Free Therapy with Ben & Kevin

This week is about what men really need to open up in a relationship, and why asking him to talk about his feelings might be the thing that makes him shut down.
Kristina Ferrari is a licensed professional counselor with a master’s in mental health counseling, and she’s been in therapy herself for over 15 years.
She makes the case that modern therapy is failing men because it’s built around a style that favors talking things through, while most guys show up wanting to solve something and move forward.
As a therapist who does a lot of relationship work, she also challenges the idea that women are better at relationships, including how women communicate when they’re upset. Then she walks us through her REAL framework for working with men: Respect, Expertise, Action, and Leadership. It’s a roadmap for understanding what helps a man feel safe enough to get to the deeper stuff.
If you’ve ever said “just tell me what’s going on” and gotten nothing back, this one is for you.
New episodes every week. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on Instagram at @freetherapy.
And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it’s not. So if you’re struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional who can help.
00:00:00 – Intro
00:01:42 – Why Therapy Is Failing Men
00:05:03 – Coaching vs. Therapy
00:17:18 – Women Aren’t Better at Relationships
00:22:41 – The REAL Framework
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This week is about the journey to healing, not the moment you lose someone, but everything it actually takes to rebuild after.
Our guest is Zak Williams, mental health advocate, founder of the wellness brand Pym, and the son of Robin Williams. He's been in therapy since he was a small child, and that lifelong relationship with it is part of what's made him such a vocal advocate for men actually getting help.
He talks about what actually helped him heal in the years after his father's death, and makes the case that recovery isn't one big breakthrough so much as a set of small, practical shifts - how you think, how you rest, how you show up for other people. It's less about getting over loss and more about building a life that can hold it.
He also opens up about the kind of man his father was off-screen, the kindness and generosity that defined him, and by the end, we talk him into blind-ranking his dad's ten most iconic movies, from Good Morning, Vietnam to Mrs. Doubtfire.
If you've ever lost someone and felt like you were supposed to have moved on by now, this one is for you.
New episodes every week. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on Instagram at @freetherapy.
And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it's not. So if you're struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional who can help.
00:00:00 – Intro
00:06:44 – Why Men Misunderstand Therapy
00:12:14 – Training Your Brain Like a Muscle
00:17:33 – Grief, Service, and Healing
00:23:10 – Ranking Robin Williams' Movies
00:28:02 – Building Pym After Loss
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we explore psychedelic therapy with Dr. Nick Brüss, whether it can help you heal, what people misunderstand about it, and why the experience itself is only part of the work.
Dr. Nick Bruss is a therapist and researcher who has spent over a decade working in psychedelic-assisted therapy and Internal Family Systems (parts work). We talk about its potential to help people struggling with depression and PTSD, why understanding your past doesn’t always mean you feel better, and what it means to build a different relationship with your emotions.
Nick helps us explore what healing requires, and how some of these lessons apply even if you never take psychedelics.
If you understand why you’re struggling but still feel stuck, this one might be for you.
New episodes every week. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on Instagram at @freetherapy.
And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it's not. So if you're struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional who can help.
00:00 Intro05:04 Psychedelic Therapy: Benefits and Risks08:41 Ketamine, MDMA, Psilocybin, and the Research15:19 Feeling Stuck and Parts Work25:36 Getting Better at Feeling28:41 Integration and Healing Beyond the Session

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This week is about OCD, what it actually is, why it's so widely misunderstood, and how it can look nothing like what you'd expect.
Allegra Kastens is a licensed therapist here in LA who specializes in OCD, and this is the most in-depth conversation we've had on the topic.
She breaks down the real difference between an intrusive thought and a compulsion, and makes the case that fighting or suppressing the thought is what actually keeps OCD in control. It's a far more common condition than people realize, and one of the least visible.
If you've ever been scared by your own thoughts, or you love someone whose mind won't let something go, this one is for you.
New episodes every week. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on Instagram at @freetherapy.
And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it's not. So if you're struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional who can help.
00:00:00 – Intro
00:09:00 – What OCD Actually Is
00:15:10 – Taboo Obsessions and Why They're So Common
00:31:29 – OCD vs. OCPD
00:44:08 – Shame, Men, and Staying Silent
00:48:50 – Relationship OCD
00:54:17 – Getting Help
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author and clinical psychologist Dr. Shefali to talk about why men feel so misunderstood and what we’re getting wrong about masculinity.
We explore the pressures men face, how the way we raise boys shapes their relationships, and what it takes for men and women to better understand each other. It’s an honest, hopeful conversation about moving beyond blame, making room for strength and vulnerability, and raising a more emotionally connected generation.
If you’ve ever struggled to understand yourself or the men in your life, this one is for you.
New episodes every week. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on Instagram at @freetherapy.
And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it's not. So if you're struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional
00:00 Intro05:44 Conscious Masculinity17:34 Shame and Male Role Models28:31 Strength and Vulnerability36:47 Disconnection and Connection47:11 Raising Conscious Boys
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.