You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist

Stephanie Winn
  • 4.4 (170)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast at the intersection of psychology and culture that intimately explores the human experience and critiques the counseling profession. Your host, Stephanie Winn, distills wisdom gained from her practice as a family therapist and coach while pivoting towards questions of how to apply a practical understanding of psychology to the novel dilemmas of the 21st century, from political polarization to medical malpractice. What does ethical mental health care look like in a normless age, as our moral compasses spin in search of true north? How can therapists treat patients under pressure to affirm everything from the notion of "gender identity" to assisted suicide? Primarily a long-form interview podcast, Stephanie invites unorthodox, free-thinking guests from many walks of life, including counselors, social workers, medical professionals, writers, researchers, and people with unique lived experience, such as detransitioners. Curious about many things, Stephanie’s interdisciplinary psychological lens investigates challenging social issues and inspires transformation in the self, relationships, and society. She is known for bringing calm warmth to painful subjects, and astute perceptiveness to ethically complex issues. Pick up a torch to illuminate the dark night and join us on this journey through the inner wilderness. You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist ranks in the top 1% globally according to ListenNotes. New episodes are released every Monday. Three and a half years after the show's inception in May of 2022, Stephanie became a Christian, representing the crystallization of moral, spiritual, and existential views she had been openly grappling with along with her audience and guests. Newer episodes (#188 forward) may sometimes reflect a Christian understanding, interwoven with and applied to the same issues the podcast has always addressed. The podcast remains diverse and continues to feature guests from all viewpoints.

  1. 6D AGO

    207. Parents' Rights vs. School Secrecy: Laura Powell on Mirabelli v. Bonta at the Supreme Court

    Joining me today is Laura Powell, an attorney and founder of Californians for Good Governance, to break down one of the most important parents' rights cases in recent history: Mirabelli v. Bonta. We trace how California schools came to adopt policies that require staff to conceal a child's gender identity — including name and pronoun changes at school — from their own parents, and how a federal lawsuit has finally forced this issue all the way to the Supreme Court. Laura walks me through the legal history in California, from a 2014 state law that said nothing about parental secrecy to a decade of school districts acting as though it did. We discuss the December 2024 federal injunction, the Ninth Circuit's stay, and the landmark March 2025 Supreme Court opinion in which six justices made strong, unambiguous statements affirming that parents have a constitutional right to know how their children are being raised and educated. We also pull apart the arguments used to justify these secrecy policies — the abuse narrative, the suicide risk claim, and the "children's rights to privacy" framing — and show why none of them hold up to scrutiny. From a psychological standpoint, I weigh in on adolescent development, the dangers of idealization transfer, the secondary gain of trans identification, and why social transition is not a neutral intervention but the beginning of a pathway toward medicalization. We also talk practically about what parents can and should do — including why parents whose kids are already caught up in this ideology may want to be more strategic than parents who are still in a preventative position. Laura Powell is a mother, attorney, investigator, and founder of Californians for Good Governance, a nonpartisan group advocating for civil liberties and government accountability in California. Her work has gained national media coverage, been cited in federal investigations, and led to the repeal of an unconstitutional state law. A former leftist and registered Democrat, she left the party due to its shift away from classical liberal values and basic common sense. Links 𝕏 @LauraPowellEsq 𝕏 @CA4Governance [00:00:00] Start[00:01:35] California's Gender Secrecy Policies: The Origin Story[00:06:08] Mirabelli v. Bonta: The Federal Lawsuit Explained[00:11:06] The Supreme Court's March 2025 Opinion[00:13:08] Mahmud v. Taylor and the Parents' Rights Precedent[00:17:40] Debunking the Abuse Narrative Behind Secrecy Policies[00:28:14] The Suicide Argument: Emotional Blackmail and Irresponsible Messaging[00:33:00] Children's Rights vs. Parents' Rights: Clarifying the Conflict[00:39:41] How Secrecy Policies Leave Kids Vulnerable to Exploitation[00:44:28] Teacher Overreach, Extended Adolescence, and Idealization Transfer[00:51:01] Social-Emotional Learning and Teachers Playing Therapist[00:56:06] Is Social Transition a Form of Medical Treatment?[00:59:21] How Social Transition Leads to Medicalization[01:04:47] The Toddler at the Steering Wheel: Why Kids Need Parental Authority[01:06:10] FERPA Violations and Schools Hiding Records from Parents[01:13:53] What Parents Can Do: Practical Advice and Strategic Cautions[01:23:48] Optimism for the Legal Landscape Ahead ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.  ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 29m

