Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this heartfelt conversation, clinical psychologist Dr. Alison Greco challenges modern assumptions about emotional distress, uncovering why our everyday struggles with grief, anxiety, and life transitions shouldn’t be hastily labeled as disorders. Drawing on her experiences from prisons to college counseling and community mental health, Alison reveals an overlooked truth: not every emotional struggle is a pathology needing therapy. She shares eye-opening insights about how our current healthcare system forces therapists into diagnosing individuals simply to secure insurance coverage, and how this creates false narratives about our mental health.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- Why OVER-PATHOLOGIZING emotions like grief, stress, and exhaustion is BAD.
- How emotionally IMMATURE parents NEGATIVELY influence their children’s development.
- Practical ways to GENUINELY support someone during difficult life transitions without ASSUMING their emotional state.
- The untold risks of MISLABELING CHILDREN with disorders such as AUTISM or ADHD due to misunderstanding their true needs.
- How finding a MENTOR with a BIGGER VISION for you than you have for yourself can transform your life and career.
This conversation sheds much-needed light on understanding human emotions authentically, while redefining how we seek and offer emotional support.
Thank you for listening.
*SHOW LINKS:*
Subscribe: youtube.com/@JeffreyPvanLeeuwen
Support the Show: patreon.com/JeffreyPvanLeeuwen
Listen on Apple Podcast: apple.co/4lLpEXA
Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi/42kcOYy
Follow on X: https://x.com/RealJvanLeeuwen
Follow on Reddit: reddit.com/r/jeffreypvanleeuwen
Follow on Instagram: instagram.com/jeffreypvanleeuwen
Follow on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffreypvanleeuwen
YouTube Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOv56NTjNAeK7cUVamIPioSCsr06-vSGG
*OUTLINE:*
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Alison’s Background
08:10 Are We Over-Pathologizing Feelings?
13:17 Grief, Gender & Emotional Expression
22:18 Clean vs Dirty Pain
24:38 Helping Loved Ones in Crisis
33:28 Diagnoses, DSM-5 & Autism
48:01 Parenting, Misdiagnosis & Medication
01:04:51 People-Pleasing & Immature Parents
01:14:09 Psychologist vs Psychoanalyst
01:30:36 Women, Mentorship & Workplace Power
01:45:30 Victimhood, Power & Safety
02:09:36 Men’s Reactions to Female Leaders
02:14:45 Visionary Mentorship & Personal Growth
02:25:13 Final Thoughts & Outro
*ALISON GRECO LINKS:*
Parathera Website: para-thera.com
Parathera Instagram: instagram.com/tryparathera
Alison's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alisongreco
*CONTACT LINKS:*
To come on the podcast, share feedback, ask a question, or reach out for any reason, visit: podcast.jeffreyvanleeuwen.com/p/contact
This episode has been co-produced by Kate van Leeuwen.
In this heartfelt conversation, clinical psychologist Dr. Alison Greco challenges modern assumptions about emotional distress, uncovering why our everyday struggles with grief, anxiety, and life transitions shouldn’t be hastily labeled as disorders. Drawing on her experiences from prisons to college counseling and community mental health, Alison reveals an overlooked truth: not every emotional struggle is a pathology needing therapy. She shares eye-opening insights about how our current healthcare system forces therapists into diagnosing individuals simply to secure insurance coverage, and how this creates false narratives about our mental health.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- Why OVER-PATHOLOGIZING emotions like grief, stress, and exhaustion is BAD.
- How emotionally IMMATURE parents NEGATIVELY influence their children’s development.
- Practical ways to GENUINELY support someone during difficult life transitions without ASSUMING their emotional state.
- The untold risks of MISLABELING CHILDREN with disorders such as AUTISM or ADHD due to misunderstanding their true needs.
- How finding a MENTOR with a BIGGER VISION for you than you have for yourself can transform your life and career.
This conversation sheds much-needed light on understanding human emotions authentically, while redefining how we seek and offer emotional support.
Thank you for listening.
*SHOW LINKS:*
Subscribe: youtube.com/@JeffreyPvanLeeuwen
Support the Show: patreon.com/JeffreyPvanLeeuwen
Listen on Apple Podcast: apple.co/4lLpEXA
Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi/42kcOYy
Follow on X: https://x.com/RealJvanLeeuwen
Follow on Reddit: reddit.com/r/jeffreypvanleeuwen
Follow on Instagram: instagram.com/jeffreypvanleeuwen
Follow on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffreypvanleeuwen
YouTube Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOv56NTjNAeK7cUVamIPioSCsr06-vSGG
*OUTLINE:*
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Alison’s Background
08:10 Are We Over-Pathologizing Feelings?
13:17 Grief, Gender & Emotional Expression
22:18 Clean vs Dirty Pain
24:38 Helping Loved Ones in Crisis
33:28 Diagnoses, DSM-5 & Autism
48:01 Parenting, Misdiagnosis & Medication
01:04:51 People-Pleasing & Immature Parents
01:14:09 Psychologist vs Psychoanalyst
01:30:36 Women, Mentorship & Workplace Power
01:45:30 Victimhood, Power & Safety
02:09:36 Men’s Reactions to Female Leaders
02:14:45 Visionary Mentorship & Personal Growth
02:25:13 Final Thoughts & Outro
*ALISON GRECO LINKS:*
Parathera Website: para-thera.com
Parathera Instagram: instagram.com/tryparathera
Alison's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alisongreco
*CONTACT LINKS:*
To come on the podcast, share feedback, ask a question, or reach out for any reason, visit: podcast.jeffreyvanleeuwen.com/p/contact
This episode has been co-produced by Kate van Leeuwen.
