the radical center

John's notes in summary: 1. It is important for us to continue to bring awareness to and more consistently and directly challenge these ideologies, as they continue to dominate and flourish in academia and the helping professions2. We need to increasingly reject the narrative and refuse to accept the suggestion or insistence that one side is unquestionably correct and that anyone who disagrees is not only wrong but a violent oppressor3. That psychotherapy is not something that everyone needs, especially if training programs and professional organizations are going to continue to insist on radical ideologies. We need to stop seeing therapists as paragons of wisdom and virtue and be more open to the benefits of alternative helping services, such as secular or spiritual life coaching and other alternatives to traditional psychotherapyJohn Paulson is an Associate Professor of Social Work at a regional midwestern university and has taught for the past 10 years in both the undergraduate and graduate social work programs. John began teaching as an adjunct at a community college in 2004 and transitioned to teaching full time at that college in 2011 and did so for 4 years before accepting his current position. His twenty plus years of experience teaching in higher education has led to growing concerns about how we are educating and training helping professionals in the domains of social work, counseling, psychology and allied disciplines. In addition to his academic background, John is a clinical social worker who has provided a variety of psychotherapeutic services for individuals with psychiatric and substance use difficulties in multiple behavioral health and social service settings.  His areas of research and scholarship include mental health and addiction services, mindfulness and compassion-based interventions, dynamics impacting professionalism, gatekeeping, and clinical supervision for student trainees and early career clinicians, advocating for individuals in personal long-term recovery with histories of legal convictions entering training programs and obtaining employment and licensure in the helping professions, issues of spirituality in social work practice, and the microsociology of violence and the potential impact of martial arts study for deescalating and preventing conflict.In this interview John discusses his personal and professional perspectives and concerns on these issues. His views are his own and do not represent those of his department, institution, or any professional organization with which he is affiliated. _____________________________________________________________________If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/ I am also on X @JLeslieElliott And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!): https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenterhttps://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenterAnother great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.comJoin us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/ Additional resources and affiliates: Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.orgChristine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

https://sensiblepsychedelicsbook.com/

Karen King is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and trainer with nearly 20 years of clinical experience, specializing in trauma, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, and psychedelic integration. Trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy through MAPS, she has spent the last several years helping clients and clinicians approach psychedelic medicine with both clinical rigor and philosophical depth. As co-author of the upcoming book The Conservative Case for Psychedelics, Karen brings a free-thinking and intellectually independent voice to a field often dominated by narrow ideological perspectives, arguing that healing, personal responsibility, tradition, and human dignity deserve a central place in the psychedelic conversation. Through her writing, teaching, and public speaking, she advocates for clinical neutrality, open dialogue, and making space for more politically and philosophically diverse voices in mental health and psychedelic therapy.

Wes is a ‘small c’ conservative (pro business, individual liberty, and limited government) psychonaut, and writer focused on bringing the psychedelic renaissance out of the counterculture and into the living rooms of average Americans. After a head injury led him to explore nontraditional paths for healing, he discovered that, in the right set and setting, psychedelics can

deepen the very values conservatives hold dear: faith, family, duty, and personal responsibility, while expanding our awareness of our collective consciousness .

He’s the co-author, along with therapist Karen King, of the forthcoming book The Case for Conservative Psychedelics: How American Values Can Save the Movement and Strengthen America. The book chronicles veterans, parents, entrepreneurs, and churchgoers who’ve used these tools to reconnect with purpose and the people they love, and lays out conservative principles that support the use of psychedelics.

His work sits at the intersection of science and ethos—bridging evidence-based research with a culturally grounded case for humility, gratitude, and moral clarity when approaching altered states that don’t fit nicely into scientific categories. He has engaged with clinicians, veterans’

advocates, pastors, and policy voices, and he speaks candidly about guardrails: legality, preparation, integration, and community accountability. Whether addressing the two major orthodoxies inside the psychedelic movement or the broader Left-Right rift in our culture, Wes argues that freedom and order aren’t rivals—they are the necessary elements of any society that wishes to promote human flourishing.

_____________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/

I am also on X @JLeslieElliott

And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!):

https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenter

https://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenter

Another great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.com

Join us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/

Natalya Murakhver is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and co-founder of Restore Childhood, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on children's education, health, and parental rights advocacy. She directs and produces documentary films through Restore Childhood and as a fellow at Palladium Pictures, and writes for the New York Post and her Substack, Restore Childhood.

