Episode 115 - What is Bad Therapy, and Who Gets to Provide It? (with Dr. Ben Caldwell)

Today’s guest Marie shares her thought-provoking story about a preoccupied telehealth therapist, and we drag Dr. Ben Caldwell into another one of our philosophical crises about what constitutes very bad therapy. Is it not following a treatment plan? Having young children show up in session? Ignoring ruptures? Regularly showing up late? And while we’re at it, what even is therapy? Who should get to be a therapist during the pandemic? Join us on the struggle bus as we try to parse out issues related to telehealth, laws, ethics, clinical practices, privilege, social systems…and bullshit.

Thank you for listening. To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Very Bad Therapy Patreon community. Today’s episode is sponsored by The Organized Therapist – Social Media for Therapists and Empifany (Instagram / Facebook).

Introduction: 0:00 – 11:20

Part One: 11:20 – 54:41

Part Two: 54:41 – 1:57:06

Part Three: 1:57:06 – 2:02:04

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

Show Notes:

• Donate to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

• Ben Caldwell Labs

• Psychotherapy Notes

• SimplePractice Learning

• Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World

• Potential fabrication in research images threatens key theory of Alzheimer’s disease

• Preventing intrusive memories after trauma via a brief intervention involving Tetris computer game play in the emergency department: A proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial

• The Radical Therapist #100 – Single Session Narrative Therapy w/ Michale Morar