Dr. Janina Scarlet is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, author, TEDx speaker, and a creativity coach. A Ukrainian-born refugee, she survived Chernobyl radiation and persecution. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 with her family and later, inspired by the X-Men, developed Superhero Therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Dr. Scarlet is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association for her work on Superhero Therapy. Her work has been featured on Yahoo, BBC, NPR, Sunday Times, CNN, CW, ABC, The New York Times, Forbes, and many other outlets. She regularly consults on books and television shows, including HBO’s The Young Justice. She was also interviewed for Marvel’s MPower series and was portrayed as a comic book character in Gail Simone’s Seven Days graphic novel. Dr. Scarlet is the Lead Trauma Specialist at the Trauma and PTSD Healing Center.
She authored twelve books and has written chapters for seventeen others. Her books include Superhero Therapy, Harry Potter Therapy, Dark Agents, Super-Women, It Shouldn’t Be This Way, Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued, and many others.
Social media links: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and website, Instagram
Dr. Scarlet is open for one-off consultations, webinars, national and international workshop trainings, and is accepting clients in California for treatment for PTSD and anxiety.
You deserve to feel safe and cared for
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation or training with Dr. Scarlet, you can contact her manager, Dustin McGinnis: dustin@superhero-therapy.com
Dr. Scarlet TEDx TALK: This is Your Origin Story
Dr. Scarlet TEDx TALK: Super-Women: Discovering Our Inner Superpowers
Dr. Scarlet Hero Roundtable Talk on Superhero Therapy
Dr. Scarlet Featured on Psych To Go
If you would like to learn more about Superhero Therapy, please feel free to contact Dr. Janina Scarlet via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or you can contact her manager, Dustin McGinnis: dustin@superhero-therapy.com.
*If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, here is the information about available resources: National Suicide Prevention Hotline: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or text the crisis text line: 741741.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT DR. SCARLET TO SCHEDULE A WORKSHOP, TRAINING, EVENT, INTERVIEW, OR CONSULTATION:
- Dustin McGinnis (Manager): dustin@superhero-therapy.com
I have a lot of crap in my head. I’ve been told I have a tremendous game face to the real world. I’m an attorney and I’m a poor one who frankly helps people in need. I’ve been diagnosed with Psychotic Depression, PTSD, and a bit of Anxiety to boot. I’ve always wanted to be strong, always wanted to be Superman. I’m not Superman.
Jim, thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. You know what I really love about Superman? He’s so incredibly unique. There’s no one like him. He is an alien from another planet. He’s experienced severe losses and much trauma. And there aren’t really many people that really get him. He is this amazing superhero that protects people but not many people truly know who he really is and what he’s really been through. Superman actually has many vulnerabilities, not only Kryptonite, but also the trauma and many losses and the fears of being misunderstood or rejected. And that’s what truly makes him remarkable. What strikes me is how similar you are to him. You’ve had this incredible battle with your own vulnerabilities and here you are: helping people in need, every way you can. Just like Superman. And while there may not be many people that know the real you, the Superman persona you’ve adopted has changed many lives and that is what makes you a Superhero.
Don’t forget your cape 🙂
You probably get tons of reply messages. I hope mine strikes a chord. Although I find myself confident and stable, I definitely relate to your form of therapy. I love superhero stories, and find I relate to the more “human” hero’s with all their struggles. For me, I appreciate Tony Stark/Iron Man. All his wealth does not make him happy. But becoming the unexpected hero gave him purpose. From this, I gain confidence to push on. I feel this is also a great bit of therapy.
Dear Jay,
Thank you so much for your comment. I’m so glad that this spoke to you. I’m a big fan of Tony Stark as well. He’ll always be one of my favorites.
Be well, Iron Man 🙂
Hi my name is Sam. I am a senior in college and am 26 years old. I am working on my thesis and have always had a passion for reading, superheroes, the fantasy genre, video games, and all things geek worthy. However, I have had a difficult life. I tend to have a hard time socially and have always been big hearted and very sensitive. I have been on a slow path and am 26 and still working on a degree I have had my heart broken quite a bit and have always had trouble with discipline and the like. The whole idea of my thesis was how relating to fictional charcters could help clients reassess their values, help work on what scares them, and assert the demigod/superhero within them. It is heartening to see that this is being done and I salute you Janina. However, I could use some guidance on the whole process and whatnot. I am still struggling but I understand the empowerment of therapy and the power of compassion. Sam- Social Work Senior at McDaniel College
Westminster, MD
Hi Sam,
Thank you so much for your comment and feedback. What a wonderful way to incorporate your passion for superheroes, fantasy, games into your life! Your thesis sounds fantastic, I would love to read it when you’re finished. Are you planning to publish it?
