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Episode 31 - Nell Ash - Psychotherapist & Writer
FOLLOW US:
Not a Rich Kid - Instagram
Class Therapy: Working-Class Mental Health, Power, and the Limits of “Therapy Speak”
Kath Dolheguy interviews Nell Ash, a psychotherapist and creator of the Instagram project Class Therapy, which shares accessible, compassionate, class-informed mental health insights. Nell explains how counseling training felt shaped by middle-class sensibilities and “professional neutrality,” and how nearby 2024 race riots involving men she knew underscored that conventional therapeutic frameworks wouldn’t reach many working-class people. They discuss barriers to class-aware therapy, including cost, being read through stigmatising labels, power and surveillance dynamics, and clients spending paid time educating therapists about working-class life. The conversation critiques shallow social-media “therapy speak,” attachment theory, CBT’s individualism, and grift-y relationship/wellness culture, emphasising context, community, grace, and practical tools. Nell’s writing is becoming a toolkit-style book planned for 2027.
00:00 Content Warning
00:19 Meet Nell Ash
02:12 Class Therapy Origins
04:42 Growing Up
07:28 Becoming Class Aware
09:32 Therapy Titles Explained
10:46 Frameworks Built for Flanders
13:36 Therapy Speak and Capitalism
15:57 State Surveillance and Survival
21:15 Class Barriers in Therapy
26:39 Masking and Professionalism
30:20 Pushback and Accessibility
32:32 Lived Experience Before Theory
35:24 Class as Kaleidoscope
36:16 Creativity Returns
36:57 Dating Culture Grifts
38:39 Class and Feminism Today
39:45 Tradwives and Choice
41:59 Divine Feminine Myths
43:38 Boundaries and Repair
44:44 Selfhood to Burn
47:21 Aspirational Media Pressure
49:06 Bodies and Supremacy Ideals
51:04 Codependency Labels
54:11 Soft Strings Framework
57:53 Book Toolkit Preview
59:43 Best and Worst Jobs
01:00:57 Art That Reflects Class
01:03:40 Working Class Icons
01:05:12 Closing Thanks
Get in touch:
Are you a working class person who wants to pursue a creative career but don't know where to start? Get in touch via instagram - we'd be happy to give you some advice.
Tell us who you would like to hear from. Is there someone we should invite on the podcast? Let us know!
The Not a Rich Kid Team:
Post audio - Mike Tillbrook
Theme song:
‘Barry Michael Takes a Train’ by Sand Pebbles - Written & performed by Ben Michael and performed and mixed by Murray Ono Jamieson.
Not a Rich Kid would not be possible without the support of:
Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants
View all episodes
By Tummy Ache StudiosFOLLOW US:
Not a Rich Kid - Instagram
Class Therapy: Working-Class Mental Health, Power, and the Limits of “Therapy Speak”
Kath Dolheguy interviews Nell Ash, a psychotherapist and creator of the Instagram project Class Therapy, which shares accessible, compassionate, class-informed mental health insights. Nell explains how counseling training felt shaped by middle-class sensibilities and “professional neutrality,” and how nearby 2024 race riots involving men she knew underscored that conventional therapeutic frameworks wouldn’t reach many working-class people. They discuss barriers to class-aware therapy, including cost, being read through stigmatising labels, power and surveillance dynamics, and clients spending paid time educating therapists about working-class life. The conversation critiques shallow social-media “therapy speak,” attachment theory, CBT’s individualism, and grift-y relationship/wellness culture, emphasising context, community, grace, and practical tools. Nell’s writing is becoming a toolkit-style book planned for 2027.
00:00 Content Warning
00:19 Meet Nell Ash
02:12 Class Therapy Origins
04:42 Growing Up
07:28 Becoming Class Aware
09:32 Therapy Titles Explained
10:46 Frameworks Built for Flanders
13:36 Therapy Speak and Capitalism
15:57 State Surveillance and Survival
21:15 Class Barriers in Therapy
26:39 Masking and Professionalism
30:20 Pushback and Accessibility
32:32 Lived Experience Before Theory
35:24 Class as Kaleidoscope
36:16 Creativity Returns
36:57 Dating Culture Grifts
38:39 Class and Feminism Today
39:45 Tradwives and Choice
41:59 Divine Feminine Myths
43:38 Boundaries and Repair
44:44 Selfhood to Burn
47:21 Aspirational Media Pressure
49:06 Bodies and Supremacy Ideals
51:04 Codependency Labels
54:11 Soft Strings Framework
57:53 Book Toolkit Preview
59:43 Best and Worst Jobs
01:00:57 Art That Reflects Class
01:03:40 Working Class Icons
01:05:12 Closing Thanks
Get in touch:
Are you a working class person who wants to pursue a creative career but don't know where to start? Get in touch via instagram - we'd be happy to give you some advice.
Tell us who you would like to hear from. Is there someone we should invite on the podcast? Let us know!
The Not a Rich Kid Team:
Post audio - Mike Tillbrook
Theme song:
‘Barry Michael Takes a Train’ by Sand Pebbles - Written & performed by Ben Michael and performed and mixed by Murray Ono Jamieson.
Not a Rich Kid would not be possible without the support of:
Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants