Psycho Therapy

This week, I’m joined by Julie Anne Smith, the voice behind The Spiritual Sounding Board, a blog dedicated to exposing church abuse and shedding light on the harmful effects of patriarchy, particularly for women. Julie Anne shares her personal experience with biblical counseling and how it left her feeling injured. Together, we explore the ways in which the church can perpetuate toxic dynamics and how we can work toward healing and...

Today's episode marks the start of our in-depth series on the potential harms of faith-based counseling, examining how scripture can sometimes be misused as a tool of control rather than healing. Approximately one-quarter of U.S. adults—about 28 percent—identify as evangelical Christians, and many turn to church-run counseling rather than licensed therapists. But what are the consequences when Christian nationalism, purity cult...

In the conclusion of Maya and Justin’s story, we reveal what it meant for Maya to be legally kidnapped—cut off from her father, family, and friends for seven months—and the harrowing escape that brought her and her little brother back home. But their fight didn’t end there. Even after breaking free, they faced a court system determined to silence them. Reunification therapy is supposed to heal families, but for too many children, i...

Within this episode, we hear from a father and daughter about a court-ordered intervention that claims to heal families — but often silences the very people it’s meant to help.

What happens when children’s voices are ignored? When protecting them is framed as a crime?

We’ll explore one family’s experience inside the controversial world of reunification therapy — and how the system designed to keep families together can become the fin...

This week, we continue our deep dive into the family court system with an exclusive interview featuring Rachel Pickrel Hawkins, whose story made national headlines. Sourced from The Washington Post, Julie Roys’ investigative work, and Rachel herself, we explore the events that led to her arrest for interfering with reunification therapy. Rachel shares her harrowing experience of fighting for her children’s safety after alleging tha...

In this final episode, Leah Moses transforms her grief into action, working tirelessly to pass Om’s Law—a landmark initiative aimed at reforming the family court system. Following the devastating murder-suicide of her son, Om Moses Gandhi, at the hands of her ex-husband, psychologist Dr. Parth Gandhi, Leah’s journey becomes one of resilience and advocacy. As she navigates the challenges of pushing for systemic change, Leah sheds li...

In part two of this heartbreaking survivor testimony, Leah Moses shares her devastating experience with her ex-husband, Dr. Parth Gandhi, a psychologist who used his position to manipulate and abuse vulnerable individuals. Leah exposes the deep failures of ethical boards and family courts that not only ignored her warnings but gave her abuser access to their children—leading to an unimaginable tragedy. This episode reveals the dark...

In this gripping survivor testimony, Leah Moses recounts her experience with her former husband, Dr. Parth Gandhi, a psychologist who worked with children and was involved in the Teen Industry. Dr. Gandhi, a known sexual predator, exploited his position as a therapist to manipulate and abuse vulnerable individuals, including using psychedelic therapy as a tool for sexual exploitation. Leah shares the devastating impact of the failu...

In part two of this series, we dive even deeper into the nuanced behaviors of unethical or abusive therapists that often fly under the radar. These aren’t the obvious infractions you’ll find in a Google search—they’re the manipulative dynamics and emotional tactics that create a false sense of safety and trust. We explore how these subtle actions can foster emotional dependency, blur boundaries, and mirror childhood trauma patterns...

When you search for “red flags in therapy,” you’ll often find a list of glaring violations—like a therapist making sexual advances or sharing inappropriate personal details. But for therapy harm survivors, the reality is far more nuanced. In this episode, we explore the subtle groundwork that unethical or abusive therapists lay long before major boundary violations occur. By sharing insights from survivors and reflections from pers...

In this episode, author and therapist Dr. Angela Sells shares her personal experience with erotic transference and boundary violations by a therapist, offering a deeply intimate perspective on the lasting impact of such exploitation. Drawing parallels between her own story and the subject of her doctoral dissertation, Sabina Spielrein—a pioneering psychoanalyst who faced similar transgressions—Dr. Sells explores the enduring legacy...

Ellie's story of therapy harm began as a teen living in Gary, Indiana, where she grew up under the weight of strict, high control religion. Pushed into treatment, she was placed under the care of a therapist who made her uneasy. Even many years later, she found herself wondering and doubting her experience. Recent events however, have brought Ellie the validation she longed for. Her story serves as a powerful reminder that gut ...