Scream Therapy

Sean Kathman of Start Today Harm Reduction joins host Jason Schreurs to talk about his work in the punk scene to spread the word about safe substance use. Sean talks about his life as a nurse manager at a substance use disorder unit, and how personal tragedy shaped his path toward helping others. http://starttodayharmreduction.org Featured song clips: Gorilla Biscuits - "Start Today" from Start To...

Mike Hard from noise rockers God Bullies joins host Jason Schreurs to talk about how our capitalist society makes us all "mentally ill." Mike talks about the effect today's world has on our psyche and how it's impossible not to experience mental anguish because of it. http://god-bullies.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: God Bullies - "I Am Mighty" from As Above, So Below (Reptilian Records, 2024)...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes Clinical Social Worker Carrie Eberhardy to talk about her work in sandplay therapy, a safe and protected space where people can explore different parts of themselves. Carrie re-discovered punk rock later in life and recalls how bands like The Descendents helped her reclaim her youth. http://carrieeberhardy.com Featured song clips: Descendents - "Silly Girl" from I Don'...

Host Jason Schreurs and Unseemlier's Mike Assatly discuss how living in a capitalist society feeds anxiety and fear. As a punk, Mike tried to avoid "real life" for as long as he could. This has left him in a challenging place between the freedom of punk and having to fall in line in exchange for the possibility of financial stability. http://unseemlier.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Unseemlier...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes Aly Jados of Chicago post-punk band Violets onto the show to talk about awareness around one's mental health and how it helps with stability. Aly and Jason discuss the importance of medical labels versus focusing on what makes us inspired and creative. http://violets2.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Violets - "Devotion" from Violets EP (2025) Nirvana - "Smells Like T...

Chad Price comes onto the podcast to talk to host Jason Schreurs about his life as a recovering alcoholic. Known for his work in ALL, Drag the River, A Vulture Wake, and now the Chad Price Peace Coalition, Chad spent decades trying to balance his heavy drinking with constant travel, parties, parties, and more parties. Chad talks about how being in a punk band can be conducive to substance misuse....

Lance Curran of Chicago post-hardcore band With Patience joins host Jason Schreurs to talk about the survivor's guilt he felt after a friend of his committed suicide when they were 14. Growing up as a depressed teen, Lance always wondered how he was able to get through those years when others hadn't. He explains that getting into punk and playing in bands was the outlet he needed to process his gr...

Host Jason Schreurs recaps episodes 101-110 of Scream Therapy. If you missed any of these episodes, it's time to catch up! Also featuring a clip from my appearance on the Pete vs. Anxiety podcast. THE SCREAM THERAPY BOOK is now available! Scream Therapy: A Punk Journey through Mental Health is a memoir-plus that has been heralded by New York Times best-selling authors. Like the podcast, it links t...

Romy Hoffman of punk/new wave band Agender joins Scream Therapy host Jason Schreurs to talk about her life as a sober musician. Romy explains that not using substances has allowed her to process and heal through her music. http://agendermusic.com Featured song clips: Agender - "Logo" from Berserk (2025) Noise Addict - "Spritz" from The Frail Girl (Numero Group, 1994) Minor Threat - "Straight Edge"...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes Rocky Votolato, he of legendary Seattle band Waxwing, an illustrious solo career, and now his new loud project, Suzzallo. Rocky talks about how the death of his adult child in 2022 shook him to core, and continues to shake him to the core, along his path of grief recovery. Enveloping himself in sounds will be a huge part of the long road ahead. www.suzzallo.com www.roc...

Scream Therapy host Jason Schreurs welcomes New Jersey punk staple Sammy Kay, most recently of punk supergroup The Kilograms, to talk about the evolution of his mental health. With several diagnoses under his belt, Sammy is navigating schizoaffective, which includes a number of voices in his head. Sammy has learned to be curious about the journey he's on and has found ways to manage his daily life...

Bleeding Through screamer Brandan Schieppati joins Scream Therapy host Jason Schreurs to recall what life was like when he was hiding his bipolar diagnosis from his bandmates. Brandan tried to pretend he was okay for years, but as his mental health deteriorated, everything came to head and he disclosed his condition to the band. They rallied behind him and Bleeding Through thrives to this day. htt...

Scream Therapy host Jason Schreurs talks with Mugger lead screamer Anna Troxell about her years-long struggle with anorexia and how it almost killed her. Anna talks about what led her to seek help at her lowest point and how she's been able to maintain her health and stability since then. http://mugger-tx.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Mugger - "Candy Apple Baseball" from Luck Forever (2024) Mu...

