The 12 Best Therapy Podcasts (2026)

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a licensed psychologist based in Atlanta, and she created Therapy for Black Girls because she saw a gap that needed filling. The show focuses on mental health and personal development through a lens that centers the experiences of Black women and girls, tackling topics that range from reproductive psychiatry to environmental racism to the complicated dynamics of sibling relationships. With over 540 episodes and counting, this is one of the most prolific therapy podcasts out there.

The format shifts between solo episodes where Dr. Joy breaks down a concept and interview episodes where she brings on specialists to go deeper. She has a warm, grounded delivery that makes even heavy subject matter feel approachable. You never get the sense she's lecturing at you. It feels more like sitting in on a really good conversation you weren't expecting to learn so much from.

Beyond the podcast itself, Dr. Joy has built an entire ecosystem around the show. There's a therapist directory for listeners looking to find a provider, a Patreon community, Sunday night live check-ins, and voice memo segments where listeners share their own stories. That community aspect sets it apart from most mental health podcasts. It's not just content being broadcast outward. The 4.8 star rating from nearly 5,700 reviews on Apple Podcasts reflects how much this show resonates with its audience. If you're looking for mental health content that's both clinically informed and culturally specific, this is the standard.

Esther Perel is one of the most recognized therapists in the world, and this podcast gives you a front-row seat to actual therapy sessions. Each episode features a real couple or individual sitting down with Perel for a single session, and you get to listen as they work through breakups, open relationships, family fractures, and workplace conflicts. The sessions are edited for time and anonymity, but they retain the raw emotional texture that makes therapy so powerful to witness.

What makes this show remarkable is Perel's ability to cut through a person's narrative and find the core tension underneath. She doesn't just nod along. She challenges, reframes, and sometimes says the uncomfortable thing that nobody in the room wants to hear. Her accent, her timing, her directness all contribute to a listening experience that feels genuinely intimate. With 189 episodes and a 4.7 star rating from over 14,000 reviews, this is one of the most popular therapy podcasts ever produced.

The show is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network and drops new episodes every Monday. There's also a subscription tier called Esther's Office Hours that includes behind-the-scenes analysis of sessions. Some long-time listeners prefer the earlier couples-focused episodes over newer ones that feature individual callers, but the quality of Perel's work remains consistently high across the catalog. If you've ever wondered what actually happens behind the closed door of a therapist's office, this is as close as you'll get without being in the room.

Lori Gottlieb and Guy Winch are both licensed therapists, published authors, and TED speakers, and together they host a show that gives listeners something unusual: the chance to sit in on a real therapy session and then hear what happened afterward. Each episode brings in an everyday person dealing with a genuine life struggle, and the two therapists work through it live, offering concrete advice that's grounded in clinical experience. The follow-up component is what makes this format special. Guests return later to share how the session impacted their lives, which closes a loop that most therapy podcasts leave open.

Gottlieb brings the warmth and emotional attunement you'd expect from the author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, while Winch provides a more analytical, solution-oriented perspective. They balance each other well, and you can tell they genuinely enjoy working together. With 84 episodes and a 4.8 star rating from over 2,300 reviews, the show has earned a loyal following despite a more modest episode count than some competitors.

The podcast airs weekly on iHeartPodcasts and continues to release new episodes as of early 2026. Recent episodes have tackled topics like coming out as transgender, sibling rivalry, and family pressure around marriage timelines. The sessions feel personal and unscripted in the best way, and the actionable advice makes it easy to take something useful away from each listen.

Sue Marriott and Ann Kelley are two clinicians who built this podcast independently, without a network behind them, and it still landed in Apple's Top 10 Social Science podcasts with over 11 million downloads globally. That's a testament to the quality of what they're doing. The show brings on neuroscientists, relationship researchers, and mental health experts for in-depth conversations about attachment theory, secure relationships, and the science behind why people connect the way they do.

The format is interview-based, with episodes releasing biweekly. Marriott and Kelley have a natural rapport that makes the conversations feel like you're eavesdropping on two really smart friends processing ideas together. Sue in particular has a gift for metaphor and gentle explanation that helps complex neuroscience concepts land without feeling dumbed down. The show notes are excellent too, with timestamps, resource lists, and links to research papers for anyone who wants to go deeper.

With 299 episodes spanning nearly a decade, the back catalog is substantial. The 4.7 star rating from 1,360 reviews reflects an audience that skews toward people who want more than surface-level mental health advice. There's a premium community membership that offers ad-free episodes and exclusive content, but the free feed is plenty robust on its own. This is the show for listeners who want to understand not just what to do in relationships, but why their brain and nervous system respond the way they do.

