
Therapy Nation
How America Got Hooked on Therapy and Why It's Left Us More Anxious and Divided
Jonathan Alpert(Author)
Hanover Square Press
Will be published approx. on 18. June 2026
Book
Hardback
978-1-335-00065-1 (ISBN)
Description
As featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fox & Friends, The Hill and The Daily Wire
*A Next Big Ideas Club pick*
A provocative look at how therapy culture has reshaped the way we live, speak, and relate to one another, and how it's changing the fabric of American life, by acclaimed psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert.
In America today, seeing a therapist is no longer taboo, and mental-health resources are more accessible than ever. Yet despite this progress, anxiety and depression among Americans are now at record highs, and the country feels even more divided.
After twenty years as a practicing therapist and go-to media expert on mental health, Jonathan Alpert has come to an unsettling conclusion: his own profession is part of the problem. In Therapy Nation, Alpert:
* considers the possibility that we've become over-therapized, and examine how this practice, intended to heal, may be making us weaker instead of stronger;
* explores how concepts and buzzwords once confined to therapy sessions have infiltrated public discourse, where their meaning becomes distorted, sometimes intentionally;
* unpacks how feeling good has replaced getting better and accountability has been traded out for affirmation;
* the ways in which too much therapy, or the wrong kind, can have painful effects on individuals, families, communities and the nation.
Drawing from case studies and widening the lens to consider the social forces beyond the therapist's office, Alpert makes the urgent case for his profession to heal itself so it can get back to healing us.
*A Next Big Ideas Club pick*
A provocative look at how therapy culture has reshaped the way we live, speak, and relate to one another, and how it's changing the fabric of American life, by acclaimed psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert.
In America today, seeing a therapist is no longer taboo, and mental-health resources are more accessible than ever. Yet despite this progress, anxiety and depression among Americans are now at record highs, and the country feels even more divided.
After twenty years as a practicing therapist and go-to media expert on mental health, Jonathan Alpert has come to an unsettling conclusion: his own profession is part of the problem. In Therapy Nation, Alpert:
* considers the possibility that we've become over-therapized, and examine how this practice, intended to heal, may be making us weaker instead of stronger;
* explores how concepts and buzzwords once confined to therapy sessions have infiltrated public discourse, where their meaning becomes distorted, sometimes intentionally;
* unpacks how feeling good has replaced getting better and accountability has been traded out for affirmation;
* the ways in which too much therapy, or the wrong kind, can have painful effects on individuals, families, communities and the nation.
Drawing from case studies and widening the lens to consider the social forces beyond the therapist's office, Alpert makes the urgent case for his profession to heal itself so it can get back to healing us.
Reviews / Votes
"Psychotherapist Alpert (Be Fearless) turns the world of modern therapy on its head with this provocative challenge... he provides a refreshing and well-reasoned look at the ways the practice falls short of its goals in the paradoxical interest of making patients feel good. This will be of interest to those on both sides of the couch." -Publishers WeeklyMore details
Edition
Original
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
431 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-335-00065-1 (9781335000651)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Jonathan Alpert
Therapy Nation
How America Got Hooked on Therapy and Why It's Left Us More Anxious and Divided
E-Book
05/2026
Hanover Square Press
€8.60
Available for download
Person
JONATHAN ALPERT is a psychotherapist with two decades of clinical experience treating patients from across the United States. His commentary appears frequently in national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, and other major outlets. His New York Times op-ed "In Therapy Forever? Enough Already" sparked widespread discussion and served as an early catalyst for the ideas explored in Therapy Nation . He is a regular presence on television, offering analysis on the psychological forces shaping current events. He has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in the Academy Award-winning documentary Inside Job. He is also a frequent guest on major radio programs and podcasts across the country and a former columnist for Metro, where he penned a widely read advice column. In addition to his clinical work, Alpert has consulted for national brands including Enterprise, Liberty Mutual, NutriBullet and Sealy. His first book, Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days, was translated into multiple languages.