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Jonathan Shedler

Clinical Psychologist; Volunteer Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF

Search every verified Jonathan Shedler interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In an appearance dated November 11, 2026, Jonathan Shedler discussed the state of psychotherapy and agreed with critiques that much of what is culturally promoted as therapy is not effective treatment. He argued that most people who believe they are in therapy are not receiving the kind of skilled, expert psychotherapy that produces lasting change, describing much of what is offered as "instaotherapy" or pop psychology influenced by social media. He stated that therapy should address a specific psychological problem at a specific time, and that the therapy professions have been in "freefall" for over 20 years. Shedler also addressed the role of the therapeutic relationship, contending that a supportive bond alone is insufficient for psychological change and that such a bond must serve as a vehicle for deeper self-understanding and change. He suggested that the problem of inadequate therapy extends beyond any particular demographic, asserting that most people, not just specific groups, are not receiving good therapy.

Recent appearances

  • “Most People Aren’t Getting Good Therapy” — Psychologist Jonathan Shedler

    November 11, 2026 · 📺 The Prof G Pod – Scott Galloway

    Scott’s December ‘25 No Mercy / No Malice post, “The Cult of Therapy,” argued that therapy has been oversold as a cultural cure-all. In this Deep Dive, he tests that argument with Dr. Jonathan Shedler, a clinical psychologist and researcher best known for his work on the effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy. Dr. Shedler agrees with much of the critique, and goes further: most people who believe they’re in therapy, he argues, aren’t getting the kind of treatment that produces lasting change. They discuss when therapy is warranted, why economic suffering often isn’t a psychotherapy problem, w…

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  • Working with Transference: Timing, Technique, and the Here-and-Now with Jonathan Shedler

    August 14, 2026 · 📺 Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

    In this practical Q&A episode with Dr. Jonathan Shedler, the psychodynamic psychotherapy cohort explores working with transference in real time, focusing on timing, technique, and the here-and-now. Shedler addresses how to recognize meaningful transference patterns, decide when an interpretation will open growth versus overwhelm the patient, and adapt the work across levels of personality organization (neurotic versus borderline). The discussion covers handling negative and erotic transference, protecting the therapeutic frame, triangulation, idealization and splitting, devaluation, projection…

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  • Meaningful Psychotherapy: Psychoanalytic Principles in Modern Psychotherapy with Dr Jonathan Shedler

    June 01, 2026 · 📺 Psychiatry Boot Camp

    In this profound episode of Psychiatry Boot Camp, host Dr. Mark Mullen sits down with world-renowned researcher and clinician Dr. Jonathan Shedler. Moving beyond the "alphabet soup" of modern modalities, Dr. Shedler argues for a return to the foundational psychoanalytic principles that constitute the "trunk and roots" of all effective talk therapy.  The discussion challenges the standard medical model of "diagnose and prescribe," urging psychiatrists to unlearn passive history-taking in favor of a collaborative partnership that traverses into the unknown. From critiquing the superficiality of…

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  • Talk Series: What Therapy Can and Can’t Do

    August 29, 2025 · 📺 Open Therapy Institute

    This video is an excerpt from the Open Therapy Institute’s workshop, “Politicized Therapy and the Alternatives,” featuring speaker Jonathan Shedler, Ph.D. View this workshop on demand: https://opentherapyinstitute.thinkifi... The Open Therapy Institute is committed to patient-centered care that respects all values and worldviews. Our mission is to address socio-political bias in mental health care. To find a therapist through the Open Therapy Institute, contact us here: https://www.opentherapyinstitute.org/... See all our workshops here: https://www.opentherapyinstitute.org/... Become…

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  • Depressive Personality Style with Jonathan Shedler

    May 23, 2025 · 📺 Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

    00:00:00 Introduction 00:08:55 Depressive Personality Styles 00:15:34 RP: Inner World of Depressive Personality 00:44:21 Aggression in Therapy 01:01:10 RP: Betrayal and Struggling to Name the Harm 1:35:03 From Obligation to Freedom Join Dr. David Puder and renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Jonathan Shedler for a profound exploration of depressive personality style—its developmental roots, emotional dynamics, and therapeutic implications. In this special episode, they go beyond diagnosis and into embodied understanding, featuring a powerful role play that brings to life the lived experience…

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  • Pop Psychology Isn't Your Friend, But Genuine Psychotherapy Can Be | Tom Woods Show #2573

    November 22, 2024 · 📺 TomWoodsTV

    Dr. Jonathan Shedler of the University of California at San Francisco joins us to discuss the problems that arise when random people declare themselves "therapists" and dish out platitudes to unsuspecting people, but also why, contrary to what many on the right think these days, there is legitimate benefit from psychotherapy, which amounts to promoting self-knowledge and realizing that things we don't know about ourselves can harm us. (Ep. 2573 of the Tom Woods Show) Sponsors: Persist SEO: https://www.persistseo.com Supporting Listeners: https://supportinglisteners.com Guest's Website: http…

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  • The Biggest Mistake People Make When Seeking Therapy - Jonathan Shedler

    November 19, 2024 · 📺 Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

    Original Air Date - May 30, 2024 Bridget sits down with clinical psychologist Jonathan Shedler and they discuss the challenges of finding qualified therapists, the division between practitioners and researchers in the field and the effects of that division, the lack of public understanding about legitimate therapy credentials, and the danger of the trend towards brief, "evidence-based" therapies that ignore the time and relationship required for true psychological change. They cover therapy as a collaborative process of deep self-discovery, the importance of nuance over black-and-white thinkin…

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  • What Good Psychotherapy Looks Like With Dr. Jonathan Shedler

    September 11, 2024 · 📺 Complex Trauma Training Center

    On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes back Dr. Jonathan Shedler, renowned psychologist, author, consultant, researcher, and clinical educator. In their conversation, they are delving deeper into the elements that make up good psychotherapy and the importance of connection between therapist and client. Dr. Shedler and Emily Ruth also explore critical flaws in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), how modern social subcultures provide a disturbing camouflage for disassociation, and the three pillars of an effective therapeutic working allianc…

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  • How People's Worst Impulses Become Construed As Virtues w/Dr. Jonathan Shedler

    June 06, 2024 · 📺 Peter Boghossian

    Peter Boghossian and Jonathan Shedler discuss various aspects of psychotherapy and societal dynamics. Jonathan highlights the importance of traditional therapy in fostering self-awareness and freedom and the necessity for therapists to understand psychological principles deeply. He also touches upon societal issues like rising healthcare costs and the influence of borderline traits on extreme political positions, suggesting open dialogue and cooperative scenarios as potential solutions. American psychologist Jonathan Shedler, PhD is known internationally as an author, consultant, researcher,…

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  • Beginning Treatment with Jonathan Shedler, PhD

    February 16, 2024 · 📺 Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

    02:00 - Why No Free Consults 04:00 - First Session ≠ Start of Therapy 16:29 - What Is the Frame? 24:00 - Resistance in Early Sessions 25:41 - Roleplay: Missed Sessions 31:00 - From Clarification to Insight 33:12 - Roleplay: Shame and Projection 40:00 - Working Through Avoidance 43:00 - Roleplay: Rejection and Trust 49:00 - Why Therapies Fail Early 51:00 - 3 Parts of the Working Alliance 54:00 - Diagnosis ≠ Case Formulation 57:00 - Defining Treatment Purpose 01:06:00 - Narcissism and Readiness 01:09:00 - When Not to Proceed 01:13:12 - Kernberg’s Intervention Model 01:15:00 - How to Help Them Be…

    Watch on YouTube ↗

  • Seven Features of Psychodynamic Therapy

    January 14, 2024 · 📺 Our Patterns

    Seven features of psychodynamic therapy derived from observational research presented by Dr. Jonathan Shedler in 2023 #psychodynamic #psychoanalysis

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  • Championing Relational Therapeutic Solutions in a Quick-Fix World With Dr. Jonathan Shedler

    October 04, 2023 · 📺 NARM Training Institute

    What are the defining characteristics of good psychotherapy? Increasingly, the answers arrive filtered through the lens of incomplete research or, worse, via buzzwords popularized by wellness websites. Emily welcomes author, consultant, researcher, and clinical educator Jonathan Shedler, PhD, to discuss the widening chasm between the research conducted by academic psychologists and real-life psychotherapy. The pair also examine the importance of forming a therapeutic alliance and misconceptions about countertransference. About Jonathan Shedler: Jonathan Shedler, PhD, is a psycho…

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Notable quotes

“The therapy professions have been in freefall for, you know, 20 plus years. Much of what's being offered in the name of therapy these days is not skilled expert psychotherapy. It it it's something else. And I I mean what you say about the imbalance in the profession is true, but your conclusion men aren't getting good therapy or there's a mismatch between therapy culture and what men needs. I would say the problem is”

“Most of what's being promoted in the culture now as therapy is, you know, is really, you know, social media, internet, pop, you know, insta. ... I actually largely agree with you, but I'd like to sharpen some of the points and some of the assumptions below beneath that. You know, everyone should get therapy is just a a meaningless statement. I there's no such thing as therapy. There's therapy to solve a particular pr”

“The answer to what So, when I say meaningful psychological change begins at around 6 months, I'm talking about psychological change, not just, you know, some symptom relief. And what we do now often, especially in, you know, health care institutional settings, is you know, we go for symptom relief and then consider the job done and take the victory lap knowing full if we're good clinicians we should know this knowing”

“Psychotherapy is a psychological treatment. It's a psychological intervention. It ultimately has one purpose only, which is to change something about the patient's or the client's psychology, something that's causing difficulties for them, something that's getting in their way. The truth of the matter is that the only thing that you can realistically hope to change is something about the patient. A legitimate therapy”

“The concept of personality disorders actually didn't exist in the literature prior to DSM. The way that came about is that the framers of DSM 3, published in 1980, were very determined to produce a medical taxonomy of psychiatric difficulties. So they made a decision up front everything was going to be a disorder, which plays out in funny ways. Like before DSM3, people were anxious, but the concept of generalized anx”

“The idea of a chemical imbalance, this is not a scientific finding, this is not a clinical discovery. Truth be told, this was a marketing campaign by pharmaceutical companies selling medication. And these marketing campaigns, these narratives, were extraordinarily successful, and they succeeded in convincing vast numbers of people that depression is a chemical imbalance. I even in the heyday of when people were sayin”

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →