TLPP: Your Therapist is Crazy w/ Andrew Hartz
Summary
Lou Perez interviews Andrew Hartz of the Open Therapy Institute about the rise of political activism in mental health. Hartz details how APA-accredited training now includes identity politics and drag performances, arguing this undermines evidence-based care. They discuss the origins of this shift, the concept of "secondary gains" in patient treatment, and the incoherent academic language stemming from Lacanian psychoanalysis.
Topics discussed
Introduction and discussion on note-taking habits
Managing recurring tasks and the joy of deletion
Origin story of Open Therapy Institute
Services offered and defining activist therapists
Critique of academic calls for papers on identity politics
Issues with accredited continuing education credits
Satirical take on social justice warrior therapists
Anecdotes of bias in clinical diagnoses
Patient experiences and the need for national surveys
Challenges in regulating therapy content and evidence
Timeline of the shift toward activist therapy
Outsider perspective on idealizing mental illness
The concept of secondary gains in phobias
Counter-therapeutic interventions and support
Critique of postmodern academic writing styles
Discussion on oracular interpretations in psychoanalysis
Impact of obscure language on patient outcomes
Case study: Success of CBT over Laconian therapy
Practical applications of CBT for emotion regulation
Understanding the roots of anger and self-talk
Personal anecdotes: Soccer coaching and coping skills
Emotion regulation and the value of humor
Analysis of the film Good Will Hunting
Concerns about AI therapy and human connection
Promotion of Open Inquiry journal and directory
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