Dr. Alex Wills

Dr. Alex Wills, MD, is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and board-certified psychiatrist whose work focuses on clinical psychiatry and accessible mental health education. Wills graduated from the Sackler School of Medicine and completed residency and fellowship training in Hawaii, with additional training at Columbia University. He specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as general psychiatry, applying a broad clinical perspective to both his practice and public outreach.

Wills owns Perma Mental Health, a private psychiatric practice with offices throughout Idaho. In his clinical work, he utilizes the Radical Emotional Acceptance method to assist patients in addressing issues such as trauma and interpersonal challenges. Radical Emotional Acceptance, or REA, is a systematic desensitization therapy designed to address fear of emotions, a method Wills has refined over years of patient care.

Wills translated his clinical experience into the book "Give a Fck, Actually," a self-help guide centered on Radical Emotional Acceptance. The book outlines a five-step process for developing a healthy relationship with emotions, informed by more than 15,000 hours of patient interaction. "Give a Fck, Actually" provides an alternative perspective to "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck," integrating instruction with case studies, historical context, and patient narratives to illustrate REA in practice. The book achieved a top-three ranking on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.

Wills has expanded his influence through various media platforms. He has appeared on mental health podcasts such as "The Mental Illness Happy Hour," discussing emotional acceptance and its impact. He also hosts the podcast "Give A F*ck Actually With Dr. Alex Wills," where he interviews guests from mental health, wellness, and public life about emotional intelligence and radical acceptance. As a regular contributor to Psychology Today, Wills shares psychiatric insights with a broad audience.

Wills' work examines the cultural tendency to suppress emotions, posing the question of whether individuals can benefit from working with their emotions rather than against them. Through clinical practice, public speaking, and writing, Alex Wills presents a science-based framework for emotional well-being and mental health that emphasizes practical strategies for navigating emotional challenges.