S* Your Therapist Reads

Bad Therapy

Oh boy. So in this week's episode, we tackle the book Bad Therapy, and discuss what this book claims is bad therapy, what we wish it actually addressed about the failures of mental health treatment, and make a case for why telling kids to just "man up" is not the move.
You know, in each episode of our podcast we talk about who a book is for, and for this particular book our answer is...no one. 

Borderline

We are unfortunately without our fearless friend Christina in this episode  but May and I hold down the fort. We discuss the recently published book, Borderline, and talk about the common (mis-)understandings of this disorder in our field and in popular culture, including its reputation for being 'untreatable.' Finally, May and I debate the role and value of diagnosis and discuss its origins in the psychoanalytic tradition. 

Minor Feelings

In this episode we discuss Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, and talk about the complexities of Asian American identity, having vulnerable conversations about race, and getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. 

Grief

For this episode, we read two books about grief: Grief is Love by Marisa Renee Lee and Grief is for People by Sloan Crosley. These books approach the topic from wildly different angles, but each offers a clear window into the experience of grief. In our conversation, we talk about what grief is "supposed" to look like versus what it actually looks like, the vulnerability inherent in grieving, and about who is permitted to grieve. We also talk about why finding a new therapist sucks, and ponder if our podcast is "poo." 

It's Not You

For the podcast this week, we tackled It's Not You with special guest, Maureen Bethea! We're happy to have Maureen join us as we wade into the narcissism discourse. Of course, according to social media, everybody and their mama is a narcissist, but the reality is a bit more complicated.
We talk about why narcissism can actually be hard to spot, what to do if you're in a relationship with a person with narcissistic traits, and the merits and pitfalls of diagnosing personality disorders. 
 

The Anxious Generation

We discuss whether the solution to kids' rising mental health issues is decreased screen time and more outdoor play, talk about why parenting in this day and age feels particularly hard, and one of us shares how this book has already directly impacted her own parenting. 

Devout

For this episode, we read our first memoir for the podcast, Anna Gazmarian's Devout. We discuss the role of religion in mental health education and treatment, and why both therapist fit and timing matter. 

Fat Talk

In this episode, we talk about the book Fat Talk, and discuss fatphobia and the worship of thinness, diet culture, the food industry's efforts to hijack our brains, and the merits of letting your kid eat a stick of butter. 

How We Heal

In this episode we discuss the book How We Heal and talk about why healing is a team sport, and the ethics of mental health professionals using their credentials to sell stuff (Marriage & Family Therapist Condoms, anyone?). Erica also shares her not-so-guilty pleasure. 

Fair Play

In this episode, we discuss Fair Play, and discuss what it means to gamify the mental load, whether you can solve the patriarchy in your own home, and why arguments about the dishes are not (usually) about the dishes at all.