A therapist’s job is to help their clients. But what does “help” mean when a client has been diagnosed with an incurable disease? In this episode, Cassie shares her story of seeking emotional support for her diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer only to receive unhelpful fixes instead. Plus, Jill Johnson-Young returns to talk about supporting clients who are experiencing the grief of having to say goodbye.

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 – 6:37

Part One: 6:37 – 36:43

Part Two: 36:43 – 1:11:28

Part Three: 1:11:28 – 1:17:01

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to CaringBridge and Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation
• Therapist-level moderation of within- and between-therapist process-outcome associations.
• Research examines the role of psychotherapists in treatment effectiveness
• Jill Johnson-Young’s Website

Dual relationships can be perfectly fine in therapy. But imagine if your therapist was also working with your good friend… and that friend’s girlfriend… and the therapist hired your friend to be her dog walker… and everyone’s private information was shared in session with no concern for confidentiality. That’s the first ten minutes of Anna’s story, and it gets worse from there. So, so much worse.

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 – 2:34

Part One: 2:34 – 55:03

Part Two: 55:03 – 1:10:55

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa)

What does it mean if a therapist suddenly changes their behavior? In this episode, Katie shares her experiences with two therapists who made significant adjustments and left her (and Ben and Carrie) confused about what happened. Plus, Dr. Ben Caldwell returns with fantastic metaphors about ethical gray areas and how therapists can adjust their boundaries and clinical style in a compassionate way.

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 – 5:43

Part One: 5:43 – 42:32

Part Two: 42:32 – 1:25:40

Part Three: 1:25:40 – 1:30:33

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to Alzheimer’s Association
• Embracing Our Core Competencies: How Would It Change the Practice of Therapy?
• Sentio Institute Undergraduate Internship (Note: For California residents only)
• A User’s Guide to the 7 Criteria for ‘Good Therapy’
• Ben Caldwell Labs
• SimplePractice Learning

1. Post-Traumatic Stress Demonology

The cause of psychological distress is often complex and unknowable. There are many helpful theories to explain depression, anxiety, and trauma, but in this episode, Maria shares her bewildering experience with a therapist who had some less conventional ideas. This story features many different examples of bad therapy with a freaking exorcism included as an iatrogenic exclamation point.

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 – 5:54

Part One: 5:54 – 44:12

Part Two: 44:12 – 1:12:04

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to The Trevor Project
• EMDR: Taking a Closer Look

Lots of therapists describe themselves as “trauma-informed.” Very few fail to live up to that title as inexplicably as what we hear in this episode, as Sarah shares her unfortunate therapy experience following a sexual assault. We also talk with Dr. Chelsea Kilimnik to learn more about how therapists can actually be trauma-informed when supporting survivors of sexual trauma.

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 – 7:03

Part One: 7:03 – 39:17

Part Two: 39:17 – 1:15:32

Part Three: 1:15:32 – 1:19:32

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to Lifeline Australia
• Dr. Chelsea Kilimnik: Email / CU / Practice
• Some Psychological Interventions Are More Harmful Than Helpful

Therapists have a lot of power. This episode is about a therapist who leveraged that power to abuse his 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 – 3:40

Part One: 3:40 – 1:03:16

Part Two: 1:03:16 – 1:18:18

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to SPCA International
• Episode 82 – Predatory Therapists (with Dr. Diane Gehart)
• Therapy Exploitation Link Line (TELL)

Can wearing a cross be considered a type of bad therapy? This episode features a conversation with Johannah Song, LPC about the positive and negative ways therapists of faith can impact treatment by disclosing their religion. Plus, we talk about the right balance between expertise and curiosity, and why seeking consultation from a specialist is like baking a quiche.

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 – 9:15

Part One: 9:15 – 55:46

Part Two: 55:46 – 1:29:38

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to Traffick911
• Intellection Consulting
• Always chatting in 55 minute chunks (Reddit)
• The Thinking Atheist Podcast

This episode’s interview with Sara is about two therapists – one who was too friendly, and another who wasn’t friendly enough. What should therapists consider before using risky interventions such as guilt, self-disclosure, or icy behavior? We try to answer these questions and more as we go back down the rabbit hole of using service-dominant logic to make therapy more effective.

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 – 9:23

Part One: 9:23 – 47:16

Part Two: 47:16 – 1:25:00

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to NAMI Maryland
• I found the latest episode of “Very Bad Therapy” to be pretty offensive and absurd and I’m curious to hear other’s thoughts on it. (Reddit)

Who should we talk to next about how to break the decades-long plateau of client outcomes in psychotherapy? Short on ideas, we take it upon ourselves to try and crack the 45-year-old riddle about how to make therapy more effective. Ben has another existential crisis, Carrie converts to the religion of customer service, and we (eventually!) explore why the path to better outcomes might go directly through Starbucks and the hospitality industry. We want to hear your feedback on this one!

VBT in Focus is a series of sporadic episodes in which Carrie and Ben have the privilege of chatting with their favorite thinkers in the field of psychotherapy. Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community.

Part One: 0:00 – 1:01:28

Part Two: 1:01:28 – 1:50:27

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

Show Notes:

• Daniel Kahneman / Seth Godin
• Tyler Black’s Twitter Thread
• How To Know If You’re An Interrupter Or A ‘Cooperative Overlapper’
• Job Demographics Search Tool
• WEIRD Bias
• The Person of the Therapist Training Model (Harry Aponte)
• Clients' and therapists' views of the therapeutic alliance: similarities, differences and relationship to therapy outcome
• The first sessions of psychotherapy: A qualitative meta-analysis of alliance formation processes.
• The Art of Creating a Magical Session: Key Elements for Transforming Psychotherapy
• The Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP): A User’s Guide
• SERVQUAL
• Service-Dominant Logic: Premises, Perspectives, Possibilities

Jill Johnson-Young is an expert in the areas of dying, death, and grief. She also has the personal experiences that come with having been widowed twice, including stories of the bad grief therapy that followed. In this episode, Jill shares what therapists and clients should know about working with grief and all the reasons why the conventional wisdom about grief therapy is often counterproductive.

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 – 10:59

Part One: 10:59 – 1:14:34

Part Two: 1:14:34 – 1:25:50

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to Make-A-Wish
• Jill Johnson-Young’s Website
• The Jessica Simulation: Love and loss in the age of A.I.
• An Investigation of Self-Assessment Bias in Mental Health Providers
• The Center for Complicated Grief
• Private Practice Grief Facebook Group