Laura Reagan is a psychotherapist, burnout prevention consultant, and certified Daring Way facilitator, and she's been hosting Therapy Chat since 2015. The show takes a distinctly holistic approach to psychotherapy, exploring modalities that don't always get airtime on mainstream mental health podcasts. EMDR, art therapy, somatic experiencing, Internal Family Systems, and mindfulness-based approaches all get serious treatment here.

The format is almost entirely interview-based. Reagan brings on fellow therapists, researchers, and practitioners to talk about their specialties, and the conversations often have a warmth to them that listeners frequently mention in reviews. She's had some notable guests, including Dick Schwartz, the creator of IFS, and Thomas Hubl, the trauma researcher. With 518 episodes in the archive, there's a staggering amount of content covering everything from attachment theory to parenting to therapist self-care.

Reagan is connected to the Trauma Therapist Network, which gives the show a particular depth when it comes to trauma-informed approaches. Her 4.4 star rating from 661 reviews suggests a dedicated but slightly more niche audience compared to some of the bigger therapy podcasts. What listeners consistently praise is her compassionate energy and her ability to create space for guests to explain complex therapeutic concepts in accessible language. If you're drawn to the more alternative and integrative side of therapy, or you're a practitioner yourself looking to learn about modalities outside your training, this podcast is worth a serious listen.

Savvy Psychologist is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network, and the format reflects that pedigree: short, focused episodes that typically run between 6 and 15 minutes. This is the mental health podcast for people who want practical psychology without the hour-long commitment. The most recent host, Dr. Monica Johnson, brought a direct, engaging style to the show, though it has transitioned through several hosts over the years, including Dr. Ellen Hendriksen and Dr. Jade Wu.

The brevity is the selling point. Each episode picks a single topic, whether that's workplace communication, sleep psychology, emotional regulation, or relationship patterns, and gives you a clear, research-backed takedown of what's going on and what you can do about it. There's no filler, no extended banter, and no 20-minute sponsor reads. You get the insight and you're out.

With 585 episodes stretching back years, the archive is massive, and the short format makes it easy to binge through topics that interest you. The 4.6 star rating from 1,343 reviews is solid for a show that's changed hosts multiple times. Some listeners have preferences among the different hosts, which is natural for a show with this kind of lineage. The Quick and Dirty Tips brand ensures a consistent editorial standard regardless of who's behind the mic. If you want psychology you can absorb during a coffee break rather than a full commute, Savvy Psychologist is built for exactly that.

Glennon Doyle teams up with her wife Abby Wambach and her sister Amanda Doyle to create what they call a support system for braving the everyday, and with half a billion total plays and a 4.8-star rating from over 40,000 reviews, it's a support system a lot of people clearly needed. The show releases twice a week and covers personal relationships, social justice, self-improvement, and whatever else the trio feels like wrestling with that day.

The three hosts have distinct roles that click together naturally. Glennon brings raw emotional honesty and a writer's instinct for finding the exact right words. Abby adds the competitive athlete's perspective -- direct, no-nonsense, sometimes hilariously blunt. Amanda grounds everything with humor and a willingness to ask the question everyone else is thinking but won't say out loud. They interview authors, activists, artists, and experts, but the best episodes are often just the three of them talking through a problem together.

Gen Z listeners connect with this show because it treats vulnerability as strength without being saccharine about it. The conversations about identity, relationships, and systemic issues feel urgent and honest. They've raised $56 million in global aid through their platform, so this isn't just talk -- there's action behind it. Some episodes are investigative deep dives into systemic problems; others are lighter lifestyle conversations. The mix keeps things from getting heavy enough to feel like homework. It's the podcast equivalent of having the coolest, most emotionally intelligent family dinner you've ever attended.

Nora McInerny created Thanks For Asking as a space where real people get honest about how they're actually doing. McInerny is best known for her work around grief after losing her husband, her father, and a pregnancy in the same year, and that experience informs the show's DNA. But the podcast isn't just about grief. It covers motherhood, chronic illness, family dynamics, identity, and whatever else emerges when people stop performing okayness and start telling the truth.

The format is a call-in style show where listeners and guests share their stories, and McInerny responds with a combination of humor, empathy, and the kind of honesty that makes you feel less alone. She has a particular gift for making painful topics feel survivable without minimizing them. The show has been running since 2016, with 194 episodes and a 4.7 star rating from over 13,000 reviews, which signals an audience that's deeply connected to what she's doing.

New episodes also appear on McInerny's Substack, and the show currently updates bimonthly under the Feelings & Co. banner. Some long-time listeners have noted format changes over the years and have mixed feelings about the evolution, which is fair for a show that's been around this long. The content is marked explicit, so expect honest language to match the honest subject matter. If you're looking for a podcast that treats emotional messiness as a feature rather than a problem, Thanks For Asking does exactly that.

Scott Barry Kaufman hosted The Psychology Podcast for 11 years, from 2014 to December 2025, producing 478 episodes of long-form interviews with scientists, thinkers, and researchers exploring human potential. The show brought in guests like Dr. Alia Crum on mindsets, Dr. Elisabet Lahti on resilience, and Dr. Ben Rein on the neuroscience of social connection. Kaufman, a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist himself, had a genuine curiosity that drove conversations into unexpected territory.

The format was straightforward: one-on-one interviews, usually running 45 minutes to an hour, with researchers and practitioners across the full spectrum of psychology. Kaufman was particularly interested in creativity, intelligence, well-being, and what he called self-actualization. The conversations tended to be more academic than pop psychology, which attracted a listener base that appreciated intellectual depth. His 4.4 star rating from 1,752 reviews reflected both admirers and occasional critics of his interviewing style.

The final episode brought back Annie Murphy Paul, who was the very first guest on the show back in 2014, creating a full-circle moment. Kaufman stepped away to recharge and make space for his own continued growth. The back catalog remains fully available and holds up well since most episodes focus on foundational research rather than trending topics. For anyone interested in psychology as a science rather than a self-help genre, this archive is one of the richest resources in podcasting.

Kathryn DeFatta holds a Master's of Education from Vanderbilt University in Human Development Counseling, and she created You Need Therapy as a space to talk about living authentically in a world that constantly encourages people to suppress parts of themselves. The show mixes solo episodes, guest interviews, and bonus "Couch Talks" Q&A segments where DeFatta responds directly to listener questions. That variety keeps the format from ever feeling stale across 461 episodes.

Listeners consistently describe DeFatta's style as having therapist expertise delivered through the lens of a best friend. She's comfortable sitting with discomfort and asking tough questions, but she does it in a way that feels inviting rather than confrontational. Topics range from people-pleasing and boundary setting to joy, grief, and how to actually enjoy your own life without constant self-optimization pressure. The 4.9 star rating from 591 reviews is one of the highest in the therapy podcast space.

The show releases new episodes twice a week on iHeartPodcasts, though its most active production period was 2019 through 2024. DeFatta brings a grounded, practical sensibility that avoids both toxic positivity and doom-scrolling levels of heaviness. She's direct without being preachy, and she regularly admits her own struggles, which makes the advice land differently than it would from someone performing perfection. If you want mental health content that feels like a real conversation rather than a TED talk, this one fits.

Tiffany Roe is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and award-winning psychology teacher, and her podcast Therapy Thoughts is built around a simple promise: no-BS quick therapy lessons. With 61 episodes across four seasons since 2018, this is a more curated collection than some of the bigger shows on this list, and that's actually part of its appeal. Each episode is designed to teach a specific skill or break down a specific concept without unnecessary padding.

Roe covers attachment styles, boundaries, eating disorders, OCD, trauma responses, and practical coping strategies. Her teaching background shows in how she structures episodes. There's a clear beginning, middle, and takeaway. She recently returned from a hiatus with new Season 4 episodes in 2025, which suggests the show operates on a seasonal rhythm rather than a weekly grind. That can mean longer waits between new content, but also means each episode tends to be more intentional.

The 4.8 star rating from 639 reviews is strong for a show with a relatively small episode count, which indicates high listener satisfaction per episode. Some reviewers have noted that Roe promotes her supplementary courses and coaching programs within episodes, which can feel heavy-handed depending on your tolerance for that kind of thing. But the core therapeutic content is well-delivered, practical, and rooted in clinical experience. If you prefer a tighter, more focused podcast over a sprawling weekly feed, Therapy Thoughts is a solid pick.

Anna Lindberg Cedar is a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years in community services, and she started this podcast in 2019 to break therapy concepts out of the therapy hour and into everyday life. The central focus is burnout prevention, which she approaches by adapting research-backed therapeutic strategies into practical self-care tips you can use in the moment. With 104 episodes, the catalog is focused and purposeful.

The format alternates between solo educational episodes and guest interviews with neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and fellow therapists. Topics include depression management, crisis navigation, role burnout, and what Cedar calls "bio-mood hacking skills" that use simple behavioral science to shift your emotional state. Some episodes include guided exercises you can follow along with, which gives the show a more interactive feel than a typical listen-and-learn format.

Cedar has burnout prevention practices in Minnesota and California and also runs Workshops For Real Life, which offers interactive self-care events using behavioral science. The podcast functions as a companion to that work. Listeners describe it as "a healthy snack" for mental health maintenance between formal therapy sessions, which is a pretty good summary of its value. The show's 4.4 star rating from 29 reviews reflects a smaller but appreciative audience. The most recent episodes date to 2023, so this one may not be actively producing new content, but the back catalog of burnout-focused, skill-based episodes remains useful and relevant for anyone managing the demands of modern life.