Daniel Mackler: A Former Therapist's Critique

In our season finale, Dr. Kirk Honda, therapist and host of Psychology In Seattle, joins us to discuss the topic of harm in therapy. We talk about what therapy harm can look like, why it happens, and how clients and clinicians can better recognize and respond to it. Whether you’re in therapy, considering it, or working as a mental health professional, this conversation offers practical insight into a difficult but important subject.

Today’s guest is Carson Weitnauer, a former team member at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Carson joins me to talk about the open letter he wrote to Lori Anne Thompson a public apology for his role in enabling Ravi Zacharias and failing to see the truth sooner.In this conversation, we explore how powerful individuals often groom their supporters long before they ever groom their victims. Building credibility, loyalty, and layers of protection. Carson’s story is an example of what self-reflection, accountability, and repair can look like in the aftermath of abuse.Whether you’ve experienced betrayal by a trusted institution or just want to better understand how complicity can happen in good people, this episode offers insight, honesty, and hope.

In this raw and deeply moving interview, survivor Lori Anne Thompson shares her personal story of being groomed and abused by Ravi Zacharias. While their relationship wasn’t formally pastoral counseling, it carried many of the same power dynamics—spiritual authority, trust, and vulnerability. Lori Anne reflects on the factors in her life that made her more susceptible to abuse, the manipulative tactics used under the guise of faith, and the systems that enabled it. We also confront the church’s role in victim-blaming and explore what authentic healing looks like after betrayal by a spiritual leader.

This week, I’m joined by Julie Anne Smith, the voice behind The Spiritual Sounding Board, a blog dedicated to exposing church abuse and shedding light on the harmful effects of patriarchy, particularly for women. Julie Anne shares her personal experience with biblical counseling and how it left her feeling injured. Together, we explore the ways in which the church can perpetuate toxic dynamics and how we can work toward healing and accountability.

In today’s episode, we explore Biblical counseling — what it is, how it can help, and how it can harm. Our guest, Noelle, joins us to walk through the key principles, practices, and potential pitfalls.

Today's episode marks the start of our in-depth series on the potential harms of faith-based counseling, examining how scripture can sometimes be misused as a tool of control rather than healing. Approximately one-quarter of U.S. adults—about 28 percent—identify as evangelical Christians, and many turn to church-run counseling rather than licensed therapists. But what are the consequences when Christian nationalism, purity culture, and patriarchy influence the guidance given, leading to harmful practices and the reinforcement of abusive systems?In this first episode, I am joined by Peter Bell, host of the Sons of Patriarchy podcast, to explore how “Bible-only” therapy often silences survivors, how patriarchal theology shapes advice on relationships and mental health, and the critical warning signs when pastoral care shifts into manipulation and control. This conversation serves as the foundation for the important discussions that follow throughout the series.

Former therapist Daniel Mackler offers a critical insider’s perspective on the mental health field, exposing the flaws and hidden harms within the therapy system. We discuss why he left the profession, the ways therapy can sometimes do more harm than good, and what he believes needs to change. https://youtu.be/IwS7HyA6Oaw?si=3kE8A5wOBEv8pSEQ

In the conclusion of Maya and Justin’s story, we reveal what it meant for Maya to be legally kidnapped—cut off from her father, family, and friends for seven months—and the harrowing escape that brought her and her little brother back home. But their fight didn’t end there. Even after breaking free, they faced a court system determined to silence them. Reunification therapy is supposed to heal families, but for too many children, it’s a weapon of control. Maya and Justin’s story is a warning—because if it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone.

Within this episode, we hear from a father and daughter about a court-ordered intervention that claims to heal families — but often silences the very people it’s meant to help.What happens when children’s voices are ignored? When protecting them is framed as a crime?We’ll explore one family’s experience inside the controversial world of reunification therapy — and how the system designed to keep families together can become the final step in tearing them apart.

This week, we continue our deep dive into the family court system with an exclusive interview featuring Rachel Pickrel Hawkins, whose story made national headlines. Sourced from The Washington Post, Julie Roys’ investigative work, and Rachel herself, we explore the events that led to her arrest for interfering with reunification therapy. Rachel shares her harrowing experience of fighting for her children’s safety after alleging that her ex-husband—a police officer—sexually assaulted their child and abused their son. We’ll discuss how the court system and reunification therapy impacted her family and examine the systemic failures that put protective parents in impossible situations.