End of the Hour - by Meghan Riordan Jarvis

About the Book

Esteemed trauma therapist Meghan Riordan Jarvis knew how to help her patients process grief. For nearly twenty years, Meghan expected that this clinical training would inoculate her against the effects of personal trauma. But when her father died after a year-long battle with cancer, followed by her mother's unexpected passing while on their family vacation, she came undone. Thrown into a maelstrom of grief, with long-buried childhood tragedy rising to the surface, Meghan knew what she had to do --check herself into the same trauma facility to which she often sent her clients. In treatment, trading the therapist's chair for the patient's couch, Meghan took her first steps toward healing."--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

"A frank chronicle of healing."--Kirkus Reviews

What happens when a trauma therapist is traumatized by loss?

Esteemed trauma therapist Meghan Riordan Jarvis knew how to help her patients process grief. For nearly twenty years, Meghan expected that this clinical training would inoculate her against the effects of personal trauma. But when her father died after a year-long battle with cancer, followed by her mother's unexpected passing while on their family vacation, she came undone.

Thrown into a maelstrom of grief, with long-buried childhood tragedy rising to the surface, Meghan knew what she had to do―check herself into the same trauma facility to which she often sent her clients. In treatment, trading the therapist's chair for the patient's couch, Meghan took her first steps toward healing.

A brave story of confronting life's hardest moments with emotional honesty, End of the Hour is for anyone who has experienced the unpredictable, lasting power of grief―and wondered how they'd ever get through it.

Review Quotes

"A candid memoir about trauma....a frank chronicle of healing . . . will resonate with readers in emotional pain."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Any reader will recognize the moments of pain . . . in all their stunning emotion and shocking physicality. Jarvis offers a portal to self-compassion and a passage to hope."
--Booklist

"Her life shattered by the sudden loss of her beloved mother, Meghan Riordan Jarvis walks us barefoot through her grief, across sacred shards of loss, guilt, and hopelessness. From End of the Hour we emerge with the fierce tenderness that love and loss require of us. What a gift."
--Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed, founder of Together Rising

"A glorious depiction of what it means to be human in this world. Meghan Riordan Jarvis expertly expands the conversation about trauma, both for the patient and the clinician. This smart, warm, and relatable book challenged my assumptions about what it means to care for ourselves and others. I know it will do the same for everyone who reads these pages."
--Claire Bidwell Smith, author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief

"Jarvis's End of the Hour is the rare feat of a book that is at once wise and humble, hilarious and heartbreaking, entertaining and educational. Jarvis's story, a behind-the scenes look at what happens when a therapist's personal losses bring her to her knees, demystifies trauma and offers readers a radiant dash of hope. This book is packed with powerful scenes of Jarvis drowning in the dark waters of grief, and, more importantly, of how she resuscitated herself by surrendering to treatment and support. A page turner that will help readers find the shore of their own lives and the will to paddle forward."
--Christie Tate, author of Group

"The truth of being human is that there is no level of practice, knowledge, or training that can serve as armor against the experience of loss. In the same way, grief can settle in your bones and blanket your life with prickling heaviness, Meghan Riordan Jarvis has written a memoir that you will also feel in your bones. End of the Hour is honest about the deep, dark waters of grief, but you will be grateful for how its vulnerability, warmth, and expertise offer a sense of hope, a life raft to hold onto tightly."
--Marisa Renee Lee, author of Grief is Love

"This is a beautifully written memoir and poignant journey from loss to hope..."
--Steve Leder, author of For You When I Am Gone

About the Author

Meghan Riordan Jarvis is a podcast host (Grief Is My Side Hustle), two-time TEDx Speaker, and psychotherapist specializing in trauma and grief and loss. After experiencing PTSD following the deaths of both of her parents, Jarvis founded Talking Point Partners to help employers address complex emotions such as grief in the workplace. Jarvis is currently at work on Can Anyone Tell Me Why: 25 Essential Questions About Grief and Loss, which publishes with Sounds True Media in 2024. Originally from New England, Jarvis currently lives in Maryland with her husband and their three children, where competing piles of LEGO bricks and books cover most surfaces of their house.