Very Bad Therapy

Dr. Christine King experienced three concussions when she was a child. The symptoms of her brain injury were misunderstood and later assumed to be the result of childhood sexual abuse, sending Christine on a pathologized path that took decades for her to undo. We hear her story and also speak with Dr. Ben Caldwell about how therapists can attune to client symptoms, make good referrals, and avoid misdiagnoses when they lack relevant knowledge beyond their scope of practice.

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 – 12:27

Part One: 12:27 – 44:34

Part Two: 44:34 – 1:20:53

Part Three: 1:20:53 – 1:27:13

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

Ben Fineman Counseling - Therapy for Young Professionals

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to Bideawee Animal Shelter
• What Didn't Happen: A memoir
• Multicultural Orientation Deliberate Practice Online Training
• Deliberate Practice Institute Website
• SimplePractice Learning

Dr. Don Meichenbaum is credited with helping to develop cognitive behavioral therapy in the 1960s and 1970s. He has been named one of the ten most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century. He also believes that the field of psychotherapy is full of bullshit and hype. Dr. Meichenbaum joins us to talk about delivering what actually works in therapy, how to spot hype, and challenging the status quo.

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.

Introduction: 0:00 – 4:53

Part One: 4:53 – 56:09

Part Two: 56:09 – 1:09:20

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

Ben Fineman | Counseling and Psychotherapy

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

Show Notes:

• The Evolution of Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Personal and Professional Journey with Don Meichenbaum
• The Evolution of Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Personal and Professional Journey with Don Meichenbaum HANDOUT
• Roadmap to Resilience
• The Melissa Institute
• How to Spot Hype in the Field of Psychotherapy
• Love Yourself as a Person, Doubt Yourself as a Therapist?
• Treating Individuals with Addictive Disorders
• Black Minds Matter: Confronting Racism as a Mental Health Crisis
• Deliberate Practice for Multicultural Orientation Webinar
• Multicultural Orientation Deliberate Practice Videos
• To Wear or Not to Wear, That is the Question

In today's episode, Jonathan shares his story as a teenager working with a gender therapist who dismissed his preferences for treatment in favor of uncovering his "reasons" for being trans. We also speak with Beck Gee-Cohen about best practices in working with trans kids and how many modalities of psychotherapy exclude trans narratives.

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 – 3:51

Part One: 3:51 – 40:53

Part Two: 40:53 – 1:19:39

Part Three: 1:19:39 – 1:24:06

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

Ben Fineman | Counseling and Psychotherapy

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to TGEU and Queer Base
• Visions Teen Website
• Email Beck-Gee Cohen: [email protected]
• Ageism in Mental Health Assessment and Treatment of Older Adults
• 6 Black Therapists on the Best Ways to Practice Self-Care Right Now
• Link From Listener Mail (Starting on Page 44)
• Dr. Diane Gehart's free webinar "The 5-Minute Cure for Impostor Syndrome: What New Therapists and Counselors Need to Know"

Henk Spierings has had a wide range of experiences in therapy – most of them unhelpful, if not outright harmful. He joins us to discuss his new book, Becoming Compliant, and share the lessons he's learned from decades of bad therapy. Plus, Ben and Carrie get on their soapbox to explain why it's necessary to talk with clients about how therapy works and the risks of treatment failure.

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 – 12:53

Part One: 12:53 – 44:21

Part Two: 44:21 – 1:15:58

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

Ben Fineman | Counseling and Psychotherapy

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

Show Notes

• Donate to Lifeline
• Dr. Diane Gehart Mentoring Program
• Becoming Compliant: A Journey of Severe Trauma, Mental Illness, and Failed Therapy
• Trainee Therapist Characteristics in the Prediction of Client Rated Alliance
• Potentially Harmful Therapy and Multicultural Counseling: Bridging Two Disciplinary Discourses
• A Black Psychologist Shares Some Tips on Starting Therapy

What's the difference between very bad therapy and very unethical therapy? Today's guest Lisa shares her experience with a logotherapist that was many things – insulting, disturbing, oddly prophetic – but did any of it constitute an ethical violation? Dr. Christopher Taylor joins us to answer these questions and more about the surprisingly interesting world of ethics in psychotherapy.

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 – 7:30

Part One: 7:30 – 38:26

Part Two: 38:26 – 1:17:36

Part Three: 1:17:36 – 1:23:58

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

Ben Fineman | Counseling and Psychotherapy

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to borderline-europe
• Taylor Counseling Group
• My Digital Practice: The Therapist's Guide to Digital Marketing
• The client's perspective on (experiences of) psychotherapy: A practice friendly review
• Man's Search for Meaning
• Stepping across the poverty line
• Black mental health: a comprehensive guide to taking care of yourself in 2020

Kenneth E. Hartman is a prison reform activist who served 38 years in the California prison system. He discusses his advocacy work, what mental health care looks like in prison, and his personal experiences of therapy – both good and bad. He also shares his thoughts on how therapists can play a role in the necessary social change at the heart of effective prison reform. Plus, Carrie discusses if it is ever justified to warn clients about using insurance.

