Very Bad Therapy

Latest Episodes:

88. Couples Therapy Bullshit (with Sade Kammen) Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

What is the role of a couples therapist in deciding whether a couple stays together or separates? In this episode, Sade Kammen shares their experience trying to navigate the impact of racism in their relationship, only to be met with unusual and unhelpful therapeutic interventions. Plus, we familiarize ourselves with the wonderfully curious idea of empirically-supported bullshit.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 6:28

Part One: 6:28 – 53:31

Part Two: 53:31 – 1:06:31

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Show Notes:

87. When Your Therapist Seems Unwell (with Halina Brooke, LAMFT) Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

Halina Brooke rejoins us to share her story of bad therapy and resulting experience with the board complaint process. This episode is a bingo card of what not to do as a therapist: drink alcohol in session, send barrages of shaming texts to a client, weaponize client disclosures against them, cyberstalking, and more. When an interview begins with a legal disclaimer, you know some very bad therapy took place.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 6:42

Part One: 6:42 – 1:20:33

Part Two: 1:20:33 – 1:29:50

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Show Notes:

86. The Board Complaint Process (with Halina Brooke, LAMFT) Jul 05, 2021

Show notes

When things go very wrong in therapy, clients often have the option of filing a complaint with the therapist's licensing board. In this episode, Rebecca shares her experience of bad therapy and subsequent frustrations with the board hearings, and Halina Brooke joins us to talk about what clients and therapists need to know about the complaint process.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 4:39

Part One: 4:39 – 37:49

Part Two: 37:49 – 1:20:00

Part Three: 1:20:00 – 1:24:51

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Show Notes:

85. Talking About Race (with Farah Zerehi, AMFT) Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

What can therapists do to provide culturally humble services to clients? Being curious is a good start, and not asking for evidence of racial bias should be an easy next step. In this episode, Grace shares her experience as a woman of color having to justify the impact of racism to her white therapist, and Farah Zerehi joins us to discuss the social justice critiques of "expert" approaches to therapy.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 3:48

Part One: 3:48 – 43:04

Part Two: 43:04 – 1:28:26

Part Three: 1:28:26 – 1:32:35

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Show Notes:

84. Are Therapists Substitute Parental Figures? Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Attachment theory is one of the most credible areas in the field of psychotherapy. It is not, however, an excuse for a therapist to presume to be a substitute parental figure for a client. In this episode, Monika describes working with a therapist who talked about reparenting but undermined therapeutic progress with inconsistent boundaries and unethical behavior. Plus, Carrie takes a deep dive into the research on attachment between therapists and clients.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 6:07

Part One: 6:07 – 1:00:42

Part Two: 1:00:42 – 1:37:50

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Show Notes:

83. Drive-Thru DBT (with Dr. Ben Caldwell) May 24, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, our guest Maryellen shares her bad experience with a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) specialist. But was it bad therapy? Was it therapy at all? Dr. Ben Caldwell joins us to share his thoughts on loosely regulated mental health services, and we explore the unfortunately relevant ethics of having sessions with clients while visiting the Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru and getting tattooed.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 5:39

Part One: 5:39 – 45:56

Part Two: 45:56 – 1:27:36

Part Three: 1:27:36 – 1:32:04

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Show Notes:

82. Predatory Therapists (with Dr. Diane Gehart) May 10, 2021

Show notes

A small percentage of therapists do bad things – not tiny ruptures in the therapeutic alliance or scheduling errors, but truly exploitative practices. This is a story about the latter. Courtney describes her experience with a therapist who groomed her for inappropriate sexual contact, and we speak with Dr. Diane Gehart about the prevalence and tendencies of predatory therapists.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 4:50

Part One: 4:50 – 44:17

Part Two: 44:17 – 1:32:40

Part Three: 1:32:40 – 1:37:42

Very Bad Therapy: Website / Facebook / Bookshelf / Tell Us Your Story

Ben Fineman Counseling

(Ben Fineman - Registered Associate MFT #119754 - Supervised by Curt Widhalm, LMFT #47333)

Show Notes:

81. Codependency In Therapy (with Marissa Esquibel, LMFT) Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Marissa Esquibel, LMFT joins us to talk about codependency – the tendency to let another person's behavior affect your own while obsessing over trying to control that person's behavior. What happens when this dynamic shows up in the therapeutic relationship and gets reinforced by well-intentioned caretaking? How can offering a reduced fee undermine therapeutic progress?

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 6:31

Part One: 6:31 – 1:02:48

Part Two: 1:02:48 – 1:16:05

Very Bad Therapy: Website / Facebook / Bookshelf / Tell Us Your Story

Ben Fineman Counseling

(Ben Fineman - Registered Associate MFT #119754 - Supervised by Curt Widhalm, LMFT #47333)

Show Notes:

Donate to Southern Poverty Law Center
Marissa Esquibel, LMFT: Website / Instagram
The Codependummy Podcast: Website / Instagram / Twitter
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself

80. The Troubled Teen Industry (with Kenneth R. Rosen) Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

Kenneth R. Rosen is an author and journalist with firsthand experience in what is colloquially called the Troubled Teen Industry. This industry – a dubious version of wilderness therapy – often includes coercion, legal kidnapping, and manipulation. Kenneth joins us to talk about these harmful practices and his new book, Troubled: The Failed Promise of America's Behavioral Treatment Programs.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 14:10

Part One: 14:10 – 1:06:05

Part Two: 1:06:05 – 1:14:31

Very Bad Therapy: Website / Facebook / Bookshelf / Tell Us Your Story

Ben Fineman Counseling

(Ben Fineman - Registered Associate MFT #119754 - Supervised by Curt Widhalm, LMFT #47333)

Show Notes:

79. The Stigma of Severe Mental Illness Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

Having a severe and persistent mental illness is difficult – especially when the stigma of certain diagnoses negatively influences treatment. On today's episode, Ann discusses her up and down experiences in the mental health system and her important perspectives on how therapists talk about their clients. Plus, we explore the landmark research on first impressions that explains how the therapeutic relationship is shaped within the first few seconds of treatment.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Introduction: 0:00 – 6:10

Part One: 6:10 – 46:49

Part Two: 46:49 – 1:21:22

Very Bad Therapy: Website / Facebook / Bookshelf / Tell Us Your Story

Ben Fineman Counseling -

(Ben Fineman - Registered Associate MFT #119754 - Supervised by Curt Widhalm, LMFT #47333)

Show Notes: