Book Review: Bad Therapy by Abigail Shrier

This week's review is on Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up by Abigail Shrier.

Abigail Shrier builds off of her Substack and previous book focused on the transgender movement to present an argument against "therapy culture" and its impact on children. A self-described "Independent Journalist," Shrier's book reads like an extended newspaper series—both positively and negatively. Her anecdotes add poignancy and examples, while failing to provide systematic research or strong recommendations for parents and teachers. A lack of nuance seems to pervade the work as well—perhaps in order to better fight the "trauma culture" the book presents.

This feels like an eighties album cover.

The book flows well, looking at therapists in section I, therapy and therapy talk in schools and families in part II, before wrapping up with a short examination of alternatives. Each chapter is centered on one or two anecdotes and a mix of interviews with allies and opponents to Shrier's thesis. The prose is easy to read but light in content.

Shrier returns repeatedly to the idea of iatrogenesis—or that the cure/treatment produces negative effects in itself—"But when I asked therapists point blank whether therapy carried risks, most minimized and many outright denied this" (12). Most of the book examines these effects—a reluctance "to cross the milestones at which previous generations eagerly launched themselves" (33), self-centeredness, narcissism, and more. She argues against the individualistic obsession with feelings and emotions.

More seriously, she exposes some real issues with therapy in school—highlighting the 2006 change by the American Counseling Association:

While still prohibiting sexual relationships with current clients, it decided that "non-sexual" dual relationships were no longer prohibited - especially those that "could be beneficial to the client"... Today, school counselors and psychologists commonly evaluate, diagnose, and treat students with individual therapy; meet with their friends; intervene with their teachers; and pass them in the lunchroom. A teen who has just spent a tear-soaked hour telling the school counselor her deepest secrets might reasonably be fearful of upsetting anyone with that much power over her life (74)

Although in my experience, school counselors recognize the limits of their relationships—both keeping information confidential (outside of information related to serious harm to self or others) and recommending prolonged therapeutic intervention take place outside of the school. The interplay between emotional counseling, teachers, administration, and parents should be heeded, as well as the increasingly common usurpation of parental rights that schools and governments make.

A later series of chapters takes aim at the buggaboos of "SEL" (chapter 4) and "restorative justice" (5). Relying on selective interpretation or specific case examples, rather than a deep examination of the topic, Shrier fails to convince, except those already up in arms over this and other government programs. She argues for high standards, less perfectionism and coddling, and discipline. However, as near as I could tell, the first scientific evidence for her case isn't mentioned until page 125. Chapter 7 focuses on mental health surveys—arguing against them on the grounds that they prompt depressive, suicidal, or negative thoughts. A solid argument but one where the counterfactual of teachers building relationships with students is never considered.

Later chapters take aim at gentle parenting, the "mom approach," and the surrender of parental authority to therapists. She ends by recommending a childhood that enables "experiencing all of the pains of adulthood, in smaller doses, so that they could build up immunity to the poison of heartache and loss" (241). I'm fully on Shrier's side, but her argument and solutions don't pass muster beyond basic common sense.

Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up by Abigail Shrier.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Good For: An articulation of the vague feeling that today's kids are coddled but written in a less formal or scientific way than Lukianoff and Haidt's work. Or someone who doesn't like therapy.

Best nugget: Boundaries should be clear between students, counselors, teachers, and parents at school.

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