Jack McClintock, author and psychologist
Psychologist and author Jack McClintock moved to North Brookfield from Worcester a decade ago with his wife Kathleen. He’s quick to say that while you can’t pick your family, you do get to choose where you live, and he’s never regretted exchanging the anonymity of urban life for the small town warmth of a real community. He proudly says that he started working at age 9 delivering copy for a local newspaper, and he’s still working part time to this day, offering mental health services online for a large international corporation. If you give Jack a chance, he’ll tell you that work is the core of a meaningful life, but he’s quick to point out that all jobs aren’t equal, some can be dangerous, while others are simply toxic. Writing, he says, “isn’t a job, it’s a safety valve.”
Jack McClintock has spent over fifty years as a practicing psychologist in mental health services of nearly every kind. He’s worked in rehabilitation and psychiatric hospitals, in prisons and private practice, in community clinics as well as urban and rural school districts. Over time he’s experienced practically every situation a therapist can encounter, from tragically abused children bent upon suicide, to ruthless adults unrepentant for savagery that can scarcely be grasped. “I’ve worked with cannibals and killers, monsters and madmen; been attacked physically, threatened, demeaned, and brutalized in nearly every way imaginable.” This sort of thing might have driven a lot of people out of the profession, but Jack insists that being allowed into the lives of others enabled him to mature, adopt a healthy respect for life, and develop a deep sense of gratitude for the things which bring him joy.
The experiences of his professional life have been his drawing board, his template, and workbench. Learning has been his passion, and the wellspring of creativity that’s resulted in several published books. Starting in 2012 Jack began publishing a series of literary works beginning with an autobiography called Sin Eater: Confessions of A Prison Psychologist. Next came a retrospective called The Son of The Servant, followed by a book of poems called A Turn of Phrase, and then a very different kind of work, something he characterizes as a historical fiction called New Age Warrior Book 1, The Sword of Retribution. He’s just finished a second edition of that book, which will be reaching bookshelves at the same time as his newest work, a sequel to New Age Warrior called The New World Order, both volumes dealing with the societal crisis of today.
Link to Jacks Books on Amazon: Sin Eater: Memoirs of a Prison Psychologist Son of the Servant: A Family Anthology New Age Warrior Book 1, The Sword of Retribution Just published in November New Age Warrior: Book II: The New World Order
Asked about his newest release, Jack says, “I guess you’d call it a story steeped in conspiracy theory, except” he said with a smile, “the conspiracy at the story’s core is true.” When asked about his authorship of so many different types of literature, Jack says, “It's opened my eyes to reality, and enabled me to share what wisdom I’ve found with those making the journey with me. Writing is the safety valve which enables me to vent the fears, frustrations, and negative feelings that listening to problems for a living can generate.” Pressed a bit more about why he writes, Jack confided “I've always written for myself, but I'm also motivated to share my understanding of things with others in hope that talking frankly about those things can make the world a better place.” My books are my therapy, Jack says with a smile, “and everybody needs a bit of therapy along the way.”