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 – 6:06

Part One: 6:06 – 1:04:22

Part Two: 1:04:22 – 1:26:25

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

Ben Fineman | Counseling and Psychotherapy

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

Show Notes:

• Contact Kenneth E. Hartman: [email protected]
• Donate to the Transformative in-Prison Workgroup
• Mother California: A Story of Redemption
• The Other Death Penalty Project
• The Catalyst Foundation
• Screening for Deception: The Tehachapi Malingering Scale
• Reforming Punishment: Psychological Limitations to the Pains of Imprisonment
• A California Prisoner Ripped Out Her Eye and Ate It. It's a Sign of a Bigger Crisis That the State Tried to Downplay
• Reasons to Not Use Insurance for Mental Health Treatment
• SAMHSA – Federal Laws and Regulations
• Can You Ask About Mental Health When Hiring?
• Does Receiving Psychological Health Care Affect Security Clearance?
• The Pros and Cons of Using Health Insurance for Mental Health Care
• Will Mental Illness Affect Your Life Insurance Cost?
• Improving Cultural Responsiveness in Psychotherapy: An Interview with Dr. Jesse Owen
• 17 resources and organizations that support BIPOC mental health

Rachel Bennett shares her experience navigating the historically misguided gatekeeping requirements for gender reassignment surgery. She discusses how therapists can better advocate for trans-affirmative care, and we speak with Dr. David Nylund to explore a paradigm that challenges the oppressive notion that transitioning is a psychiatric issue. Plus, how can feedback-informed treatment be used as a tool of social justice?

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 – 4:49

Part One: 4:49 – 44:31

Part Two: 44:31 – 1:32:16

Part Three: 1:32:16 – 140:30

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

Ben Fineman | Counseling and Psychotherapy

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to Gender Health Center
• VERY Bad Therapy: An Interview with Ben Fineman & Carrie Wiita
• How to Spot Hype in the Field of Psychotherapy
• WPATH Standards of Care Version 7
• The Gender Affirming Letter Access Project
• Treating Huckleberry Finn: A New Narrative Approach to Working With Kids Diagnosed ADD/ADHD
• Free License for Feedback-Informed Treatment Metrics
• Dr. David Nylund's Website
• Why Ebony Butler Created the First Therapy Deck Specifically for Women of Color
• Transgender and non-conforming persons' mental healthcare experiences: An integrative review

An interview with Chrissy Gillmore about the primacy of client strengths, resilience, and culture in healing trauma, and how a pathology-focused approach can result in bad therapy. Plus, Carrie and Ben explore the controversy behind the APA Clinical Practice Guidelines for PTSD and discuss whether being trauma-informed is an ethical requirement, clever marketing, or both.

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 - 17:09

Part One: 17:09 - 1:01:26

Part Two: 1:01:26 - 1:25:13

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

Ben Fineman | Counseling and Psychotherapy

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to KidsCan
• Chrissy Gillmore's Website
• Better Results: Using Deliberate Practice to Improve Therapeutic Effectiveness
• Kaupapa Māori Model of Practice: Tihei-wā - Mauri Ora
• Clinical Practice Guidelines: Beneficial Development or Bad Therapy?
• Selling Bad Therapy to Trauma Victims
• What does losing your keys have in common with the treatment of trauma?
• Relationships and Responsiveness in the Psychological Treatment of Trauma: The Tragedy of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline
• The Reality of Navigating the Mental Health System as a Black Woman
• 10 Guided-Meditation Videos by Latinas to Help Us Cope With Stress and Anxiety
• Antioch Community Therapy Services (ACTS)

Very Bad Therapy is switching to biweekly episodes, but we're not quite ready to miss a week of podcasting yet. We discuss the new format, check in on our quarantine adventures, talk about some episodes in the queue, and Carrie gushes about the upcoming Therapy Reimagined conference.

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

There is an ongoing replication crisis in science; many of the studies that frame our scientific knowledge, especially in psychology, likely have incorrect conclusions. This has huge ramifications for clinical psychology. How can clinicians be effective if the research that supports accepted practices is largely a mirage? Join us as we explore the false positives of psychotherapy and gaze into the existential void.

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

Show Notes:

• Psychology's Replication Crisis Has Made The Field Better
• False-Positive Psychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as Significant
• Raising Awareness for the Replication Crisis in Clinical Psychology by Focusing on Inconsistencies in Psychotherapy Research: How Much Can We Rely on Published Findings from Efficacy Trials?
• Replication crisis (Wikipedia)
• The "marshmallow test" said patience was a key to success. A new replication tells us s'more.
• What psychology's crisis means for the future of science
• The Replication Crisis in Psychology: What is and is NOT being talked about
• Psychology's Replication Crisis and Clinical Psychological Science
• Biases in research: risk factors for non-replicability in psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy research
• The evidence for evidence-based therapy is not as clear as we thought
• Most Psychotherapy Research Probably Isn't Reproducible (But We Can Fix That)
• Therapy for Black Girls – Session 116: Using Therapy to Craft Your Hot Girl Summer
• Making cross-racial therapy work: A phenomenological study of clients' experiences of cross-racial therapy
• Very Bad Therapy: Website / Facebook / Tell Us Your Story