Very Bad Therapy

Silence in therapy can feel awkward, helpful, expansive, or even punitive. There is no consensus on its usefulness, but it can certainly contribute to very bad therapy. Ella joins us to share her experience of feeling punished by her therapists' use of silence, and Dr. Gene Combs provides a narrative perspective on silence, sanctity, and power in the therapeutic relationship.   Thank you for liste...

It's not a secret that rapport contributes to outcomes in all types of healthcare. How, then, to make sense of our guest C's story about a psychiatrist who ranted about Christmas, laughed at her suicide plan, and gave terrible marital advice? Dr. Patrick Wiita joins the show to talk about education, training, and ethics in the field of psychiatry and how to make the most out of every session with...

In this week's episode, Amy shares her childhood experience as a sexual abuse survivor being told by a therapist that her behavior was the problem and needed to be called out by her family. We also speak with Dr. Eli Karam about the importance of thinking systemically, the practice of family therapy, and how to help traumatized children feel supported instead of stigmatized as the identified patie...

Dave Segal is a nature-based therapist and the executive director of Human-Nature Counselling in Victoria, British Columbia. He discusses his own experience of bad therapy, the importance of attunement and attachment, and how being with nature can bring about healing. Plus, Carrie and Ben give each other empirically supported Thanksgiving compliments.   Thank you for listening. To support the show...

Today's guest Cherry shares her experience being prescribed benzodiazepines and God instead of receiving the emotional support she was seeking. We explore the impact of culture and stigma on mental health services, the heroism of clients, and what we can learn from the remarkable conclusions of antidepressant outcome studies.   Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to reg...

Dr. Christine King experienced three concussions when she was a child. The symptoms of her brain injury were misunderstood and later assumed to be the result of childhood sexual abuse, sending Christine on a pathologized path that took decades for her to undo. We hear her story and also speak with Dr. Ben Caldwell about how therapists can attune to client symptoms, make good referrals, and avoid m...

Dr. Don Meichenbaum is credited with helping to develop cognitive behavioral therapy in the 1960s and 1970s. He has been named one of the ten most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century. He also believes that the field of psychotherapy is full of bullshit and hype. Dr. Meichenbaum joins us to talk about delivering what actually works in therapy, how to spot hype, and challenging the stat...

In today's episode, Jonathan shares his story as a teenager working with a gender therapist who dismissed his preferences for treatment in favor of uncovering his "reasons" for being trans. We also speak with Beck Gee-Cohen about best practices in working with trans kids and how many modalities of psychotherapy exclude trans narratives.   Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive ac...

Henk Spierings has had a wide range of experiences in therapy – most of them unhelpful, if not outright harmful. He joins us to discuss his new book, Becoming Compliant, and share the lessons he's learned from decades of bad therapy. Plus, Ben and Carrie get on their soapbox to explain why it's necessary to talk with clients about how therapy works and the risks of treatment failure.   Thank you f...

What's the difference between very bad therapy and very unethical therapy? Today's guest Lisa shares her experience with a logotherapist that was many things – insulting, disturbing, oddly prophetic – but did any of it constitute an ethical violation? Dr. Christopher Taylor joins us to answer these questions and more about the surprisingly interesting world of ethics in psychotherapy.   Thank you...

Kenneth E. Hartman is a prison reform activist who served 38 years in the California prison system. He discusses his advocacy work, what mental health care looks like in prison, and his personal experiences of therapy – both good and bad. He also shares his thoughts on how therapists can play a role in the necessary social change at the heart of effective prison reform. Plus, Carrie discusses if i...

Rachel Bennett shares her experience navigating the historically misguided gatekeeping requirements for gender reassignment surgery. She discusses how therapists can better advocate for trans-affirmative care, and we speak with Dr. David Nylund to explore a paradigm that challenges the oppressive notion that transitioning is a psychiatric issue. Plus, how can feedback-informed treatment be used as...

An interview with Chrissy Gillmore about the primacy of client strengths, resilience, and culture in healing trauma, and how a pathology-focused approach can result in bad therapy.  Plus, Carrie and Ben explore the controversy behind the APA Clinical Practice Guidelines for PTSD and discuss whether being trauma-informed is an ethical requirement, clever marketing, or both.   Thank you for listenin...

Very Bad Therapy is switching to biweekly episodes, but we're not quite ready to miss a week of podcasting yet.  We discuss the new format, check in on our quarantine adventures, talk about some episodes in the queue, and Carrie gushes about the upcoming Therapy Reimagined conference.   Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Ba...

There is an ongoing replication crisis in science; many of the studies that frame our scientific knowledge, especially in psychology, likely have incorrect conclusions.  This has huge ramifications for clinical psychology.  How can clinicians be effective if the research that supports accepted practices is largely a mirage?  Join us as we explore the false positives of psychotherapy and gaze into...

Bronwen Clark is the author of Don't Be Weird: A Memoir of Food and Feelings. She joins us to share experiences of bad therapy from her healing journey that include being kicked out of eating disorder treatment for being too depressed – only to almost be kicked out of mood disorder treatment for being too eating disordered. This is a compelling story of trauma and resilience.   Thank you for liste...

Paul Gilmartin is a former stand-up comedian and host of the widely popular Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast. We speak with him about his journey with clinical depression, insights on mental health and psychotherapy from ten years of hearing others' personal stories, and his own experiences of very bad therapy. Plus, Paul shares his thoughts on self-obsession and the quest for fame.   VBT in Focu...

In today's episode, our guest J shares two experiences that highlight the difficulties therapists can have in intercultural therapeutic relationships. We also speak with Dr. Pamela Hays about the ADDRESSING model and other strategies therapists can use to mitigate the impact of their cultural biases in session with clients.   Thank you for listening. Support the show by becoming a monthly subscrib...

Ben and Carrie discuss their commitment to making this podcast an antiracist space.   Show Notes: Webinar – Ask the Experts: Treating Mental Health in the Black Community I'm a Black Therapist…& Yes, it matters. Stamped from the Beginning – The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America Why I Left My White Therapist How Therapists Drive Away Minority Clients Black People Go To Therapy, Too: Ses...

Candace Newmaker was a 10-year-girl who tragically died in the process of rebirthing therapy, a variation of a pseudoscientific treatment of childhood trauma known as attachment therapy. This episode comes with a big trigger warning. If you were in a room where a child was being suffocated, would you do anything to stop her death?   Thank you for listening. Support the show by becoming a monthly s...

This week's guest Adam shares his experience of seeing a therapist for five years without any noticeable benefit. When should clients – or therapists – start to wonder if it's time to end the therapeutic relationship? As it turns out, there's a lot of research suggesting that therapists need to do much more than simply wait for their approach to start working…including accepting the likelihood of...

Deliberate practice is an emerging (and sometimes abstract) concept of psychotherapist development. Tony Rousmaniere and Alex Vaz are working to transform these ideas into concrete practices. This episode is an exploration of the theory, adaptability, and future of deliberate practice.  Plus, Alex leads Carrie in a live demonstration of a deliberate practice exercise with Ben playing the role of a...

Conversations about death, dying, and bereavement can be difficult, but they are often an important part of the therapeutic process. Dr. Michael Morad-McCoy joins us to share his experiences with "not very helpful" clinicians who were unable or unwilling to explore dark areas, and we discuss how therapists can best support their clients in a time of ubiquitous grief and loss. Thank you for listeni...

The American Psychological Association commissioned a task force in 1993 to determine how to scientifically evaluate psychotherapy treatments. A controversy immediately ensued. Carrie digs into the literature on the history and effectiveness of empirically supported treatments to figure out what this suggests about best clinical practices. Note: this is not an ad for CBT. Pardon the slight backgro...

In this week's episode, Samuel discusses his experiences with conversion therapy in Provo, Utah. This is a beautiful story of resilience, compassion, and thriving. Thanks to our listeners, experts, and most of all the inspiring guests who have shared their stories with us for 50 episodes. It is a privilege for us to be a part of this growing community. Thank you for listening. Support the show by...