Therapy Speak & TikTok Diagnosis Dilemmas

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Isabelle Morley, PsyD Related seminars and products

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Isabelle Morley, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and an EFT-certified couples’ therapist (emotionally focused therapy), and author of They’re Not Gaslighting You: Ditch the Therapy Speak and Stop Looking for Red Flags in Every Relationship. She is an expert in the misuse and weaponization of therapy speak, having written the first book on the subject. She is co-author of the therapist manual Navigating Intimacy: An Introductory Guide to Couples and Sex Therapy, and Dr. Morley is also a contributing author to Psychology Today in her blog Love Them or Leave Them. She is frequently sought out by journalists for expert commentary on topics such as relationships, couples therapy, and reality television, and has been featured in The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, Business Insider, Vox and VeryWell Mind, among others. In philanthropic work, Dr. Morley is a founding board member of The Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network (UCAN) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports reality TV cast members in accessing mental health and legal support and advocates for industry change.

Dr. Morley received a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University. As part of her major in Peace and Justice Studies, she focused on interpersonal conflict resolution and wrote her capstone project on the evolutionary justification and modern-day use of forgiveness and revenge in relationships following significant transgressions. After graduating from Tufts, she earned her PsyD (Doctor of Psychology) degree from William James College in 2015. Her doctoral research explored young adults’ perspectives of hookup culture and its impact on their ability to form meaningful romantic relationships.

She started specializing in couples therapy early in her career, working with couples and pursuing additional education and training in many forms of couples therapy, including the Gottman Method, EFT, and Relational Life Therapy. She lives and works in the Boston area.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Isabelle Morley maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Tufts University. She receives royalties as a published author. Isabelle Morley receives a speaking honorarium from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Isabelle Morley serves on the advisory board for Keepler.

 

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Objectives

1. Summarize contributing factors to the increased “pop pathology” trend.
2. Recognize key indicators that a client’s use of clinical language is impacting their therapeutic progress.
3. Apply a three-step approach rooted in cognitive restructuring to address therapy language.
4. Describe ethical considerations for therapists when addressing or introducing therapy terms with clients.

Outline

• Define therapy speak, armchair diagnosis, and the new umbrella concept of “pop pathology” 
• Explore why clients are increasingly showing up with self-diagnoses, therapy jargon, and armchair diagnoses of others 
• Demonstrate how this presents a new and rapidly-growing clinical challenge for therapists
• Look at how social media has contributed to the quick adoption and often inaccurate use of clinical terms like “narcissist,” “ADHD,” and “trauma” 

• Identify common indicators that a client’s use of therapy language is limiting emotional exploration or self-growth
• Examine how misused clinical terms can serve as defenses or avoidant strategies within the therapeutic process
• Develop criteria for determining when it is clinically appropriate to address pop pathology versus when to focus on other content 

• Apply a three-step method to address inaccurate or misapplied clinical language in a collaborative, non-shaming way
• Include the client’s language as a gateway to deeper emotional material while preserving the therapeutic alliance
• Administer cognitive restructuring techniques for reframing terms and offering gentle psychoeducation that supports insight and precision without alienating the client
• Dealing with the “hard case” client who frequently relies on pop pathology and is resistant to intervention 

• Reflect on how therapists’ training and biases shape the way they contribute or respond to pop pathology
• Acknowledge the limitations of research in this area and the risks of correcting clients too quickly or bluntly
• Consider therapists’ ethical responsibilities when introducing terms to clients in session or addressing pop pathology with clients, colleagues, and laypeople

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Addiction Counselors
• Case Managers
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals

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