Bibliographic Information:
Title: Teenager Therapy
Creators: Gael Aitor, Mark Hugo, Isaac Hurtado, Thomas Pham, and Kayla Suarez
Producer: Flighthouse
Release Dates: 2018-current
Genre: Mental health, nonfiction, society and culture
Format: Podcast
Interest Level: 14+
Show Summary: Five “stressed, sleep deprived yet energetic teens” grapple with everything they tackle in their lives, from friendships to parents, school to sexuality (Teenager Therapy, n.d.). The friends sit down weekly and chat, sometimes with a defined topic like seasonal mood swings or nostalgia, and other times just following their noses. The show has followed the creators from sophomores in high school to first-year students in college; they are as of this writing unsure whether they will continue once they’re no longer teenagers and let the show grow with them, or pass it on to a younger group of teens (Lorenz, 2021).
Creator Backgrounds: The five hosts met at a Southern California middle school and continued on to high school together. They started their podcast in 2018 as a group of loosely connected teens, but have become close friends as they continue on to adulthood. They currently attend UC Berkeley, USC, community college, or are pursuing a marketing career (Teenager Therapy, n.d.).
Critical Evaluation: Gael Aitor got the idea for this podcast after obsessively listening to Couples Therapy, a podcast hosted by a married 20-something couple (Lorenz, 2020). He wanted to make something similar, but for kids his age; funnily enough, I am a married 40-something who has found Teenager Therapy just as addicting. The five teenagers have created something intimate and deeply human; while they sometimes seem very much the teenagers they are, brimming with slang and alight with the wonder of discovering the world that we older folk only vaguely remember, they are also great at capturing the magic that happens when good friends are just hanging out and chatting. Truths are revealed, commonalities realized, experiences shared. If we all did more of this, the world would probably be a better place. I assumed that these teens, who are incredibly self-aware, vulnerable, and thoughtful, must have supportive parents behind the scenes. A recent episode revealed that in fact none of the hosts consider themselves to have particularly close relationships with their parents, who don’t even listen to their kids’ podcast (Teenager Therapy, 2022)! Their wisdom, it seems, comes from the act of self-reflection itself, a lesson for all of us.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Have teens experiment with creating their own podcast. A multi-part workshop could teach the basics of recording, editing, and marketing a podcast that can be shared on the library’s website as well as their own social media channels.
Speed-Round Book Talk: What’s it really like to be a teen? Five California teenagers dish about everything from pimples to crushes to societal expectations.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: While the subject matter is often lighthearted, there is swearing as well as discussion of heavier topics, like sexuality, vaping, depression and eating disorders. These are all important topics, however, and it’s crucial for teens to have open conversations about them. This podcast (and associated website) never trivializes serious topics and the hosts are careful to share research and sources (teenagertherapy.com, n.d.).
Reason for Inclusion: While there are many podcasts aimed at or enjoyed by teenagers, I liked that this one was made by teenagers themselves, covering many topics relevant to teenagers.
Want to listen? The podcast episodes are available here.
References
Lorenz, Taylor. (July 29, 2020, updated February 4, 2021). High schoolers across the country are seeking ‘Teenager Therapy.’ Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/style/teenager-therapy-podcast.html
Teenager Therapy (February 5, 2022). How parents affect who you are. Retrieved from https://anchor.fm/teenagertherapy/episodes/How-Parents-Affect-Who-You-Are-e1dt4gl
Teenagertherapy.com (n.d.). Teenager therapy. Retrieved from https://teenagertherapy.com/.
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