Chris Olsen at First Parish Church

Harvard Book Store welcomes Chris Olsen―award-winning digital creator, comedian, entrepreneur, and social media phenomenon―for a discussion of his new memoir, I Think My Therapist Hates Me. He will be joined in conversation with Jessica Webb―Associate Professor of Theater with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Chris' former teacher.

There are two ticket options for this event.

1. Book-Included Tickets: Includes admission for one and one hardcover copy of I Think My Therapist Hates Me, pre-signed by Chris Olsen.
2. Admission-Only Tickets: Includes admission for one.

Following the presentation, Chris Olsen will pose for photos. We will prioritize ticket holders who purchased a book getting in the photo line first. Ticket holders should bring their own phones or cameras if they would like a photo. Harvard Book Store staff will assist with photos. Olsen will not be personalizing books or memorabilia during the photo line.

**Please be aware that while the church is air conditioned the temperature in the room can still be warm during the summer and early fall months. Please dress accordingly and feel free to bring water to sip on during the event. Please do not bring any other liquids other than water.

Note: Books bundled with tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand. Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at Harvard Book Store up to 30 days following the event. This offer expires after 30 days. Please note we cannot guarantee signed copies will be available to ticket holders who do not attend the event.

Social media phenomenon and mental health advocate Chris Olsen invites readers into his therapist’s office—and into the story he’s spent years trying to understand—in this raw, fearless, and darkly funny memoir.
For much of his childhood, Chris Olsen believed his family was ordinary, even idyllic. Then, at thirteen years old, everything changed. When his mother revealed she was an alcoholic, the foundation beneath him cracked open, exposing secrets, struggles, and generational wounds that would shape the course of his life.
Years later, determined to make sense of a story that often felt written for him rather than by him, Chris returns to the moments that defined him. Guided by conversations with his therapist, Lizzie, he revisits the memories he’s spent years avoiding: hiding his sexuality from the people he loved, navigating his parents’ tumultuous divorce, surviving toxic relationships, watching his mother cycle through treatment centers, and eventually confronting his own addiction.
With the same sharp humor, emotional honesty, and magnetic storytelling that have won over millions of followers, Chris peels back the layers of his public persona to reveal the messy, complicated truths underneath. As he reckons with the gap between the version of himself the world came to know online and the person struggling, grieving, and growing behind the screen, he asks a universal question: Who are we when no one is watching?
By turns hilarious, heartbreaking, and deeply hopeful, I Think My Therapist Hates Me is a personal exploration of the stories we inherit, the identities we construct, and the courage it takes to face ourselves honestly. It’s a heartfelt reminder that self-discovery is messy, recovery is hard-won, and becoming the author of your own life begins with telling yourself the truth.

Chris Olsen is an award-winning digital creator and entrepreneur who has become one of the most celebrated comedic voices on TikTok. Named in Forbes’s 30 Under 30, Olsen also cohosted the 94th Oscars’ Red Carpet Experience, the official red carpet livestream at the amfAR Gala Cannes, and hosted Variety’s 2022 Power of Young Hollywood event. A classically trained actor and singer, Olsen received his BFA in musical theater from Boston Conservatory. Raised in the Washington metropolitan area, he resides in Los Angeles and New York. Follow on TikTok @Chris and on Instagram @ChrisOlsen. Photo Credit: Max Montgomery

Jessica Webb is an Associate Professor of Theater with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, a certified Alexander Technique Teacher (ATI), Registered Somatic Movement Therapist (ISMETA), and Certified Trauma Professional (PESI.) At the Conservatory she teaches acting, musical theater, and the Alexander Technique, and is an Equity Partner and recent ETUDE Scholar. As an actor, she has appeared regionally in Boston and throughout the US and internationally with The Moscow Art Theater/MXAT in Moscow, as well as various film, television and voice over projects. Locally, Jessica has also taught for the ART/Harvard Institute, Worcester State University, Boston University, Emerson College, Elements Theatre Company, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Lesley University, Greater Boston Stage Company, Wheelock Family Theatre, and Merrimack Repertory Theatre. She has also taught workshops and presentations regionally and internationally integrating consent forward, trauma-conscious, anti-racist, neurodivergent affirming practices. In addition to teaching at Boco, she currently runs a studio, both online and in Brookline, Massachusetts, where she teaches private lessons, locally and internationally, in Alexander Technique and private acting coaching. She holds an B.F.A. in Acting and a Certificate of Completion from the Moscow Art Theater School/MXAT. Additional training includes a 3-year certificate The Actor’s Secret training with Betsy Polaris; Anatomy of Wholeness with David Gorman; Intimacy training with Theatrical Intimacy Education; Anti-Racist Theatre Training with Nicole Brewer, and a certificate in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Higher Education with CAST. She is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA, and lives outside of Boston with her partner Christopher, children Henry and Portia, and dog Lizzo.