  2. MAR 23

    206. The Intersex Lie: Róisín Michaux on How Queer Theory Hijacked a Rare Medical Condition

    Writer Róisín Michaux investigates women's rights and free speech in the context of the transgender movement. Róisín brings a uniquely European lens to her research, exposing how LGBTIQ activist organizations in Europe are heavily state-funded — unlike the U.S., where private foundations like the Rockefellers and Ford Foundation dominate — and how this funding pipeline has turbocharged some of the most extreme gender ideology we're seeing today. We dig deep into intersex activism: what it actually is, who's behind it, and why it matters for parents navigating the gender craze with their children. Róisín explains the crucial distinction between people with genuine disorders of sexual development (DSDs) — rare, named medical conditions like congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), Turner syndrome, and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) — and the largely queer-theory-driven "intersex identity" movement that has very little to do with medicine and everything to do with dismantling the sex binary. We also explore the history of brain sex research, how trans activists strategically abandoned the science when it stopped serving them, and how self-ID legislation spread from Argentina to across Europe through incremental legal maneuvers. I close with an important note for parents: understanding the politics of intersex activism is valuable, but knowing how to actually talk to your child about these issues is a different skill altogether — one I teach in ROGD Repair. Róisín Michaux is an Irish writer based in Brussels, Belgium. She writes about women's rights and free speech in the context of the transgender movement. She is specifically interested in LGBTIQ activism, activists' relationship to EU/European bureaucracies, the funding they receive, and how it has all led to deep and anti-democratic policy capture. She has 2 kids and a cocker spaniel. Follow her on X @RoisinMichaux or on Substack at Peaked. [00:00:00] Start[00:02:00] What Is Intersex Activism and Why It Matters[00:07:00] DSDs vs. Intersex Identity: Two Separate Worlds[00:16:00] The Top Line Demand: Stop All Infant Surgeries[00:17:00] Origins of Intersex Activism and John Money's Legacy[00:28:00] Activists vs. Doctors: The Surgery Moratorium Debate[00:36:00] The Real Agenda: Queering the Sex Binary[00:47:00] The Brain Sex Hypothesis and Why Activists Abandoned It[00:54:00] The 1993 Amsterdam Meeting and the Pivot to Self-ID[01:01:00] How Self-ID Laws Crept Through European Courts[01:08:00] Government Funding and How Fringe Ideology Goes Mainstream[01:16:00] Creating Iatrogenic Intersex with Cross-Sex Hormones[01:19:00] DSD Families, the UK Supreme Court, and CAIS[01:24:00] The "Consent at 12" Framework and the Trans Agenda[01:29:00] Medical Necessity vs. Trans Activist Demands[01:36:00] Infighting, Identity, and the Mess of Merging Medicine with Politics[01:39:00] PCOS, Testosterone, and a Word for Parents ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.  ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 44m

