7 Inspiring Mental Health and Therapy Podcasts

In honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10, SimplePractice launched a series of resources, guides, and articles that will help therapists unwind and take time for themselves. 

Here are seven mental health podcasts that use a therapy-centered lens to discuss mental health, clinical work, share industry knowledge, and inspire you with stories of healing. 

1. The Dude Therapist with Eli Weinstein, LCSW

Eli Weinstein, LCSW, is a therapist who started his podcast “The Dude Therapist” during the pandemic, as a method of managing his ADHD in quarantine. 

“I felt so out of whack and I needed to do something with my energy,” Weinstein recounts. According to Weinstein, he certainly wasn’t going to start writing-in-place, saying, “I always joke that I’d rather speak than write, so a podcast was my outlet.”    

Through interviews with various therapists, public (and personal) figures, and wellness experts, Weinstein aims to bring “a digestible, real, and different perspective to mental health and wellness.”

Your listening mood

You’ll want to listen to Weinstein when you want to hear a deeply relatable, relaxed, and authentic conversation about mental health. 

Favorite episodes 

• Our Infertility Journey ft. Ariella (my amazing wife) is one of Weinstein’s favorites, as he explains, “I loved my episode with my wife about our IVF journey because it brought me closer to her and […she explained] perspectives she never mentioned [before].”
• The Truth About ADHD w/ Dr. Sasha Hamdani is a personal favorite for me. Weinstein’s own experience with ADHD humanizes this insightful conversation. Not to mention, I’ve been a TikTok fan of Dr. Hamdani’s content, which focuses on diagnosis and symptoms of psychiatric conditions in women. 
• Hope, Despair, and Gratitude w/ Dr. Edith Eger is another one of Weinstein’s favorites because he was able to interview one of his therapist heroes. “A huge honor for me was having Dr. Edith Eger on my show. Her books, her story, and life [are things] I’ve looked up to for years, so to speak with her was powerful for me,” Weinstein reflects. 

2. Mental Health Happy Hour with Paul Gilmartin

Paul Gilmartin isn’t a therapist by trade—in fact, he’s a comedian! In his podcast, “Mental Health Happy Hour,” he uses his keen observational skills and self-reflection to bring levity and depth to conversations around mental health. 

“When I was at my darkest in battling my own demons, I felt utterly alone, hopeless, and suicidal,” Gilmartin shares. 

Gilmartin’s own road to recovery is what inspired him to “help people who were suffering by providing a sense of community, camaraderie, and hope” through the podcast. 

Gilmartin’s personal hurdles are what inspired the podcast’s inception. However, on the podcast, he relies on the expertise of mental health experts, and uses his platform to elevate the compelling narratives of his guests—all in the interest of promoting mental health awareness and destigmatization. 

Acknowledging that a mental health podcaster isn’t the natural career trajectory for someone who has made a name for themselves in the entertainment industry, Gilmartin sees himself as a resource and advocate for mental health. 

“Not being a mental health professional, I wanted to be a cheerleader for people to find support groups, therapy, and, if necessary, a psychiatrist,” Gilmartin explains. “I also wanted to bring some lightness to such a heavy topic given my experience as a professional comedian.”

Your listening mood

When you want to laugh raucously and hear real stories about recovery, healing, and all the messy things that precede and follow a mental health journey. 

Favorite episodes 

• Moby—The Cult of More and Loneliness 
• Allison Raskin—Mental Illness & Romantic Relationships 
• Rebecca D—Going No Contact with a Parent

3. Dear Therapists with Lori Gottleib, LMFT, and Guy Winch, PhD

Listen in on real-life therapy sessions with renowned speakers, therapists, and authors Lori Gottleib, LMFT, and Guy Winch, PhD. 

Gottleib and Winch’s collaborative brain child, the podcast “Dear Therapists,” was born out of their individual, highly-syndicated, advice columns—Gottleib’s column in The Atlantic, “Dear Therapist,” and Winch’s TED Talk column, “Dear Guy.” 

These therapy heavyweights tackle complicated relationship dynamics, family trauma, life transitions, and more during their on-air therapy sessions. 

Their raw and impactful recordings also earned them an Ambie Award nomination in 2020. 

Your listening mood  

Sit back and imagine you’re back in supervision or school, as you listen to Gottleib and Winch masterfully unpack a client’s deep-seated fears, insecurities, and maladaptive behaviors. Dear Therapists is a great exhibit of clinical collaboration facilitating nuanced and robust clinical work. 

