Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert joins host Gerson Moreno-Riaño on the Wisdom and Influence podcast at Cornerstone University to discuss his book Therapy Nation: How America Got Hooked on Therapy and Why It’s Left Us More Anxious and Divided. Alpert traces how therapeutic concepts like trauma, toxic, and boundaries have escaped the consulting room to reshape American identity, politics, and relationships, arguing that validation and accommodation culture have displaced genuine healing and resilience. The conversation examines how social media dilutes clinical language, how identity-based categorization in graduate counseling programs undermines individualized care, and how therapy culture deepens political polarization and family estrangement. Drawing on over two decades of clinical practice and his widely debated 2012 New York Times op-ed, Alpert advocates for evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy and a holistic view of the person, offering listeners practical guidance on choosing an outcome-oriented therapist.
