Piatkus pre-empts marriage therapist Pharaon

Marriage therapist Vienna Pharaon’s book about "relationships through the lens of their family systems" has gone to Piatkus in a pre-empt.  

Holly Harley, editorial director at Piatkus, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to The Origins of You from Lorella Belli at Lorella Belli Literary Agency. North American rights were acquired at auction by Putnam from Folio Literary Management. Piatkus will publish The Origins of You in hardback, e-book and audio in spring 2023. 

In The Origins of You, Pharaon “unlocks a healing process to help readers understand their ‘family of origin’, become aware of its manifestations in our adult behaviour, and rewire our programming to improve our relationships and our lives”. 

Pharaon is one of New York City’s most sought-after licenced marriage and family therapists and the founder of the MindfulMFT community on Instagram. “Through her practice, Mindful Marriage & Family Therapy, she offers a systemic and collaborative approach to help her clients identify their patterns, explore their story, and meet their goals," the publisher said. "She looks at people and their relationships through the lens of their family systems and believes that understanding origin stories is crucial in healing and transformation." She has been featured by the Economist, the BBC, Vogue and Men’s Health, and presented workshops to companies including Peloton and Netflix.

“What a dream it is to be publishing my first book on a topic so near and dear to my heart,” Pharaon said. “I can’t wait for people to begin to explore their origin stories and family systems, and take the steps towards healing and empowered change in their lives and relationships. I am honoured to be represented by Piatkus, and couldn’t think of a better partner in the UK to help get this important read out into the world.” 

Harley says: “Vienna’s methods and approach are a revelation. Her smart, practical and deeply humane book will help so many people to better understand our communication, conflict, intimacy, boundaries and coping styles. The Origins of You takes a therapeutic cliché—‘tell me about your childhood’—and turns it into something accessible and life-enhancing.”