The Behaviourist is a raw, unflinching memoir of survival, transformation, and grit.

From a childhood shaped by violence and fear to a youth spent on the margins of society, J.C. Atkins fought her way through poverty, addiction, abuse, and prison. But this isn’t just a story of hardship—it’s a story of what happens when you refuse to stay broken.

Torn between the streets of Blackpool and a system that never made space for women like her, Jo became an ex-offender who defied every label. As her son entered the justice system, she found herself on a new path—one that led from the prison gates to university halls, and eventually to the creation of The Lion Theory, a ground-breaking trauma recovery model born from lived experience.

With brutal honesty, fierce heart, and dark humour, Atkins shares her fight to reclaim her health, her family, and her voice—proving that recovery isn’t just possible, it’s revolutionary.

This is the true story of a mother, a survivor, and a behaviourist.

"Born into an organized crime family, brought up in a caravan, raised on the streets. Jo became the first behaviourist of her kind"