  3. MAR 16

    205. The Trifecta of Social Contagion: What Every Parent Needs to Know | my conversation with Dennison Joyce

    Today I'm sharing a conversation I had with Dennison Joyce on his show Through the Looking Glass, originally aired on WIOX Radio last year (episode #228). Dennison asked me to walk through my program for parents, ROGD Repair, and to break down the framework I call the Trifecta of Social Contagion — the three interlocking forces I believe are driving the epidemic of young people identifying as transgender. Those three forces are: gender identity ideology, woke social justice narratives, and Cluster B personality traits. I explain how these elements work together like a perfectly engineered mind virus, exploiting the unique vulnerabilities of today's youth — their insecurities, rigidity, and need for identity — and how this creates a near-impossible situation for parents trying to help their kids. I also address the manufactured consensus inside the medical and psychiatric professions, and why so many therapists who could help are simply staying away from this issue. We also get into the practical side of my coaching work — what the ROGD Repair program is, how I work with families, and some of the most common mistakes parents make, including why showing your child detransitioner videos usually backfires. I share how porn, particularly hypnosis-style content, is deeply connected to the rise in gender confusion in teenage boys, and why early intervention matters more than most parents realize. FYI: this interview was recorded a few months prior to the release of RepairBot. All new ROGD Repair memberships now come with unlimited access to RepairBot, the AI companion tool designed to help with homework and strategizing. Books mentioned in this episode: Trans by Helen JoyceDennison Joyce hosts Through the Looking Glass on WIOX Radio. Big thanks to Dennison for this wonderful interview, and for sharing the recording with me with permissions to republish. [00:00:00] Start[00:01:40] Stephanie's Background as a Gender-Affirming Therapist[00:03:55] The Trifecta of Social Contagion Explained[00:08:07] Cluster B Personality Traits Unpacked[00:10:28] Social Justice Narratives and Intellectual Families[00:12:12] Gender Identity Ideology and Its Roots[00:13:23] Why Good Therapists Are Avoiding This Issue[00:14:53] The Manufactured Consensus in Medicine[00:17:29] How Parents Find Stephanie and ROGD Repair[00:20:40] The Coaching Process: Working with Families[00:22:14] Harm Reduction When Medicalization Has Already Begun[00:23:49] Common Parental Mistakes: Detransitioner Videos Backfire[00:27:42] When Parents Aren't on the Same Page[00:30:14] Shift in Demographics: Boys Now Following Girls[00:31:10] Pornography's Role in Male Gender Confusion[00:34:35] Why Parents Should Seek Help Sooner ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.  ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    38 min

  4. MAR 9

    204. Why Young Men Are Struggling and What Therapists Are Getting Wrong with Ryan Malphrus

    In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Malphrus, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist in private practice who works with adolescents and adults — particularly boys and men. Ryan spent 15 years working in level-five special education schools before transitioning to private practice, and he brings a grounded, refreshingly honest perspective on the struggles facing young men today. We dive into how boys communicate through behavior and aggression, and why the instinct to shut those impulses down often backfires. Ryan shares his own experience of internalizing societal messages that told him his natural masculine traits — his drive, his assertiveness, his sexuality — were problems to be managed rather than understood. We explore the red pill pipeline and "looksmaxxing" culture, and why young men are turning to these communities when therapy and education fail to speak to their actual needs. We also discuss the crisis of purpose facing men in modern society, why schools are not boy-friendly, the vital role of physical play and risk-taking in healthy development, and how parents — especially single moms — can learn to step back and let their sons work through conflict. We close with a conversation about differentiation: that psychological maturity that allows us to have feelings without being controlled by them, and how adults modeling that capacity gives children the room to develop it themselves. Ryan Malphrus is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Maryland and Connecticut providing individual psychotherapy to adolescents and adults. With over 10 years of experience, Ryan specializes in working with men and boys, offering a space to explore identity without judgment. His primary orientation is psychodynamic, and he is a board-certified clinical supervisor. Learn more at ryanmalphrus.com or follow him on X @VirgilMSW. [00:00:00] Start[00:05:25] Interpreting Kids' Behavior as Communication[00:09:35] Natural, Logical, and Punitive Consequences[00:12:35] Boys Hiding From Masculinity[00:17:10] Red Pill Culture and Looks Maxing[00:23:25] Societal Shame Around Male Nature[00:28:25] Online Identity and Social Media's Impact[00:33:55] The Crisis of Male Purpose[00:39:15] Trades and Alternative Paths to Manhood[00:47:20] Are Schools Boy Friendly?[00:51:35] Physical Play and Male Bonding[00:56:50] Thoughts vs. Actions With Angry Kids[01:05:15] Giving Adolescents Progressive Freedom[01:13:05] Differentiation and Emotional Maturity ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.  ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 20m