I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve had a hard life, as every superhero, it seems that you’ve faced your own nemeses and came out on top. That’s truly inspirational. At some point, if you’re willing, I’d love to know more about your story, which specific characters helped you through difficult times and how.
You said that you could use some guidance, I’m happy to help in whichever way I am able. Here’s my email: superherotherapy@gmail.com, feel free to email me there. I salute you right back, sir, and wish you the very best with your thesis.
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
I love the work that you do Dr. Scarlet. It is such a great idea to incorporate Superheroes into the treatment of your patients because it truly shows us that even the mightiest of us are still vulnerable sometimes. I was wondering how you came up with Superhero therapy, and what superhero you identify yourself with?
Aww, thanks so much, Alex! 🙂
I was always fascinated with Superheroes and other fictional characters. I’m inspired by the idea that we can come out of even the worst possible situations, learn from them, and help others. I started casually using some Superhero examples with active duty Marines with PTSD and the results were wonderful. I’m now talking about Superheroes with both the military and the civilian populations.
The Superhero I most strongly identify with is Storm from the X-Men. She can control the weather, she is in touch with nature, and she values helping others and does so even when she is afraid (Storm suffers from claustrophobia).
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and support 🙂
Love the Doctor reference. That’s probably the only reason I’d get my PhD – to be called The Doctor.
Lol, thanks so much, let me know if or when you do, so I can call you The Doctor 🙂
Dr. Scarlet,
My name is John, I am currently a mental health counselor for King County (Seattle area). I am slowly in the process of building my private practice, and website.
I have the opportunity to run a six week group for youth which is utilizing the origin stories of superheroes to help students engage their own painful experiences via normalization of, and relating to, the trauma/tragedy found in the origin stories of the heroes we love.
I would love to discuss this further via email, and get your thoughts/perspectives in this work, if you are open to that. Please let me know, thank you much and great website!
John
Hi John,
great to hear from you. Thanks so much for the kind words.
What a wonderful group you’re running! I would love to chat more, feel free to email me: superherotherapy@gmail.com
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
Hello,
I just happened to stumble across your website today and I wanted to say that the work you’re doing is excellent. Using superheroes is such a smart way to help others. I also ready your story about overcoming PTSD, it was inspiring. I struggle frequently with depression and sometimes find it very challenging to fight through. I also deal with a chronic illness as well. I think I come across as having it “all put together” but on the inside it doesn’t feel like it. I also think my family doesn’t realize how much I’m battling with on a day to day basis. I actually work in the mental health field as well and I’m able to put my struggles aside to help others. None of my coworkers are aware that I deal with depression. I think that may be one of the reasons I don’t seek out a therapist, I don’t want people to know and I don’t want to come across as weak, or even admit that I actually deal with depression. Cost is a factor and finding someone that I would actually feel comfortable discussing what I’m going through is another challenge. This reply turned out longer and more than I expected to share, I just wanted to tell you thank you for all of the good work that you’re doing.
Hi Lee,
thank you so much for your heartwarming comment. I”m so sorry to hear about your struggle with depression and chronic illness. You are not alone in fearing that opening up to others might come across as weak. I work with active duty Marines with PTSD. Most of them tell me that coming to see me and opening up about their experiences was scarier than any life-threatining situations they faced in Afghanistan. These are the bravest people I know. And I think that facing one’s fears, especially the fear of being seen as we are, the fear of letting other people in is the most courageous thing we can do. You spend every day helping others, that’s heroism, and you opened up to me in this post, that’s courage.
I hope one day you realize how wonderful you are and I hope that one day you will be able to get the support that you deserve. Thank you so much again for your comment.
