Ep 378 When Labels Hurt More Than They Help - Dr. Shannon Curry

Marriage Therapy Radio

MTR

Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Therapy, Health & Fitness, Marriage, Relationships, Mental Health, Education

4.6 • 690 Ratings

🗓️ 24 June 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Zach is joined again by clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry for a direct and thoughtful exploration of how language shapes conflict in relationships. Together, they dissect common but often misused terms like “narcissist,” “gaslighting,” and “codependent,” highlighting the real harm that can come from assigning labels without clear definitions or clinical backing.

Shannon brings clarity and nuance to a conversation that many couples face in therapy: how do you talk about what’s not working without turning your partner into a diagnosis? They explore why describing behavior—not assigning blame—builds trust and forward movement. The conversation also touches on the research around what actually predicts relationship success and how couples can stay grounded in hope and creativity, even in difficult seasons.

Key Takeaways

The problem with labeling
Terms like “narcissist” and “gaslighter” are frequently misapplied.
Talk about behavior, not pathology
You don’t need a diagnosis to identify harmful or unhelpful dynamics. Focusing on specific behaviors allows for clarity and change.
The traits that actually matter
Zach discusses the importance of approaching our relationship with hope and creativity.

Guest Info

Dr. Shannon Curry
Dr. Curry is a clinical and forensic psychologist with advanced training in trauma therapy, couples counseling, and high-conflict relational dynamics. She is the founder of the Curry Psychology Group, a team-based mental health practice in Southern California. Shannon is known for her clarity, compassion, and expertise in both therapeutic and legal settings.

Website: currypsychgroup.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, everybody. Welcome. And thank you for listening to this episode of Marriage Therapy Radio. My name is Zach Brittle. I'm here once again with Dr. Shannon Curry. This is a fun one. Today we just kind of geek out on words. We go through a lot of different terms that are kind of popular in the zeitgeist right now. A lot of people in pop psychology are using all kinds of terms for all kinds of reasons.
0:22.6	And we just kind of leverage our fake Ivy League degrees to talk about what we think
0:29.1	these things are and make sense of them.
0:31.9	Speaking of words, I want to invite you to check out my blog.
0:36.8	It's called Stuff I Write. You can literally go to
0:39.0	stuff I write.com and subscribe there. I'm trying to publish once a week, usually about
0:43.3	non-relationship stuff. It's just a place for me to exercise some muscles. I've got a book
0:47.9	proposal brewing, and part of that means I got to get back in the groove of practicing,
0:53.5	having things to say about
0:54.5	stuff, literally. So this last episode was about the movie sinners. If you haven't seen the movie
1:01.2	sinners, I'm kind of excited about it. It's a great movie. And not really about the movie
1:06.7	centers, but it's about some stuff that came up for me when I watched the movie sinners.
1:44.7	And I've got lots of ideas that are just brewing for me. And it would mean a lot to me if you would go over there and subscribe. And if you like what you read, share it with other people. It's totally free. So is, by the way, our Patreon, for those of you who are members of Patreon, unless you want to become a paid member, which would be very cool. Help us keep the lights on at Marriage Therapy Radio. You can do that at patreon.com slash Maragetrapy Radio or just go to Barragic Therapy Radio.com and click on the button there that says Patreon. It's a great way to support us. Help us keep the lights on. Help us keep doing very cool things, which include starting next week, I'm going to spend the rest of the year basically just interviewing couples. I've got a whole bunch of couples lined up that have an interesting
1:50.1	thing to say about how they make relationships work. I realize that I have this incredible privilege
1:54.0	every week of talking to a variety of different people about a variety of different ways that they're
2:00.4	making their relationship work and that most people I know don't have the same privilege. They don't get to
2:05.2	listen to a lot of couples. So I'm going to try and remedy that by letting you hear from people
2:10.4	across the globe. Next week, the couple we have is from England. And I interviewed them while
2:15.9	they were sitting in their home in London and it was really
2:18.6	fun just to hear them talk about their perspectives on things. I won't spoil it now, but it's very
2:24.9	cool. Today, however, I'm with Dr. Shannon Curry. Thank you, Shannon for coming on with me and for
2:30.0	spending this last three weeks thinking out loud about relationships and I look forward
	...

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