  5. MAR 2

    203. Rumination vs. Healthy Introspection: The Case for Moral Formation in Therapy with Dean Abbott

    Chaplain, coach, and author Dean Abbott joins me for a thought-provoking conversation about the difference between healthy introspection and unhealthy rumination. Dean challenges a popular argument that therapy simply encourages people to think about themselves too much, making the case instead that people don't ruminate for fun — they ruminate because they're in pain and searching for something they've lost. Together we explore what makes self-examination productive versus destructive, and Dean introduces a framework rooted in the Christian tradition that contrasts nihilistic rumination — where a person endlessly rehearses their pain with no resolution — with a more structured self-examination oriented toward growth, virtue, and wisdom. I get personal and share my own recent struggles with loneliness and the tension between being a generous host and not getting that energy back when I need it most. Dean walks me through what healthy self-examination would look like in that situation, pointing to the importance of recognizing our legitimate needs and having the courage and honesty to express them. We also dive into the lost concept of human formation, the role of moral education in therapy, why thousands of years of wisdom literature shouldn't be abandoned in the counseling room, and the difference between development and formation. This is a rich, honest, and deeply human conversation. Dean Abbott is a coach, chaplain and author living in the Midwest. He loves animals, music and baseball. His can be found at www.deanabbott.com. His X account which has been hacked is @deanabbott but he doesn't recommend following him until the situation is resolved. [00:00:00] Start [00:00:49] Stephanie Introduces Dean Abbott [00:02:07] Healthy Versus Unhealthy Introspection [00:03:47] Why the "Stop Ruminating" Argument Falls Short [00:05:09] People Don't Ruminate for Fun [00:07:13] The Missing Half: Why Culture Fails the Ruminative Mind [00:08:16] Nihilistic Rumination Versus Christian Self-Examination [00:10:20] Stephanie Gets Personal About Loneliness [00:13:00] Walking Through Healthy Self-Examination [00:15:40] Tension Between Generosity and Personal Needs [00:17:33] Wisdom Over Rule-Following in the Christian Life [00:19:20] What Leads to Wisdom Versus What Leads to Nihilism [00:21:45] Healthy Introspection Leads to Hope [00:24:01] Coaching Men Who Don't Know What They Want [00:27:35] Emotional Intelligence and Decoding Our Needs [00:29:22] The Lost Concept of Human Formation [00:32:15] Formation Versus Development [00:36:07] Virtue and the Difference It Makes in Self-Examination [00:38:25] What's Wrong With a Liberal Approach to Psychotherapy [00:41:43] Seeing Yourself in the Larger Human Narrative [00:43:26] Moral Education in Therapy: A Practical Example [00:44:32] The Sports Betting Example: Virtue and Deep Self-Examination [00:48:21] Why Reality Is Inescapably Moral [00:50:26] Stephanie Asks for a Personal Tip on Virtue [00:53:00] What Dean Does: Coaching, Chaplaincy, and Writing [00:56:38] Closing ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission. ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    58 min