Born in the Soviet Union and raised in America from age six, Natalya came to filmmaking the way many of the best stories begin — from lived urgency. When New York City schools closed during the pandemic, she founded #KeepNYCSchoolsOpen and filed a lawsuit against Mayor de Blasio to reopen them. That fight became 15 DAYS: The Real Story of America's Pandemic School Closures — a forensic documentary investigation into how and why America's children were locked out of their schools, and what it cost them.

Natalya was inspired to make the film in the tradition of Steven Spielberg's Shoah project — the conviction that bearing witness to institutional failure is a moral obligation, not just a creative one. As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union and arrived in America as a child, she recognized early what many did not: the warning signs of a society where the state overrides parental authority, where information is controlled, and where children are shaped by ideology rather than family and faith. That recognition — and her deep belief in Judeo-Christian values, in God, and in a parent's sacred agency over their child — drives everything she makes.

Her current mission: getting 15 DAYS seen by every parent in America, and inoculating families with the truth so they can push back against indoctrination and reclaim their children's futures.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Restore Childhood / Natalya Murakhver:

X: https://x.com/Rstorechildhood

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restorechildhood/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/restorechildhood

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/restorechildhood

Substack: https://restorechildhood.substack.com

15 DAYS Film — all links in one place:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/15DAYS

FILM TRAILER:

YouTube Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/restorechildhood (trailer is pinned)

WEBSITES:

https://restorechildhood.com

https://15daysfilm.com

_____________________________________________________________________

If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/

I am also on X @JLeslieElliott

And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!):

https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenter

https://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenter

Another great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.com

Join us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/

Additional resources and affiliates:

Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.org

Christine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

Michael Mercier is President of Screen Education, which provides research, seminars and consulting on the impact of information technology on human optimization and well-being.

His research and seminars examine the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical consequences of

smartphone addiction, its impact on academic performance and workplace productivity, safety and

conflict, and approaches to mitigating the problem. He also examines the impact of the news media on the public, including its polarizing effect, and the use of AI to maximize self-directed learning.

Mr. Mercier has delivered keynotes, webinars, and seminars to schools, corporate audiences, industry associations, colleges and summer camps, and at many conferences.

He also has presented his research to members of Congress and to the legislative aids to

numerous senators, and he testified before the Ohio Senate regarding school phone ban

legislation. His seminars are rich in deep, wholly original insights, presented using clear, enlightening, thought-crystallizing frameworks, and they convey practical solutions that can be

implemented immediately.

Mr. Mercier brings to his research and seminars prior experience in business consulting,

market research, software, and as a marketing manager, editor and publisher in

newspaper, magazine, and textbook publishing. He holds a BA in Psychology from Vassar College, an MBA in Marketing from University of Michigan, and an MS in MIS from the University of Cincinnati.

www.ScreenEducation.org

_____________________________________________________________________

If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/

I am also on X @JLeslieElliott

And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!):

https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenter

https://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenter

Another great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.com

Join us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/

Additional resources and affiliates:

Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.org

Christine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

Join us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/

_____________________________________________________________________

If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/

I am also on X @JLeslieElliott

And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!):

https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenter

https://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenter

Another great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.com

Additional resources and affiliates:

Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.org

Christine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

Sanity Check is a live-streamed collaboration between Cari Bartholomew, Christine Sefein-Wolk, and myself. We typically stream once or twice a month. Thank you for tuning in!Find more from Christine at https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast which she co-hosts.And you can find more from Cari at https://www.youtube.com/@UC9LGYDq130G42FyfCJJLOZA She is also on Twitter at @carobmarcelle_____________________________________________________________________If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/ I am also on X @JLeslieElliott And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!): https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenterhttps://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenterAnother great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.comJoin us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/ Additional resources and affiliates: Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.orgChristine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

About Rob Davis: I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Redlands with a B.A. in Philosophy (emphasis in Chinese Philosophy) and a minor in Biology. I have worked in immigration law, wilderness therapy, addiction and behavior treatment, and education. I am an author with several self-published books including philosophical works and works of fiction. I have been sharing more of my recent writing on Substack, including an in-depth account of my experience in my Counseling Master's of Science program (titled: Defund the Fun Police). I also have done a few podcast series, including one on my book Purpose in Form: The Necessary Basis of All Ethics, and one on The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I post clips from these and other reflections or responses on my YouTube channel.

