In this compelling follow-up conversation, I welcome back Jonathan Cogburn, a licensed marriage and family therapist from Texas, to explore a nuanced conservative perspective on mental health services in schools. While we've covered many concerns about ideological overreach in school counseling on this podcast, Jonathan makes a thoughtful case for why certain levels of mental health intervention are not just appropriate but indispensable in our current educational landscape. We dive deep into the McKinney-Vento Act and its implications for students experiencing homelessness - a critical issue that most therapists haven't even heard about. Jonathan shares his extensive experience working with behavioral threat assessment teams and reveals surprising data about successfully prevented school attacks. We explore how schools can create positive cultures that prevent violence upstream, the proper boundaries between school support and parental roles, and why some vulnerable student populations desperately need these services. This conversation challenges us to think beyond binary positions about school mental health services, examining what a "just right" balance looks like that serves students while respecting parental authority and avoiding ideological indoctrination. Jonathan Cogburn is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in West Texas who currently works for an agency that provides a variety of support to school districts in his area In that role he delivers state-required mental health training to districts, supports rural school counselors and homeless student liaisons, and co-leads a team of licensed professionals and school counselors that respond to crises and disasters. Follow Jonathan @SystemicTexism on X or on Substack . MAKE SURE YOU'RE FOLLOWING THIS PODCAST ON ANY PLATFORM OTHER THAN SPOTIFY. Spotify removes episodes for containing copyrighted music, even though I have a license to use my theme song, Half Awake by Joey Pecoraro. It's been a huge pain; I'll release an episode explaining this soon. In the meanwhile, find this podcast on your platform of choice starting here. [00:00:00] Start [00:02:45] Defining McKinney-Vento and Student Homelessness [00:05:40] Unaccompanied Youth and School Support Systems [00:08:50] Mental Health Professionals’ Role in Identifying Homeless Students [00:14:10] Student Leadership Summit and Success Stories [00:18:10] Association of Mental Health Professionals Conference Recap [00:19:45] Detransition Language Discussion [00:23:05] Values and Ethics in School Mental Health Services [00:29:45] Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Explained [00:33:00] Voluntary vs. Imposed Therapy for Students [00:40:13] Problems with Suicide Awareness Campaigns for Children [00:46:00] Overmedicalization and the Origins of Family Therapy [00:51:00] Family Therapy’s Historical Role and Modern Challenges [00:55:00] Appropriate Levels of School-Based Intervention [01:04:30] Behavioral Threat Assessment Overview [01:35:30] Restoring School Function and Readiness ROGD REPAIR Course + Community gives concerned parents instant access to over 120 lessons providing the psychological insights and communication tools you need to get through to your kid. Now featuring 24/7 personalized AI support implementing the tools with RepairBot! Use code SOMETHERAPIST2025 to take 50% off your first month. PODCOURSES: use code SOMETHERAPIST at LisaMustard.com/PodCourses TALK TO ME: book a meeting . PRODUCTION: Looking for your own podcast producer? Visit PodsByNick.com and mention my podcast for 20% off your initial services. SUPPORT THE SHOW: subscribe, like, comment, & share or donate . Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care . Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission. ALL OTHER LINKS HERE. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts . Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel . Or recommend this to a friend! Learn more about Do No Harm. Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com . Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi . Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products . Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI . Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission. Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration . Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community ! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only live
