Destigmatizing Therapy for Teens with Dr. Justin Puder
“Crazy,” “heart attack kid,” “nuts.”
This week’s Off The Cuff guest, Dr. Justin Puder, heard it all as a kid who grew up struggling with mental health in small-town Ohio. That struggle, as well as the early loss of his father and brother from cancer and drug addiction respectively, introduced young Dr. J to therapy for the first time.
“[The therapist] didn't call it meditation. She didn't call it mindfulness. She's literally like, ‘We're just gonna do something together here.’ And she had me lay down and essentially she did a guided meditation. … I remember within minutes, like just two minutes into it, like I had opened my eyes because I was so excited. It was the first time I experienced peace in months.”
The experience inspired him to become a licensed psychologist himself. Now, Dr. J primarily works with teens at his Florida practice, where he specializes in mindfulness-based approaches to anxiety and stress reduction.
In this episode, Dr. J discusses growing up around mental health stigma at home and at school, the life-saving importance of destigmatizing therapy, the dangers of self-diagnosis, and how social media can both help and harm mental health.
“We've gone from like, again, never talking about mental health to sort of swinging. I feel like the pendulum swung far the other way, where it's just like, everybody wants to have the sticker label of some diagnosis. [But] clinging to a label isn't actually going to help you, in the long run, understand how to get better.”
If you’re unsure whether therapy is right for you, Dr. J shares some tips:
- Work through a mental health workbook written by a licensed expert. You’ll learn more about the psychological principles that make therapy work, and gain a better understanding of yourself in the process.
- Journal. You’ll become more comfortable putting your thoughts, fears and struggles into words, which can help you when you decide to talk to a therapist.
- Remember that your well-being and mental health are worth the effort.
“For so many people out there, like if you're going through something mental health-wise and you're in that state [of panic and despair], I hope you can hear me and Danny that it can and does get better.”
In This Episode
- The real-life childhood trauma that inspired Dr. J to become a therapist (04:30)
- Dr. J’s first panic attack and the stigma of mental health in the Midwest (08:18)
- The “breaking point” that led to Dr. J’s first therapy session (13:25)
- Overcoming the stigma of therapy for teens (15:24)
- The cultural and regional differences that contribute to stigmatization (18:48)
- Social media and its impact on mental health (23:32)
- The future of neuroscience in mental health treatment (26:35)
- “Dr. Google” and the dangers of self-diagnosis (33:25)
- Starting the therapy process (39:19)
- The relationship between therapy and psychotropic medication (58:39)
- The progress of mental health destigmatization in schools (01:09:33)
Our Guest
Dr. Justin Puder is a Florida-based licensed psychologist who earned degrees in psychology from Kent State University, Florida Atlantic University and Auburn University. He specializes in anxiety and stress reduction using mindfulness-based approaches.
Dr. Puder especially enjoys working with teens. As a mental health influencer, he uses social media (@amodertherapist on Instagram) to crush mental health stigma, and has worked with outlets including Vice, The DailyDot and LA Mag.
Resources & Links
- On TikTok
- On Instagram
- On YouTube
- Dr. Puder’s DriveThru Courses
- Dr. Puder’s Podcast, “Drop In with Dr. J”
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