Reviews

Dr. ‘Bob,’ as his colleagues fondly call him, reminds us of how tenuous our health can be and how a single incident can plunge us into the abyss of despair, dysfunction, and chronic pain. His advocacy for injured workers, over many decades, is well known. He advises us to ‘Count your blessings rather than focus…

Overall, a definite winner. You have captured some of the toughest jobs and what our patients have to sacrifice every time they clock in. It is truly amazing that we are all hanging on by a thread. If you get through life unscathed, or relatively unharmed, it is a true blessing and miracle.

Bob Larsen’s book is a compelling look at workers injured on some of the most dangerous jobs. With compassion and insight, he tells stories of how these events changed their lives and the lives of their families.

In his new book, “America’s Most Dangerous Jobs”, Dr. Bob Larsen opens your eyes to the many professions working around you every day and the risks those workers take carrying out their duties. This fascinating book will certainly change the way you look at the people performing necessary but dangerous jobs.

“America’s Most Dangerous Jobs” focuses on the men and women who do our country’s essential work – jobs that put their lives and health in jeopardy. Each unique story is told with both truth and compassion.

May I simply say what a comfort to discover somebody who genuinely knows what they are talking about over the internet. You actually understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people ought to check this out and understand this side of the story. I cant believe you arent more…

One will finish this excellent book not only being touched by the compassion and humanity of this dedicated psychiatrist but also being grateful for seeing how necessary psychiatry often is for individuals who have been physically injured.

“Wounded Workers” is an entertaining and insightful deep dive into the world of workers hurt at work and the psychic difficulties they face.  Dr. Larsen writes with experience as a forensic psychiatrist at the intersection of medicine and law, and his stories about the workers, written with wit and compassion, make the book sparkle.

Although the current COVID-19 pandemic has increased appreciation of first responders, similar to what was seen post 9-11, Dr. Larsen has dedicated this book, and much of his professional career, to American workers and their collective ongoing contribution to our greater good. We can honor them through a thoughtful read of the cases he shares,…

In Wounded Workers Dr. Bob Larsen is engaging, entertaining, compassionate and generous about his own journey, as well as about people whom he evaluated and treated. He is a psychiatrist with heart and brains. I spent 34 years representing injured workers in San Francisco, and I can tell you that every vignette Dr. Bob relates…

“Wounded Workers” is a wise, entertaining memoir that teaches while it describes Dr. Larsen’s journey at becoming an occupational psychiatrist.   From “slap therapy” to “post traumatic growth”, it introduces new ideas that challenge our field.  The clinical tales are often gripping and self-revelatory.  This is a wonderful read for clinicians, trainees and anyone interested in…

You did an excellent job of portraying the struggles of injured workers and I enjoyed the explanation of what goes into treating and evaluating occupational psyche injuries. I appreciated how you presented the workers’ stories with a sense of dignity, reminding the reader that these people often do very dangerous jobs so the rest of…

I love books that, besides being well-written and entertaining, help me learn something important. Wounded Workers is one of those! Dr. Bob Larsen skillfully interweaves the inspiring story of his development from a self-described nerdy kid to a well-regarded psychiatrist and advocate for working people. The text explodes with fascinating stories of clients Dr. Bob…

Springtime is here bringing us warmer weather, longer days and pleasant thoughts of fast-approaching summer. Summer—that magical, carefree time when we can toss our worries aside, if only for a while, and bask in the glowing sun with a book at our side. No doubt you have already made a list of the books you…

Wounded Workers: Tales from a Working Man’s Shrink by Dr Bob Larsen is a collection of stories detailing Dr Bob’s journey of becoming an occupational psychiatrist and the various patients he has encountered. Dr Larsen runs the Center for Occupational Psychiatry that he started in 1985 in Downtown San Francisco. His patients are mainly referrals…

Wounded Workers combines the memoir of an occupational psychiatrist with his stories of the injured workers he treated and evaluated, all intertwined with a healthy dose of philosophy and common sense. The patient stories are gripping and emotionally charged. At the same time, they are presented as tragedies that could happen to any of us…

Even before the pandemic began to take its toll on our workforce, the increase in the frequency of stories about workers being verbally, mentally, even physically abused in the workplace was becoming more commonplace. These have now become daily news items. Dr. Bob Larsen’s Wounded Workers puts several such stories front and center. Including his…