  6. FEB 23

    202. Label Mania: How Diagnosing Every Kid Is Backfiring on a Generation with Will Dobud

    Today I'm joined by Dr. Will Dobud, a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families across the United States, Australia, and Norway. Will is the co-author of Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health, and he brings a refreshingly optimistic yet realistic perspective to the challenges facing today's young people. We dig into some truly provocative territory in this conversation. Will challenges the prevailing narrative that phones and social media are the root of the youth mental health crisis, drawing on historical moral panics — from kaleidoscopes to pinball machines — to argue that blanket bans rarely work. Instead, he advocates for digital integration through boundaries and parental involvement. We explore why more diagnoses, more medication, and more therapy haven't improved outcomes, and how the explosion of mental health labeling — especially around neurodivergence — may actually be doing more harm than good. Will shares his concerns about "label mania," the misuse of accommodations, and how identity politics have hijacked what was originally a movement toward inclusion. We also talk about the shortage of real-world experience for kids, the importance of rough-and-tumble play, and what parents can do to build connection instead of defaulting to control. This episode asks the hard questions: Are we crushing the spirit of youth with our own adult anxiety? And what would happen if we just gave kids something worth participating in? Dr. Will Dobud is a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families in the United States, Australia, and Norway. Will is from Washington, D.C., and divides his time between the United States and Australia each year. He is the author and editor of three books, including Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health. Will is an award-winning researcher and educator who has received recognition for excellence in research, teaching, and crime prevention. Dr. Dobud is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Charles Sturt University, Australia's largest social work school. Will is an invited international speaker who conducts workshops for therapists and families worldwide. Will's research focuses on improving therapy outcomes for teenagers and promoting safe, ethical practices. He has investigated and written about America's Troubled Teen Industry, especially wilderness therapy. He has worked alongside advocates, survivors, researchers, and clinicians to protect youth from institutionalization and harm. WillDobud.com www.kidsthesedaysbook.com Facebook: @WillDobudPhD X: @WillDobud Instagram: @WillDobud @Kids_These_Days_Book LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-dobud-5209ab74/ Substack: https://substack.com/@willdobud Books mentioned in this episode: Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health by Will Dobud and Nevin HarperThe Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidti-Minds by Mari SwingleThe Spirit of Youth and the City Streets (1909) by Jane Addams[00:00:00] Start[00:02:46] Why Adults Get Trapped Trying to Fix Kids[00:06:06] What's Actually Going Right With Youth Today[00:10:17] Environmental Toxins and the Hard Questions[00:11:48] Digital Interference vs. Digital Integration[00:17:54] Can Kids Self-Regulate With Screens?[00:25:57] Phone-Free Schools: Solution or Distraction?[00:34:43] The Anxious Generation's Four Norms Problem[00:37:10] Putting Yourself in a Kid's Shoes[00:40:11] Experiential Learning and the Crowded Curriculum[00:48:07] Autism, Neurodivergence, and Label Mania[00:56:35] Identity Politics and Secondary Gain[01:04:04] Living Well With ADHD Without Hiding Behind It[01:12:11] Accommodations as Institutional Traps[01:16:22] Breaking Free From Therapeutic Dogma[01:18:46] Normies, Psychos, and Schizos[01:21:25] Institutional Exploitation in Mental Health[01:28:12] The Shortage of Experience and Risky Play[01:32:33] DC Punk Rock as Youth Participation Model[01:37:45] What Don't You Want to Change About Your Child? ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.  ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order.

    1h 46m

  7. FEB 16

    201. Sacrificial Lambs: How Queer Theory Infiltrated K-12 Public Schools with Anita Bartholomew

    Today I sit down with my friend Anita Bartholomew, a magazine journalist and author, to discuss her new book Sacrificial Lambs: Liberal Reporter Exposes How the Progressive Left Harms Children in the Name of Gender Ideology. This is Anita's second appearance on the show, and this time she walks us through the findings of her thorough investigation into how gender ideology functions as a predatory movement targeting today's youth. We dig into the disturbing reality of what's being taught in K-12 public schools under the banner of "comprehensive sexuality education" — from second-grade anatomy lessons designed around queer theory to explicitly sexual library books being promoted to middle schoolers. Anita reads excerpts from books like "All Boys Aren't Blue," "Beyond Magenta," and "Gender Queer" that are sitting on school library shelves, and we explore how this curriculum systematically breaks down children's natural psychological boundaries. We also examine the mainstream media's role in propping up the gender ideology narrative, looking at how outlets like the New York Times dismissed the Cass Report and continue to misrepresent reality. I share my perspective as a psychotherapist on how premature exposure to sexual content can confuse children's developing sense of sexuality and identity. We discuss what parents can do to protect their kids, why pressuring media for accurate reporting may be the most powerful long-term strategy, and why Anita believes the evidence overwhelmingly shows that there is no such thing as a "trans kid." Follow her on X @AnitaBart.Anita Bartholomew's SubstackAnitabartholomew.com [00:00:00] Start[00:04:17] Why Anita Wrote Sacrificial Lambs[00:06:22] What K-12 Schools Are Teaching Children[00:12:15] Queer Theory Origins and Gayle Rubin[00:14:44] Pornographic Books in School Libraries[00:21:39] Academics Calling Children Sexual Beings[00:24:53] Psychological Harm of Premature Sexual Content[00:32:26] Comprehensive Sex Ed as Indoctrination[00:35:04] How Media Indoctrinated Adults First[00:37:46] NYT, Vox, and AP Headlines Exposed[00:44:33] Sunk Cost, Money, and Who Pulls the Strings[00:54:16] Advice for Parents in Captured Schools[00:59:15] A Letter Writing Campaign for Change[01:05:15] What Else Is in the Book[01:12:00] Families Torn Apart by Gender Ideology ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.  ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 19m

