City Journal Audio Therapeutic Culture Is a Luxury Belief: Why Young People Are Struggling
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Oct 17, 2025 
Abigail Shrier, the author of 'Bad Therapy,' critiques modern therapeutic parenting, while psychologist Rob Henderson shares insights on resilience stemming from his experiences in foster care. They delve into the roots of the youth mental health crisis, discussing how schools' therapeutic models may undermine parental authority. Together, they argue that high expectations and firm guidance are often more beneficial than therapy. Their conversation highlights the isolating effects of social media and the dangers of permissive parenting in today's culture.
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Experts Created The Crisis
- Abigail Shrier argues experts created the youth mental-health crisis by promoting therapeutic, gentle parenting.
- She says that counsel produced more dysregulated, unhappy children and now experts cannot remediate it.
Parental Authority Was Outsourced
- Rob Henderson and Abigail say parents outsourced authority to experts and educators, weakening parental confidence.
- That loss of authority enabled therapeutic frameworks to replace firm parenting and harmed children.
Research Favors Rule-Based Parenting
- Shrier cites Diana Baumrind's research showing loving, rule-based parenting yields healthier children.
- She says modern 'authoritative' rhetoric was redefined into permissive, therapeutic parenting that fails children.
