You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist

Is shame always destructive, or can it foster growth? Does being compassionate require that we affirm every belief or validate every emotion? When are psychiatric diagnoses helpful or harmful? Is it better to strive for race-awareness or a color-blind society? Should social norms be challenged or reinforced? What is the role of hope in fostering change? I’ve brought together several interesting guests from previous episodes to discuss these current debates at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and culture.

Michael David Cobb Bowen is a Stoic writer, data engineer and author of the award-winning blog Cobb. He has been published in Newsweek and was a regular NPR contributor, host at Cafe Utne, founder of the Conservative Brotherhood, Rights Universal and Free Black Thought. His online writing projects on political, cultural and philosophical subjects reach back over 23 years. His latest project, Stoic Observations, can be found at mdcbowen.substack.com.  

Pamela Garfield-Jaeger is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in mental health. She had to drop out of full time work due to health issues and she was fired from her part-time per-diem position in 2021 due to COVID regulations. That emboldened her to become outspoken on issues plaguing the mental health system. Pamela has a new book, written for parents on the gender issue, A Practical Approach to Gender Distress.

Soad Tabrizi is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a distinctive approach to therapy that combines deep philosophical inquiry with a steadfast commitment to a holistic health. Soad has a telehealth practice providing counseling around the world. 

All social media @soadtabrizi

Books mentioned in this episode:

00:00 Start

[00:02:35] Pamela’s intro & latest book.

[00:06:02] Soad’s intro, projects & guided journal.

[00:09:48] Michaels’ intro, projects, race abolitionism & Free Black Thought.

[00:12:06] Personal deracination and mental health.

[00:15:55] Race as a social construct.

[00:19:43] Identity and cultural influences.

[00:25:05] Overcoming racial divides.

[00:29:53] Groupthink and social construction.

[00:32:16] Gender confusion and fears.

[00:35:56] Racial dynamics and societal impact.

[00:39:22] Society's Perception of Mental Health.

[00:42:48] Shame and societal behavior.

[00:45:52] Delusional beliefs in mental health.

[00:49:54] Losing the gift of praise.

[00:53:17] Lived experience.

[00:56:58] Parental involvement in child therapy.

[01:02:22] Challenging beliefs about gender.

[01:03:34] Mental health challenges in families.

[01:09:40] Mental health field reflections.

[01:12:21] Healing and mental health.

[01:18:29] A holistic approach to health.

[01:20:31] Marijuana and mental health.

[01:24:26] Marijuana and mental health.

[01:27:48] Hope and gratitude in discussion.

[01:33:32] Gender crisis and film.

[01:04:27] Taking care of yourself.

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.

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