FAQs

Question: Does the Friendship Doctor make "housecalls?"

The Friendship Doctor makes two types of house calls:

If you are a member of a Reader or Book Group, you can invite Dr. Levine to participate in a discussion of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend. Depending on her availability, your location, and other logistical considerations, the housecall can take place, either in person or over a speakerphone or using Skype on a computer.

The Friendship Doctor is also available for lectures and discussions of friendship (e.g. understanding friendships at different stages of life; meeting the challenges of friendships in the workplace; how-to nurture friendships, ways to make new friends, dealing with toxic friends) customized for your own civic, religious, or philanthropic group, women's group, educational institution, association or business organization.

To inquire about Dr. Levine's availability, please send the following information to Irene@TheFriendshipBlog.com and you will be contacted by either email or phone---

1) Your name

2) Type of group (and name, if applicable)

3) The city, state, and zip code of the proposed event

4) Your email address

5) Phone number (including area code) of a contact person

6) Estimated size of the group

7) Possible timing (month and year)

Question: I would like a signed copy of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend to send as a gift to my BFF, girlfriend, relative, or other friend. How can I obtain an autographed copy of the book?

If you send Dr. Levine a check for $17.00 (along with the name of the person to whom you want the book inscribed, and the recipient's complete address and phone number). She will mail out a copy of the book via priority mail within one week.

If there is something special you want her to write (for example, the name of the gift giver), please include that too. Send the check and all other necessary information to:

Dr. Irene S. Levine
15 Stony Hollow
Chappaqua, NY 10514

If you have already purchased a copy of the book, Dr. Levine would be happy to autograph it and return it to you or someone else by priority mail. Send the book to the same address above with a check for $ 4.95 with the same information. If no special instructions are provided, Dr. Levine will sign the book with a general message and her name.

Autographed books cannot be returned. Please be sure you have included all the necessary information.

Question: I have a friendship problem. Can I email The Friendship Doctor for advice? Do I need to use my real name?

As you can imagine, The Friendship Doctor is sometimes overwhelmed by the number of letters she receives from readers. Time permitting, she tries to answer questions that offer teachable lessons for others and that don't repeat the themes of previous posts. The responses may be posted on The Friendship Blog, The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and other online venues. If your letter is answered, Dr. Levine will send you an email to let you know when the response has appeared.

Yes, you can request anonymity and it will be honored. However, the Friendship Doctor cannot answer individual emails that you do NOT want posted online.

She very much appreciates hearing from her readers but if she doesn't get to answer your letter personally, she hopes that you understand and that you will find relevant advice and inspiration in her book, Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend or from reading other letters on my blog, www.TheFriendshipBlog.com. The archive is fully searchable.

Question: I'm a member of the media. How can I request a review copy of the book or contact The Friendship Doctor for an interview or media appearance?

An electronic press kit is available on the site under the tab marked PRESS. Review copy requests are handled by Overlook Press:

Leslie Brandon, Publicity Department
The Overlook Press
141 Wooster Street New York, NY 10012

(212) 673-2305

To request an author interview or appearance, you can contact Dr. Levine directly at Irene@IreneLevine.com. She is conscientious (bordering on obsessive) about responding to media inquiries.

Question: How can I follow The Friendship Doctor on Facebook or Twitter?

That's easy. Simply click on one of the buttons below. Hopefully, you'll return to her blog as well and subscribe to regular updates by providing your email address in the box on the homepage of the blog.

Question: What book will The Friendship Doctor be working on next?

Dr. Levine loves writing about relationships between women---and between women and men. She's just developing a proposal for her next book. If you would like to participate in the online survey for her next book, send your email address to Irene@IreneLevine.com and write SURVEY in the subject line.