You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist

Dr. Kristopher Kaliebe returns to the podcast (his first visit was episode 158) to talk about the capture of psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry in particular, by gender ideology. He is a child, general, and forensic psychiatrist at the University of South Florida, a former AACAP committee co-chair, one of the authors of the HHS review of pediatric gender medicine, and co-author of the first letter in the American Journal of Psychiatry to even mention the systematic reviews showing low-quality evidence for these interventions.We start where so many of my parent coaching clients start: why is it nearly impossible to find a psychiatrist who won’t simply affirm a teenager’s declared gender identity? Dr. Kaliebe describes the spiral of silence, how taking over a single committee let activists speak for entire medical organizations, and why the same journals that discuss placebo effects for every other treatment refuse to mention them for gender medicine. We dig into the heuristics and biases driving clinicians (myside bias, availability bias, language manipulation), and I add a few from my own list: rationalizing versus being rational, the rescuer complex, and reaction formation.We close on what good care would actually look like: treating somatic distress, recognizing OCD-style intrusive thoughts, and helping parents plan for the extinction burst that comes when they stop rewarding suicide threats.Kristopher Kaliebe, MD, is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. He is Board Certified in Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Forensic Psychiatry. He is a Distinguished Fellow at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). His clinical work has been primarily in University clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and juvenile corrections. At USF, Dr. Kaliebe instructs medical students, psychiatry residents, child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, and forensic psychiatry fellows. From 2013-2021 he served as co-chair of AACAP's Media Committee. From 2016 to 2022 he was the liaison between the AACAP and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Kaliebe's publications and presentations include a wide range of topics, including the effects of digital technologies, gender, psychotherapy, corrections, mind-body medicine, nutrition, and mental health in primary care settings. He is concerned about naïve interventionalism and groupthink within the medical and mental health systems. Follow him on X @drkaliebe. Read the article, What AJP Just Published—and What It Didn’t.[00:00:00] Start[00:05:05] Why Parents Can't Find a Trustworthy Psychiatrist[00:11:57] Treating a Kid Who Demands Affirmation[00:16:07] The AJP Letter and the Silencing of Debate[00:26:26] Heuristics and Biases Driving Clinicians[00:36:05] Rationalizing, Rescuer Complex, and Reaction Formation[00:45:32] Informed Consent and the Push for Activism[00:52:32] Placebo and Nocebo Effects in Gender Medicine[00:57:18] Why Belief in Treatment Shapes Outcomes[01:01:16] Where Psychiatry Goes From Here[01:09:41] Holistic Treatment, OCD, and Intrusive Thoughts[01:16:30] Suicide Threats, Rewards, and Iatrogenic Harm[01:21:22] Planning a Controlled Crisis[01:24:05] Finding a Psychiatrist You Can TrustROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month.PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCoursesPRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services.MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission. ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Pastor and counselor Chris Legg returns to talk about something he sees in nearly every grad student who arrives for training at Aletheia Family Counseling Center: fear. After 25 years of training new therapists from seminaries, secular universities, and everything in between, Chris says most show up convinced a lawsuit is coming the moment anyone learns what they personally believe.We start with the phrase "check your values at the door," and Chris shows why it collapses under its own logic. He tells the story of a local university that stopped sending students to Aletheia after an intern wrote that she was glad she wasn't required to counsel same-sex couples, and what happened when he asked the professors whether a survivor of assault should be required to treat abusers.We also look at what the record actually shows about therapists getting in trouble for declining certain clients, why the process is so often the punishment, and why some talented clinicians are giving up their licenses to work as coaches. I explain why I kept my license but do my work as a coach.Then Chris speaks directly to grad students and interns: you matter to the therapeutic process, and you don't have to practice in constant