I worked in wilderness therapy for about 2 years. Then I transitioned to out-patient day treatment for behavioral issues for another almost 2 years. I started working with adults in rehab, then moved to kids with behavioral disorders. From pretty much the beginning, I wanted to become a counselor. At the first wilderness therapy center, I was in a preparation program where I would receive a certification that would help with becoming a counselor (I don't recall what it was exactly at this point). So my entire time working as frontline staff I was intending as preparation for the ultimate goal of becoming a counselor. I got into an online program where I could specialize in addiction treatment, which I was very interested in, and made it one semester. At the end of the semester, there was a mandatory Social Justice portion of all of our courses. The entire pedagogy shifted from "read about these theories and tell us what you like about them or don't like" to "read these and tell us how you will put them into practice." I objected and was forced out shortly into the following semester.

Links:

Substack: https://robertbdavisii.substack.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC_-vi5sypLBUBpkmpz0wpCA

My previous interview with Rob: https://youtu.be/07Q4_Hy_8l8

_____________________________________________________________________

If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/

I am also on X @JLeslieElliott

And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!):

https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenter

https://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenter

Another great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.com

Join us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/

Additional resources and affiliates:

Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.org

Christine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

Karen King is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and trainer with nearly 20 years of clinical experience, specializing in trauma, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, and psychedelic integration. Trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy through MAPS, she has spent the last several years helping clients and clinicians approach psychedelic medicine with both clinical rigor and philosophical depth. As co-author of the upcoming book The Conservative Case for Psychedelics, Karen brings a free-thinking and intellectually independent voice to a field often dominated by narrow ideological perspectives, arguing that healing, personal responsibility, tradition, and human dignity deserve a central place in the psychedelic conversation. Through her writing, teaching, and public speaking, she advocates for clinical neutrality, open dialogue, and making space for more politically and philosophically diverse voices in mental health and psychedelic therapy.Wes is a ‘small c’ conservative (pro business, individual liberty, and limited government) psychonaut, and writer focused on bringing the psychedelic renaissance out of the counterculture and into the living rooms of average Americans. After a head injury led him to explore nontraditional paths for healing, he discovered that, in the right set and setting, psychedelics candeepen the very values conservatives hold dear: faith, family, duty, and personal responsibility, while expanding our awareness of our collective consciousness .He’s the co-author, along with therapist Karen King, of the forthcoming book The Case for Conservative Psychedelics: How American Values Can Save the Movement and Strengthen America. The book chronicles veterans, parents, entrepreneurs, and churchgoers who’ve used these tools to reconnect with purpose and the people they love, and lays out conservative principles that support the use of psychedelics.His work sits at the intersection of science and ethos—bridging evidence-based research with a culturally grounded case for humility, gratitude, and moral clarity when approaching altered states that don’t fit nicely into scientific categories. He has engaged with clinicians, veterans’ advocates, pastors, and policy voices, and he speaks candidly about guardrails: legality, preparation, integration, and community accountability. Whether addressing the two major orthodoxies inside the psychedelic movement or the broader Left-Right rift in our culture, Wes argues that freedom and order aren’t rivals—they are the necessary elements of any society that wishes to promote human flourishing._____________________________________________________________________If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/ I am also on X @JLeslieElliott And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!): https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenterhttps://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenterAnother great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.comJoin us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/ Additional resources and affiliates: Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.orgChristine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

Jenny Holland's substack: https://jennyeholland.substack.com/ On YouTube: https://youtube.com/@savingculturefromitselfand find her on Twitter @SemperFemina21_____________________________________________________________________If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/ I am also on X @JLeslieElliott And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!): https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenterhttps://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenterAnother great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.comJoin us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/ Additional resources and affiliates: Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.orgChristine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast

Dr. Debra Soh is a neuroscientist who specializes in human sexuality. She is the author of Sextinction: The Decline of Sex and the Future of Intimacy.As a journalist, she writes about the politicization of science, technology, health, and online subcultures. She is a contributor to The Globe and Mail. Her writing has also appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Daily Wire, The Free Press, and many other publications.She has appeared on Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast, Dr. Phil, The Megyn Kelly Show, Book Club with Michael Smerconish, Culture Apothecary, the Joe Rogan Experience, Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce, and many more.https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Sextinction/Debra-Soh/9781668057391DrDebraSoh.com _____________________________________________________________________If you would like to contact me, my website is: https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/ I am also on X @JLeslieElliott And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following (thank you very much!): https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenterhttps://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenterAnother great way to support my work (and get something nice for yourself!) is to shop my handmade ceramics online at: https://ceramics.wherethealdersgrow.comJoin us every Monday at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern for the Solid Ground Live stream. Come join our Solid Ground peer support and discussion groups at https://sground.substack.com/ And you can join our locals community at https://solidground.locals.com/ Additional resources and affiliates: Critical Therapy Antidote: https://criticaltherapyantidote.orgChristine Sefein Wolk: cohost of the CTA podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ctapodcast