  8. FEB 9

    200. First Detransition Lawsuit Victory: Inside the Varian v. Einhorn Trial with Benjamin Ryan

    Today I sit down with investigative reporter Benjamin Ryan, who was the only journalist present for the entirety of the historic Varian v. Einhorn trial — the first detransition malpractice lawsuit in the world to reach a jury verdict. Ben has been covering pediatric gender medicine for three years for outlets including the New York Times, NBC News, the New York Sun, and the Free Press, and he brings an extraordinary level of detail to this conversation. We dive into the case of Fox Varian, a young woman diagnosed with autism who underwent a double mastectomy at age 16 after her psychologist, Kenneth Einhorn, wrote a referral letter riddled with errors and omissions — including listing body dysmorphic disorder instead of gender dysphoria. We discuss how the jury found Einhorn 70% responsible and plastic surgeon Dr. Chin 30% responsible for a $2 million award, the devastating testimony from Fox's mother about being coerced with suicide threats, and the critical communication failures between the psychologist and surgeon. We also explore what this verdict means for the nearly 30 other detransition lawsuits currently pending, why WPATH's standards of care were largely sidelined in the trial, and the broader implications for the field of pediatric gender medicine. I also share my own perspective as a therapist who worked for a group practice later acquired by the same company that employed Einhorn. Benjamin Ryan is an independent reporter who has been covering pediatric gender medicine for the past three years, including on his Substack: benryan.substack.com. He writes for publications such as The New York Times, NBC News and The New York Sun and covered the detransitioner trial for The Free Press. Follow him @BenRyanWriter on X or BlueSky.BenRyan.netBenjamin's article in the Free Press, A Legal First That Could Change Gender Medicine [00:00:00] Start[00:00:54] Introducing Reporter Benjamin Ryan[00:09:38] Fox Varian's Background and Rapid Transition[00:18:35] Were WPATH Guidelines Actually on Trial?[00:25:30] Disturbing Revelations From Einhorn's Treatment[00:35:15] Changing the Body to Treat the Mind[00:46:41] The Joanna Olson-Kennedy Lawsuit[00:55:32] The Jury Verdict Question by Question[01:06:41] Einhorn's Visible Devastation in Court[01:13:04] Q&A: Technicality or Broader Indictment?[01:31:31] What If WPATH Were Followed Perfectly? ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting. PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.  ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com. Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi. Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products. 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. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration. Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 36m
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4.4
out of 5
170 Ratings

About

A podcast at the intersection of psychology and culture that intimately explores the human experience and critiques the counseling profession. Your host, Stephanie Winn, distills wisdom gained from her practice as a family therapist and coach while pivoting towards questions of how to apply a practical understanding of psychology to the novel dilemmas of the 21st century, from political polarization to medical malpractice. What does ethical mental health care look like in a normless age, as our moral compasses spin in search of true north? How can therapists treat patients under pressure to affirm everything from the notion of "gender identity" to assisted suicide? Primarily a long-form interview podcast, Stephanie invites unorthodox, free-thinking guests from many walks of life, including counselors, social workers, medical professionals, writers, researchers, and people with unique lived experience, such as detransitioners. Curious about many things, Stephanie’s interdisciplinary psychological lens investigates challenging social issues and inspires transformation in the self, relationships, and society. She is known for bringing calm warmth to painful subjects, and astute perceptiveness to ethically complex issues. Pick up a torch to illuminate the dark night and join us on this journey through the inner wilderness. You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist ranks in the top 1% globally according to ListenNotes. New episodes are released every Monday. Three and a half years after the show's inception in May of 2022, Stephanie became a Christian, representing the crystallization of moral, spiritual, and existential views she had been openly grappling with along with her audience and guests. Newer episodes (#188 forward) may sometimes reflect a Christian understanding, interwoven with and applied to the same issues the podcast has always addressed. The podcast remains diverse and continues to feature guests from all viewpoints.

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