SPOTLIGHT ON - THERAPY SPEAK

The problem with Jonah Hill's "boundaries" texts explained

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From opening Instagram and instantly finding out your attachment style to a friend telling you that they don’t have the “emotional bandwidth” to get lunch, it seems therapy speak is just about everywhere.

While our fancy new lingo seems harmless, a series of Instagram stories by Jonah Hill’s ex-girlfriend Sarah Brady is sparking a conversation that psychological language is best left in our psychologist’s offices.

The screenshots of messages between the pair, originally sent in 2021, are said to outline Hill’s “boundaries” for his and Brady’s relationship – which include requesting Brady refrains from “surfing with men” and “posting pictures of yourself in a bathing suit”.

While Brady highlights the Stutz actordirector’s misuse of the term “boundaries”, these messages have also come under fire from others as a manipulation tactic, with American counsellor Jeff Guenther (@therapyjeff ) explaining in a recent TikTok: “It’s important we go over this misuse in therapy language… ”

So, when is too much therapy speak a bad thing, and what are the signs people are using it as a means of control?

WHAT IS THERAPY SPEAK EXACTLY?

Psychologist and Headspace App Mental Health Expert Carly Dober says that therapy speak is generally formal language that’s used to describe different psychological concepts and behaviours.