Favorite episodes

• Doug’s Fear of Intimacy
• Diane’s Infertility Struggle
• Jennifer’s Fiance’s Instagram Flirtations 

4. Selling the Couch with Melvin Varghese, PhD

One thing we frequently hear from SimplePractice clinicians is that they went to school to become great clinicians, not to run their own business. 

So, when clinicians decide to start their own private practices, they often don’t know where to start. This is precisely the issue psychologist and marketing whiz Melvin Varghese, PhD, sought to alleviate when he started his podcast, Selling the Couch. 

Varghese’s episodes are focused on helping clinicians start their private practice, get referrals, build a professional website, and deal with the insecurities associated with being a small business owner. 

Your listening mood

For anyone getting started, expanding, or getting stuck with running their private practice, Varghese has many episodes devoted to helping you. 

Favorite episodes

• A Slow, Intentional Transition to Full-Time Private Practice  
• Creating Authentic “Win-Win” Relationships With Colleagues
• How To Show Up On Social Media When You Have A Love/Hate With It with Elizabeth Penela, PhD 

5. Therapist Uncensored with Ann Kelly, LCSW, and Sue Marriott, PhD

These married co-hosts and therapists make quite the dynamic-duo on their podcast, Therapist Uncensored. Ann Kelly, LCSW, and Sue Marriott, PhD, explore various scientific theories, findings, and practices in neuroscience and therapy. 

In their discussions, Kelly and Marriott focus on healing attachment wounds and sharing new insights on facilitating healthy relationships and connection. 

Your listening mood

Therapist Uncensored is the perfect podcast for anytime you want to brush up on your attachment theory, or are interested in learning the latest and greatest in scientific research on relationships. 

Favorite episodes 

• Secure Attachment & Recognizing Secure States of Mind
• Relationship-based Parenting: An Integration of Neurobiology, Attachment, Regulation & Discipline
• Internal Family Systems (IFS), Neuroplasticity and Attachment with Dr. Frank Anderson 

6. Therapy Chat with Laura Reagan, LCSW

Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, brings an element of personal vulnerability to her podcast, Therapy Chat, as she interviews other leaders in the field and shares her own healing journey with complex PTSD. 

Although Reagan broaches a variety of topics on her podcast, one of the most recurring themes is burnout. This is a topic that definitely resonates with many practitioners today. 

Many SimplePractice customers’ anecdotal reporting of burnout was the impetus behind our team conducting a survey on the subject this month—you can find our results in the 2023 Therapist Burnout Report. 

Your listening mood

I’d recommend listening to Therapy Chat when you’re needing a bit of clinician commiseration, while also wanting to learn something new that’s relevant and applicable to your work.

Favorite episodes 

• Meeting Shame On the Journey to Anti Racism with Xanthia Johnson
• Burnout + Compassion Fatigue with Melissa Wesner
• When to Safely Begin Processing Complex Trauma Using EMDR with Dr. Deborah Korn   

7. Therapy for Black Girls with Joy Harden Blackfield, PhD

Psychologist Joy Harden Blackfield, PhD, is a trailblazer in the quest to provide accessible mental health care and awareness—creating content and resources that are specifically attuned to the struggles, triumphs, and experiences of Black women. Her expertise in mental health, particularly within Black communities, has been recognized and cited by everyone from Solange Knowles to The New York Times. 

Therapy for Black Girls started as a blog and online community for Black women to discuss mental health, and has now evolved to include the very popular podcast by the same name. 

In her podcast, Blackfield continues to discuss topics that pertain to Black women’s mental health, shedding light on the social, political, and systemic factors that contribute to the mental welfare of Black people. 

Blackfield offers a fresh take on mental health awareness. Therapy for Black Girls is both illuminating and fun—join her for an episode where she evaluates a pop-culture moment, interviews an expert in the field, or provides instruction for new clinicians. 

Therapy for Black Girls also won the esteemed Ambie Award for the Best Health & Wellness Podcast in 2021. 

Your listening mood 

This is a great podcast for therapists and clients to tune into. Here’s another great resource on how to serve Black clients, from our Pollen blog.

Favorite episodes

• Mental Health Support For Military Families
• Black Women and the Beauty Industry 
• The Power of Shadow Work 

Check out the other articles, courses, and resources that SimplePractice created to support clinicians experiencing burnout this World Mental Health Day.

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