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
Wow. I happened upon this site while researching some context for a paper about Iron Man, and it’s incredible. I should have gone with the Doctor however– it was a dream of mine to write at least one very serious academic paper centered on Doctor Who. Wonder if it’s too late to change? At any rate, my story is similar to many: Two years ago, I was a sophomore in college and battling some serious depression and anxiety. I never sought help because I’ve lived a pretty comfortable life and I thought that I was making a big deal out of nothing. I told myself to snap out of it, that I was just lazy and there were people with real problems who were holding it together better than me. When I couldn’t sleep, I watched Doctor Who and soaked in the positivity and warmth that came from the show, and it kept me from some very dark places until I received clinical help. Watching season 8 depression and anxiety-free was quite an adventure– I hadn’t thought it was possible to love it more! Thank you for your point of view of pop culture’s effect on psychology. I’m one of millions who can attest that it provides a space for people that goes far beyond mere coping mechanism and straight into something that resembles a kind of sphere in which we can feel loved and identified with, where we can learn and grow until we’re ready to try facing the real world and its gray(er) areas again.
Cheerfully,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
wow, thank you so much for your heartwarming comment, I teared up reading it. I’m so glad that Doctor Who and other elements of pop culture have been so helpful to you. I’m curious, which class is the Iron Man paper for? It seems that so many people are so incredible hard on themselves when they’re going through a hard time. I get that way too. At the time when we are hard on ourselves we are both the attacker and the attacked. I think one of the hardest things to do is to open up about our feelings and to give ourselves the support and kindness that we need. Thank you so much for your comment and for your courage. I’m so glad to hear that your anxiety and depression have ceased and thank you so much for your support 🙂
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
Hi Dr. Scarlet,
I attended WonderCon weeks ago and sat in your Psychology of Cult TV panel. As a Psychology student, I felt that attending that panel was necessary. I was so glad that I did as I was very interested with everything you and the other panelists had to say. I’m also very intrigued with your idea of “superhero therapy” and love your application of it.
I plan on pursuing a PhD after graduating with my BA. Although I ruled out the clinical aspect of Psychology as a career, I am very much interested in research. I particularly enjoyed learning about your research and the findings at the panel (e.g. The Doctor at the camp with kids study). I’m looking into doing research in the area of media psychology. I always wanted to use the shows I love in future research, and when you explained your research, I was super excited to know that it is possible.
I was wondering if you may have the time to discuss about this field, including how I can pursue something like it?
Thank you so much for your time,
Sarah Kay
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much for your lovely post and for coming to my panel at WonderCon.
I’m so glad that you’re interested in this field and that you’re planning to pursue your doctorate after your BA. How exciting!
Of course, email me: superherotherapy@gmail.com, we can chat more
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
Hello! My name is Tori and I’m a Grade 11 in a Psychology class at my school.
For our independent study unit, we were asked to choose a topic and question
to research on. I picked the topic of superheroes, and my inquiry question
is: “Can superheroes be used as psychological treatment, and if so, is this
an ethical and effective way of providing therapy?”
As part of my research, I thought that consulting an expert would probably be
a good idea. It would be a tremendous help if you could answer the following
questions:
1. How are superheroes used as psychological treatment (specifically)?
2. Why do you consider superheroes to be a good form of psychological
treatment?
3. Is this an ethical and safe form of treatment?
4. Is this an effective form of treatment?
5. Has there been more success stories with this form of treatment, or less?
6. Could you provide any good specific examples of cases where people were
treated with superhero therapy?
7. Are there any bad examples of cases where people were treated with
superhero therapy (where it went wrong; didn’t work; etc)?
Thank you!
Hi Tori,
great to meet you! Thank you for your email. What a wonderful topic! I’m honored to be interviewed for your project.
Here are the answers to your questions:
1. How are superheroes used as psychological treatment (specifically)?
Very often my patients might have a hard time talking about their painful experiences. I usually ask them if there are any superheroes or other fictional characters they like or fictional works that they identify with. We then use these examples to first talk about the fictional character’s experience and then about the patient’s. Patients are usually able to draw parallels between their experiences and the fictional characters’ and using these we then work together toward recovery using evidence-based (meaning, research-supported) therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or acceptance and commitment therapy.
Here’s more info on that: http://www.superhero-therapy.com/2015/01/what-is-superhero-therapy-2/
2. Why do you consider superheroes to be a good form of psychological
treatment?