Amanda Pants of The Meringues talks to Scream Therapy host Jason Schreurs about how surviving a troubled youth helped her move forward with her mental health and her work in the education system. Amanda's friendship with a future bandmate was key to her going to school and ended up with them starting The Meringues together. http://themeringues.com Featured song clips: The Meringues - "Invincible"...

Host Jason Schreurs talks to Chris Watts of Upset Boy and the Queens about how a perfect storm of stress and mental health issues resulted in a panic attack onstage. Upon reflection and in therapy, Chris realized his un-wellness was due in part to suppressing post-traumatic stress from an incident during Hurricane Katrina. http://upsetboyandthequeens.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Upset Boy and...

Host Jason Schreurs and lifelong punk rock troubadour Cactus Vella chat about his history in punk and dealing with personal struggles along the way. Whether it was anxiety, panic attacks, or substance misuse, Cactus has always leaned on punk rock to help him cope and eventually stabilize. http://cactusvellamusic.com Featured song clips: Public Mess - "Garbage Island" from Garbage Island (Anxiety A...

Host Jason Schreurs and clinical social worker Eli Nowak of Break to Broken talk about the freedom and empowerment he felt after opening his own practice. Using an eclectic approach to mental health, Eli encourages his clients to search for identity and individuality. http://breaktobroken.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Beat to Broken - "Normalcy" from White & Gray + 2 (2024) Black Flag - "Gimmi...

Host Jason Schreurs and Tara Hahn of California ska punk band Half Past Two talk about advocating for disabled people, not only those close to her but also within the punk scene. Tara also talks about using difficult emotions and subjects in her music as a way of catharsis, something she shied away from in previous years. http://halfpasttwoska.com Featured song clips: Half Past Two - "Give and Tak...

Host Jason Schreurs recaps episodes 91-100 of Scream Therapy. If you missed any of these episodes, it's time to catch up! THE SCREAM THERAPY BOOK is now available! Scream Therapy: A Punk Journey through Mental Health is a memoir-plus that has been heralded by New York Times best-selling authors. Like the podcast, it links the community-minded punk rock scene with the mental wellness of the punks w...

Host Jason Schreurs celebrates episode 100 with punk activist and therapist Sascha Altman DuBrul. Returning to the podcast since his last appearance in 2021, Sascha is the podcast's first repeat guest. Sascha talks about the Internal Family Systems Model (IFS). He explains how IFS allows us to distinguish between different parts of ourselves that need to be protected and nurtured, and to focus on...

Host Jason Schreurs and Early Riser vocalist/guitarist Kiri Oliver discuss her social anxiety and how it affects her in social situations and finding connections. Punk rock helps, like playing in bands and watching live shows, but the socializing part is where she struggles. Over the years, she's learned some valuable tips for setting boundaries. http://earlyrisermusic.com Featured song clips: Ear...

Host Jason Schreurs brings Holly Minto of Crawlers onto the podcast to talk about intimacy and mental health. Holly explains that she had a turning point in her early 20s, after a mental health crisis, when she realized that she wasn't a side character in her love life. And how she found a "new normal" in her life and relationships. http://crawlersofficial.com Featured song clips: Crawlers - "Hit...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes Anberlin guitarist Christian McAlhaney to the podcast to talk about being a touring musician with a family at home. Christian stresses the importance of staying connected to loved ones and of mutual mental health support between road and home. http://anberlin.com Featured song clips: Anberlin - "Decoder" from Vega (Equal Vision Records, 2024) Linkin Park - "One Step Cl...

Host Jason Schreurs brings Adam Eckhoff of Oh, Are They? onto the show to talk about anxiety and ways to acknowledge the self-doubt and other difficult emotions that come along with it. Adam explains some of the tools he uses when his anxiety interferes with his creative process and everyday life. http://oharethey.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Oh, Are They? - "Mistaken Identity" From Guilt (20...

Tommy Meehan of Squid Pisser, Cancer Christ, and now the mighty GWAR joins host Jason Schreurs to talk about screaming and playing guitar from behind a mask. Tommy explains that it can be a liberating experience and a way to explore different parts of yourself. And damn fun, too. http://squidpisser.bandcamp.com http://cancerchrist.bandcamp.com http://gwar.net http://sweatbandrecords.com Featured s...