Scream Therapy

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes comedian and Arson Charge screamer Ben Roy to the podcast. Ben talks about how the sexual abuse he experienced as a child shaped his adult life. Punk rock and comedy were places where Ben had permission, and was encouraged, to speak out against the injustice he and so many others have faced. Over time, he has learned ways to process the pain of his past and channel it...

Matt Arbogast of The Gunshy joins host Jason Schreurs to talk about being accepted into the punk scene at an early age and how it accepted him without judgement. This acceptance gave Matt the freedom to explore his music on his own terms. Although he doesn't play traditional punk, instead leaning into the Americana/folk world, Matt will always consider the DIY/punk scene to be his home. http://the...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes folk-punk singer/songwriter Black Guy Fawkes who talked about being bullied in school. Fawkes lives with trauma around his youth and other harassment he's faced in his adult life. Being accepted into the punk scene by some of the musicians he looked up to was a game-changer. http://blackguyfawkes.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Black Guy Fawkes - "Glass Houses" from...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes The Carolyn's Andrew Patrick to talk about his lifelong fascination with punk rock. Andrew explains how being part of the punk scene has brought him meaningful friendships and the permission to make music on his own terms. http://thecarolyn.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: The Carolyn - "I Thought You Were Dead" from Pyramid Scheme of Grief (59 X Records, 2025) Misfit...

Host Jason Schreurs recaps episodes 111-120 of Scream Therapy. If you missed any of these episodes, it's time to catch up! Also featuring a clip from his appearance on the Recovery Diaries In Depth 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,...

Harry Bailey from UK queercore due Death Goals joins Scream Therapy host Jason Schreurs to talk about how punk rock has been the best AND worst thing in their lives. Harry explains that the anxiety, existential dread, and gender dysphoria they feel is outweighed by the joy of playing music and being part of the punk scene. http://deathgoals.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Death Goals - "Tchotchk...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes Spite House singer/guitarist Max Lajoie to the podcast. Max, also a music producer in Montreal, talks about losing both of his parents in a 10-year span and how he has processed his grief through that journey. http://spitehousemtl.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Spite House - "Midway" from Desertion (Pure Noise Records, 2025) Defeater - "Bastards" from Letters Home (...

Host Jason Schreurs welcomes Sarinn Blawatt, singer of Vancouver punk band Alien Boys, to talk about the culture of care. Having worked in harm reduction services for more than 15 years, Sarinn links their involvement in the punk scene and its empathic ethos to the important work they do in health care. http://alienboys.bandcamp.com Featured song clips: Alien Boys - "The Lever" from The Weight of...

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...