dr Jan Resnick has worked across continents as a psychotherapist, educator, and author. His books, How Two Love and Meaning-Fullness, speak directly to readers who crave something beyond self-help, works that are personal yet philosophical, intimate yet universal. Resnick writes not to prescribe but to provoke reflection, urging us to look inward with compassion and courage.
From New York to Perth: A Life in Words and Listening
Born in New York City in 1952, Resnick’s career has spanned London, Paris, and Western Australia, where he now lives and practices. Before becoming an author, he trained at the Philadelphia Association in London, studied under legendary figures like R. D. Laing and Christopher Bollas, and later founded Perth’s Churchill Clinic, which trained therapists for nearly two decades.
His early writing life began not with a book but with a dissertation.
“It probably began with my PhD thesis completed in 1990,” he recalls. “Penguin said it was the best-written thesis they’d seen at the time. But they didn’t publish it.”
That same year, moving to Australia opened a new chapter: a 20-year column for Psychotherapy in Australia. “I benefited from the editor’s input,” he says. “It was my apprenticeship in writing clearly.”
Through that process, Resnick learned what many writers take years to discover: that clarity isn’t simplification, it’s generosity.
How Two Love: Where Therapy Meets Storytelling
Resnick’s first book, How Two Love: Making Your Relationship Work and Last, began as what he calls “responding to a dare.” His wife, Cath, pointed out that love and relationships were the most searched topics on Google. “I said, perhaps a little arrogantly, I could write a book on that subject in two weeks.” It took him six years, time he now considers essential to discovering his voice.
“The challenge with How Two Love was creating a strong through-line that tied together the different chapters and integrated disparate themes into a coherent whole,” he explains. “It takes time. I find it helps to rest my work and return to it with a fresh perspective.”
The book became both a manual and a mirror, accessible to general readers yet valuable to professionals.
“I have written How Two Love with my patients and clients in mind,” he says. “That said, the book is a good course on how to do couples therapy and should be of value to professionals and trainees.”
As readers, we can sense his dual audience: those seeking love, and those helping others find it. That bridge between clinical precision and emotional honesty is where Resnick thrives.
Meaning-Fullness: A Life’s Work Between Two Covers
His second book, Meaning-Fullness: Developmental Psychotherapy and the Pursuit of Mental Health, published by Karnac Books, distills nearly five decades of clinical experience. “There is a whole psychotherapy training between the covers,” he says. “Though training also requires more than reading.”
The book explores what mainstream mental health often neglects: emptiness, meaninglessness, purposelessness, and directionlessness.
“Psychology and psychiatry do not typically do well in these areas,” he notes. “But for many people, these are the real issues that drive suffering.”
Karnac recognized the depth of his work immediately. “They called the book a masterpiece,” he says with humility. The collaboration was joyful, even personal.
“I wanted to use a painting for the cover made by my 4-year-old granddaughter. They agreed and asked her directly for a title. ‘Messy Mind,’ she replied: how perfect! They even gave her a credit on the back cover.”
On Voice, Authenticity, and the Discipline of Writing
Resnick’s reflections on voice and authenticity reveal a lifetime of learning not just how to write, but how to speak honestly on the page.
“I worked with a friend and colleague, Con Coroneos, an erudite and literate mind. He helped me in many ways, but principally two: what he called ‘prolix’ — excessive wordiness — and the transition from speaking as a therapist to writing as an author. A psychotherapist speaks tentatively. A writer puts their cards on the table, assertive, but not dogmatic.”
That commitment to truth-telling extends to his views on technology. While many writers embrace AI tools, Resnick remains wary.
“AI is amazing, but it homogenizes ideas and loses something uniquely idiomatic, so important for writers to create and maintain. I want the expression of my thought in writing to be authentically, and to a large degree exclusively, my own.”
His process remains analog at heart: Word, patience, and perseverance, what he quotes from the I Ching as “Perseverance furthers.”
Balancing Structure and Discovery
When asked whether he outlines or discovers structure as he writes, Resnick’s answer captures the paradox of creative process:
“Both. Writing is an unfolding, evolving, creative process. You carve bits off and then flesh out the body of the work, rinse and repeat. Everything needs to be in its right order and proportion, as far as possible.”
He likens it to sculpture, shaping rough form into coherence through time and perspective. His advice for emerging authors is equally patient:
“Arriving at a published work after all the effort, and feeling proud of it, is eternally rewarding.”
On Publishing, Partnership, and Professionalism
Resnick’s relationship with Karnac Books is a model of mutual respect. “They were accommodating on most points, easy to work with,” he recalls. “The editor, Kate Pearce, was wonderful. They produced my book beautifully and promoted it at conferences.”
His advice for first-time nonfiction authors echoes WriteStats’ findings in our own publisher-success analyses (see our post on how reading apps track engagement):
“Make sure you have something to say, preferably that hasn’t already been done to death. Say it better than anyone else. Work with an editor, a human one, not AI. Publishers want works that are near ready to publish and authors who can promote their work once it’s out.”
It’s the same data-driven truth we see across publishing: the best manuscripts don’t just arrive, they connect.
The Next Project: The Psychology of Money
Resnick’s upcoming book may be his most ambitious yet.
“I think the whole world is seriously mad when it comes to money,“ he says. “It dominates our minds, activities, relationships, work, and values. It drives people crazy. It destroys relationships, kills sleep, compromises play, and deprives children of their parents’ attention.”
His goal? To help readers cultivate a more balanced and peaceful relationship with money, one that restores space for creativity, family, and inner life.
The project aligns beautifully with research explored in “Why Some Books Are Addictive (and Others Aren’t): The Neuroscience Explained,“ where we discussed how dopamine-driven habits influence not just reading, but also our pursuit of success and validation. Resnick’s upcoming work aims to rewrite that internal economy, replacing constant striving with meaning.
Work, Legacy, and What Lasts
Despite his literary achievements, Resnick insists he’s not a full-time author. “Zero,“ he says plainly when asked how much he depends on writing income. “You either have to be outstandingly good or wildly lucky to make a living from publishing. I know some people have mass-produced crappy books and put everything into promoting them. I’d rather be poor.”
His measure of success lies elsewhere:
“To help other people. To create an indelible body of knowledge gleaned from my work as a psychotherapist and life experience. To respond to the inherent difficulties in creating and sustaining loving relationships, and to relieve mental suffering. If I can leave behind something that outlives me, that will be enough.”
That philosophy —measured, humble yet visionary— runs through his entire career, from therapy to teaching to writing. Like the data we analyze at WriteStats, his work traces the patterns behind human experience, only his medium isn’t metrics, it’s empathy.
Final Word
Jan Resnick’s work reminds us that data and depth can coexist, that in every relationship, every therapy session, every book, there’s measurable insight and immeasurable humanity.
At WriteStats, where we study trends in reading, writing, and publishing, his story affirms what our research often suggests: the most meaningful work doesn’t chase virality, it builds longevity.
Resnick writes to last. And in doing so, he gives every reader, clinician, or curious soul alike permission to pause, reflect, and rediscover what makes a life worth living.
