Destigmatizing Therapy for Teens with Dr. Justin Puder
Off The Cuff with Danny LoPriore
English - June 08, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 183 MB - ★★★★★ - 239 ratingsMental Health Health & Fitness Fitness Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
“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
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 YouTube On Apple Podcasts On Spotify On TikTok On Instagram On YouTube Dr. Puder’s DriveThru Courses Dr. Puder’s Podcast, “Drop In with Dr. J”
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