Not your therapist’s podcast

? Diving deep into the shadows of mental health: Bad Therapist, co-hosted by psychotherapist Ash Compton and journalist Rachel Monroe, is a provocative podcast that scrutinizes the underbelly of the mental health industry. Launched in November 2024, the show delves into two centuries of questionable practices, from 19th century hypnotists to contemporary therapy influencers, offering a critical lens on the evolution and commodification of some of our deeply instilled psychological concepts.

A standout episode revisits the origins and evolution of “emotional labor,” unpacking how a sociological term coined in the 1980s to describe the commercialization of feeling — particularly in service jobs — has since been stretched to cover everything from marriage maintenance to memeified therapy-speak. The hosts argue that while the term has helped surface hidden forms of labor, its overuse risks obscuring power dynamics and turning therapy language into a tool for deflection rather than accountability.

The bunch definitely have interesting insights on other concepts warped by pop psychology, from the bizarre, fanfiction-adjacent origins of the Myers-Briggs test to the rise of therapy-speak as a cultural shorthand for conflict avoidance. Whether they’re unpacking how Carl Jung’s legacy got rebranded into workplace personality quizzes or critiquing celebrity therapists-turned-manipulators, Ash and Rachel bring a mix of irreverence and rigor to topics that usually get flattened into hashtags.

WHERE TO LISTEN- You can find Bad Therapist on Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.