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Ben Fineman and Caroline Wiita
Very Bad TherapyEpisodes
Ben Fineman and Caroline Wiita
Very Bad Therapy
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Episodes of Very Bad Therapy
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Carrie and Ben create their own model of therapy. Goal setting! Psychoeducation! Exploitation and worrisome sales tactics! What does it say about psychotherapy when our progressively cynical efforts to develop a modality end up mirroring some
All therapy books have an oddly similar message: *This* form of therapy is the one that truly matters, and *this* science/philosophy/whatever is the key to understanding how human psychology actually works. These narratives can’t all be true,
The vast majority of therapists enter their profession to help other people. Some become therapists to help themselves. Today’s episode features Millie, a client who found a therapist who seemed to good to be true – until the truth set in, mont
Life can be hard at times. Do you want to feel more visible and important in your relationships? Are you curious about why every Psychology Today profile looks the same? We get silly with the incredible Therapist Generator and learn all about
Social proof has become a crucial element of consumer decision making in the Internet era. So why don’t the vast majority of therapists ask their clients to give testimonials or leave reviews? We ponder the frustrating tension between psychothe
What is religious trauma, and why do some therapists refuse to work with clients who use that language? In today’s episode, Jeremy speaks about his experiences with therapists who felt the need to defend their faith in session, and we are joine
Trauma-informed therapy is…what, exactly? And is trauma actually stored in the body, or is that just a clever narrative that a few enterprising gurus have used to sell books and trainings? We dig deep into the research on trauma to answer these
Let’s get controversial! Is it a good idea for a therapist to project their own political views onto a client? For today’s guest Ruth, the answer is a resounding “no.” We hear her story of a therapist who took her political advocacy too far, an
No, EMDR is not a cultish pyramid scheme. With that out of the way, why is EMDR training so expensive when its theoretical foundations are supported by dubious (at best) research? In this clickbaity-titled episode, Angela Nauss, EMDRIA-certifie
How do we know which psychotherapy research is trustworthy? Dr. Alex Williams and Dr. John Sakaluk help us search for evidence in all the logical places: the replication crisis, RCTs, qualitative studies, dolphin therapy, Canadian football, res
What makes for effective group therapy? Cohesion, expectation setting, and as today’s guest Thomas can attest to, not having the therapist give the middle finger to a group member. We try to make sense of Thomas’ experience by looking into rese
What exactly is treatment planning and why do some therapists dread having to do it on a regular basis? This episode is Carrie’s love letter to treatment plans – why they are used, how they can improve therapy outcomes, and why Ben is wrong in
What’s so important about a diagnosis? For neurodivergent clients, it can mean affirmation, community support, and access to much-needed services…if the diagnosis is correct. In today’s episode, we talk to Harley about her challenges in seeking
Nothing lasts forever, including therapeutic relationships. Therapy can end in lots of different ways, but what constitutes a good goodbye? We dig into the research on termination and the related ethics codes and come away with a surprising con
“No bad parts” is a common mantra in therapy – the various parts of ourselves are always working to serve some beneficial purpose. But what happens when a therapist communicates to a client that significant parts of who they are aren’t welcome
What happens in the first session of therapy? More importantly, why do one-third of clients not come back for the second session? We look for answers in the research on client expectations and consider some creative perspectives on increasing f
Is good therapy as simple as whatever activity makes a client feel better? What if that activity is a singular focus on sports betting strategy? In today’s episode, we talk with Christine to learn from her experience of “gambling therapy” and a
Carrie hasn’t worked as a therapist in over a year. Will she ever get licensed, and how is her decision connected to the apparent reality that many therapists are actively trying to not see clients? We explore the interesting trend of therapist
You’ve already heard that the therapeutic alliance is important to client outcomes, but does anyone actually know why? We dig into the research to figure out if ruptures can be a good thing (yes!), what clients and therapists should know about
Many clients want a spiritual component to their therapy, but what happens when a therapist acts more like a theologian than a mental health professional? Today’s guest Kelsey describes her experience of having spirituality weaponized against h
It seems odd that most therapists – us included – aren’t 100% certain about what constitutes an intervention. Are interventions scripted in-session activities? What about the theoretical orientations themselves? There isn’t one single answer, b
Stereotypes aren’t always a bad thing. That may not be true in therapy, especially when a client is made to feel like they are representing an entire group of people. That’s what we explore with today’s guest Jess, and we’re also joined by Dean
There are over 600 types of psychotherapy. What are they, where did they come from, and what makes them important? We dive deep (too deep, probably) into a $900 textbook in an attempt to make sense of the spectacularly confusing topic of theore
In the United States, mental health professionals must pass a clinical exam to become licensed in their field. These exams appear to do nothing to make psychotherapy more effective or safe. They are, however, very efficient at furthering struct
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