Author, speaker, and artist Laurie Finkelstein never planned on writing a book, but the idea came to her after journaling about her challenging life circumstances. Finkelstein was privately writing about her struggles with anxiety, depression, and OCD, all while parenting a special needs child. After journaling these experiences and looking back on her writing, she realized some of the entries were funny or entertaining, and that these were stories she wanted to share. Finkelstein chose to write Next Therapist Please as a romantic comedy instead of memoir, because she wanted the book to not just be about her specifically, but more broadly about experiencing mental health struggles in the world.