On The Brink Of Nowhere

‘She seems to be destroying me on some level and saving me on another.’

When On The Brink Of Nowhere opens, Ophelia Wynters is on the verge of taking her own life. She has only recently started seeing a new therapist – one who seems calm, wise and incredibly available. The therapist persuades Ophelia not to act on her self-destructive impulses and Ophelia starts to invest the therapist’s every word and gesture with intensely personal meaning. For a considerable time, therapy seems to be working – but then it slowly unravels.

On The Brink Of Nowhere is a revelatory and gut-wrenching account of a real relationship that develops between a client and a psychotherapist over the period of four years. The author reveals her own vulnerabilities within the therapeutic relationship with a raw honesty that lays bare her most painful and terrifying thoughts and feelings.

This narrative highlights the significant power dynamic, both real and perceived, inherent in the therapist-client alliance. Whilst a deep and personal therapeutic relationship forms, Wynters' story also serves as a powerful warning for both clients and therapists, highlighting the potential consequences of when a well-meaning therapist breaches their duty of care and loses sight of the client's wellbeing.