Therapy Nation

Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert delivers a provocative look at how therapy culture has reshaped the way we live, speak, and relate to one another, and how it's changing the fabric of American life. In today's America, therapy is everywhere. Seeing a therapist is no longer taboo, and mental-health resources are more accessible than ever.  Yet despite this positive progress, anxiety and depression among Americans are now at record highs, and the country feels more divided than ever.  It's time to consider the possibility that we've become over-therapized, and examine how this practice, intended to heal, may be making us weaker instead of stronger.  After twenty years as a practicing therapist and frequent commentator on mental health in national media, Alpert has come to an unsettling conclusion: his own profession is part of the problem. Concepts and buzzwords once confined to therapy sessions have infiltrated public discourse, where their meaning and purpose becomes distorted and weaponized -- sometimes intentionally. Therapy-speak terms like "toxic" and "narcissist" are now a feature of daily conversations, and feeling good has replaced getting better.  A subtle but dangerous shift among therapy professionals in recent years has led many to trade accountability for affirmation, leaving patients stuck in cycles of self-focus and avoidance.  In many cases, too much therapy, or the wrong kind, can have painful effects on individuals, families, communities and our nation.  Drawing from case studies and broadening the lens to consider larger social forces beyond the therapist's office, Alpert examines how therapy culture helps drive the anxieties dividing America today.  He makes the urgent case for his profession to heal itself -- so they can get back to healing us.

Jonathan Alpert is a psychotherapist with two decades of clinical experience treating patients from across America. His commentary appears frequently in national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, and other major outlets. His New York Times op-ed "In Therapy Forever? Enough Already" sparked widespread discussion and served as an early catalyst for the ideas explored in Therapy Nation.

He is a regular presence on television, offering analysis on the psychological forces shaping current events. He has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in the Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job. He is also a frequent guest on major radio programs and podcasts across the country and a former columnist for Metro, where he penned a widely read advice column.

In addition to his clinical work, Alpert has consulted for national brands including Enterprise, Liberty Mutual, NutriBullet, and Sealy. His first book, Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days, was translated into multiple languages.