fear. What does it look like to expose your faith without imposing it? And where can counselors with conservative or religious values find mentorship?Pastor Chris Legg, LPCs, and his wife Ginger have been living out the parable of God’s love for His people since 1993 and have been blessed with five great kids. He is the Lead Pastor at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, TX (www.southspring.org) and is also the founding owner and clinical director of Alethia Family Counseling Center (www.alethiacounseling.com), which offers training, counseling, speaking and business consulting in several locations in Texas. He and his son, Mark, are the authors of the book Sex and Marriage, which is intended to restore to marriages the power God intended. Learn more about SSBC at www.southspring.org. More about Alethia at www.alethiacounseling.com.Contact Chris, read any of his articles, and look for other resources at his website at www.chrismlegg.com and at https://chrismlegg.substack.com/[00:00:00] Start[00:03:35] Why Grad Students Fear Their Own Values[00:08:08] University Cuts Ties Over Same-Sex Couples Policy[00:11:34] Competency, Referrals, and Therapist Boundaries[00:20:43] Do Therapists Really Lose Licenses Over Refusals[00:24:55] Board Complaints: The Process Is the Punishment[00:30:44] Aletheia's Bylaws: Therapy as Protected Speech[00:32:44] Why Therapists Trade Licenses for Coaching[00:42:12] Chris's Message to Anxious New Therapists[00:55:07] Imposing vs. Exposing Values in Therapy[00:59:53] How Conversion Therapy's Meaning Shifted[01:02:17] Advice for Therapists in Blue States[01:10:27] Cross-State Licensing Laws and PSYPACTROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month.PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCoursesPRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services.MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission. ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

I'm eager to welcome back Lynn Chadwick, a retired NICU nurse and founder of Themis Resource Fund, to discuss the critical landscape of detransition lawsuits and legal accountability in medical transition. We dive deep into the first detransition lawsuit victory—the Varian v. Einhorn case—where a therapist was found 70% culpable, and what this landmark decision means for mental health professionals. Lynn shares how Themis is supporting detransitioned individuals seeking litigation assistance, the major barriers they face (including the statute of limitations crisis that prevents most cases from moving forward), and how the FTC investigation into fraudulent billing practices is changing the legal landscape. We explore the difference between autonomy and medical ethics, why expanding statute of limitations laws is critical work that needs grassroots advocates, and how parents and professionals can support this effort. Most importantly, Lynn articulates a vision of evidence-based medicine—one that prioritizes healing and truth over harm, and recognizes that young, healthy people deserve protection, not procedures that damage their bodies for life. This conversation tackles the intersection of parental advocacy, legal justice, and the path forward for families navigating detransition. Lynn Chadwick is a retired NICU nurse who became a parent advocate after two of her children medically transitioned. She founded Themis Resource Fund to provide detransitioned individuals with litigation assistance. ThemisResourceFund.orgX: @ThemisRFLynn's previous episode on my podcast: 182. From Estrangement to Advocacy: Lynn Chadwick on Parental Identity After Your Child TransitionsROGD Repair article mentioned: The Belief That Builds Its Own Cage: The Causal Chain of Consequence in Trans IdeationSpecial Offer for Listeners: Donate $500 or more to Themis Resource Fund and forward your receipt to [email protected] to receive lifetime access to ROGD Repair as a thank you gift from Stephanie.[00:00:00] Start[00:01:33] Understanding Detransition Lawsuits[00:03:45] Politics & Humanity Divide[00:07:00] Medicine Requires Evidence-Based Practice[00:10:00] Mental Health Data Contradicts Narratives[00:31:00] The Regret & Remorse Timeline[00:33:30] Statute of Limitations Crisis[00:40:30] FTC Investigation & Billing Fraud[00:43:00] Litigation Barriers & Legal Strategy[00:48:30] The Coming Wave of Cases[00:52:30] Family Therapy & Reconciliation[01:01:00] Expert Witnesses & Professionals[01:05:00] Themis Resource Fund Support[01:08:15] Camille Kifer Settlement SuccessROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2026 to take 50% off your first month.PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCoursesPRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services.MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission. ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★