Duluth therapist releases book on humor in practice

DULUTH — Therapist Glenn Maloney recently published a book that explores using humor as an intervention in a clinical setting — an otherwise taboo concept in the mental health field.

As a licensed independent clinical social worker who is also a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, Maloney has served as a psychotherapist in Duluth since 2016.

"I didn't plan on working in mental health," Maloney said. After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Maloney initially pursued a broadcasting career before taking an array of odd jobs and eventually finding himself in the screenprinting industry.

Upon moving to Duluth, Maloney was offered two jobs with the same pay. Given the choice to produce screenprinting chemicals and shave his beard so he could wear a respirator, or work for a group home and keep his beard, Maloney chose the latter.

"I saw a lot of my clients really directly benefit from the therapy they were getting in their lives," Maloney said. "It grew from there." He then sought therapy during his own healing journey.

He currently sees clients 32 hours a week through Genesis Recovery Services while establishing his own private practice, Most Excellent Psychotherapy.

Maloney was hired over the summer as an adjunct professor at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth for its clinical residency program. Alongside two other professors, Maloney taught a group of 45 students about assessment, diagnosis and clinical intervention.

In an industry that focuses mainly on therapy methods such as cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavior, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, Maloney believes establishing a relationship with clients to incorporate humor is an unexplored element of healing.

"As providers, we need to focus as much on the basic tools of connection as we do on those more specific intervention methods," Maloney said.

Throughout his career and training, Maloney was advised by professors, supervisors and colleagues to tread carefully while incorporating humor into his practice.

Publishers also discouraged him from sprinkling a bit of mirth throughout his new book. However, that didn't stop him from throwing in a few subtle "riffs."

"Nobody wanted it to be funny. They wanted it to be entirely academic, and I really felt like that's not what I want to do," Maloney said.

While researching the history and theories surrounding humor from acclaimed professionals such as Jay Douglas Haley, Peter Levine and William Fry, Maloney began to develop a clearer understanding of "how" to use it effectively and, therefore, teach others.

"I pursued the academic perspectives on humor because I hadn't gotten further instruction," Maloney said. "We're not searching for humor at anybody's expense in my office, right? Sometimes, we'll find humor at somebody's expense who's not here."

In 2019, he began to present on the topic of humor as an effective evidence-based intervention.

"People are very interested in this idea," Maloney said. "I can capture what I'm presenting in a published work. Then that'll be out in the world for people to use as a reference."

In 2023, while recovering from hip replacement surgery, Maloney used the downtime to write a book on the topic.

"Finding the Humor in Psychotherapy: A Primer on the Clinical Art of Joking with Your Clients" was released earlier this year. It is available on Amazon and can be found in the "Local Authors" section of Zenith Bookstore in Duluth.

"Although, interestingly, I saw a thing online the other day, and it said only, like, 46% of people read a book last year," Maloney said. "Of course, I want every therapist to buy one, but it's been an opportunity in a different way. It implies legitimacy, right? So half of people don't read the book, so they're just like, 'Oh, he wrote a book. He must be really smart.'"

Since his humor book was published, Maloney has been invited to be a presenter by the Minnesota Social Service Association, the Minnesota National Association of Social Workers, the Minnesota Psychological Association, the Hawaii Psychological Association and nationally with the help of continuing education provider CE YOU.

Maloney will be recognized Oct. 8 with the "Exemplary Leadership Award" from the Minnesota Social Services Association's Region 3, putting him in the running for the statewide award.

Aside from his newest book, Maloney also wrote "Twelve Poems," a small compilation of poetry.

"That was partly to sort of parse out how publishing worked, how books work, really," he said. "I never really expected to write a 300-page academic book."