For many people who have experienced some kind of trauma or depression, they often feel as if they are the only person going through it and that no one else will understand them. It’s often therapeutic for people to connect with other people or even fictional characters to really understand how something is affecting them. In addition, people often do not feel safe or do not have the vocabulary to express how they are feeling after a traumatic event (for example, rape). However, seeing another person or a fictional character experience something like this can make it easier for the patient to better understand their trauma and be more willing to work on it in therapy. Like superheroes, my patients are often asked to face their biggest fears, like talking about their traumatic experiences or work on their fears (for example, fear of heights or fears of tight spaces). Connecting with a superhero can give the patient the very courage they need to face it.
So, essentially, the goal of superhero therapy is to help the patient feel more connected to their experience, be willing to process their traumatic event, or depression, or anxiety, and then be able to work on it, “like a superhero.”
3. Is this an ethical and safe form of treatment?
It depends on how it is used, of course, but incorporating fictional characters, like superheroes, for example into evidence-based therapy seems to be safe and ethical overall.
4. Is this an effective form of treatment?
That’s a great question! Once again, it really depends on how it is used. There is currently very little research to support the claim that using superheroes (and other fictional characters) in therapy is helpful, however, there is a ton of research showing that using examples and metaphors, such as those used in acceptance and commitment therapy, is helpful and effective. Using this theory, we can then assume that using metaphors and examples that include superheroes are also effective, however, we would need more research to substantiate this claim. (I’m currently running some research projects on this and hopefully there will be more soon).
5. Has there been more success stories with this form of treatment, or less?
While there isn’t much rigorous research on superhero therapy, overall it seems like people who identify with fictional characters or other role models are more likely to recover than people who do not.
6. Could you provide any good specific examples of cases where people were
treated with superhero therapy?
Yes! One of my patients was undergoing treatment for a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being sexually assaulted. Her family could not understand why after 6 months this girl was still experiencing a lot of symptoms. The first few times I met with her she just cried. She had a hard time talking about what happened to her and was not willing to. When I asked her about any fictional characters she likes, she stated that she likes “Buffy, the vampire slayer.” There was an episode in season 6 (SPOILER WARNING), where Buffy was brought back from the dead by her friends and had a very difficult time talking to them about how she felt. She was angry a lot, she couldn’t sleep, she was having nightmares, she was jumpy, she was angry and irritable, and did not want to be around her friends. When she finally sat down with her friend, Spike, she confided in him that she was still traumatized about being brought back from the dead and that “everything hurt,” every moment, from one day to another. I showed a part of this episode to my patient (she had already seen it but this was the first time we watched it together in this way). When she watched Buffy’s interaction with Spike, she cried and stated that it was exactly how she felt. She then showed that episode to her family, who were able to finally understand why she wasn’t “all better” yet. Over time, this patient was able to open up about her experience and like Buffy, was able to reconnect with her friends and activities that were very important to her.
7. Are there any bad examples of cases where people were treated with
superhero therapy (where it went wrong; didn’t work; etc)?
I don’t quite have examples of where it didn’t work. There were some times where the patient didn’t fully connect with the specific example but we were usually able to find another one.
Hope this helps and best of luck with your project 🙂
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
This is fantastic. It really is. I myself have and is struggling with depression from time to time, anxiety, panic attacks and a trauma trigger located in my everyday life. I was severely bullied as a child and had very few friends, and i also struggled to be accepted and understood by grown ups in school because of yet to be indetifyed disorders (ADHD and DCD). All of this is the foundation to my problems today, that I fight to overcome.
I always loved books, especially fantasy and sci-fi. When i was little it was there I found most my friends and could escape reality. It helped me, gave me place ro breath and just don’t worry.
Therefor, I say again, that This is amazing. I really hope this can spread to other parts of the world someday, like here, to my home country of Sweden, because I know it would do so much good and it deserve more recognition.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Karin. I’m so sorry to hear about your past struggles but so glad that you’ve found relief through fiction. My book, Superhero Therapy is coming out next year and will be available in Europe, hopefully this will include Sweden. If not, email me, I’ll try to mail it to you.
Cheers 🙂
Sorry to bother you again (it’s Tori from the grade 11 Psych class) but I was wondering if you had any statistics about superhero therapy that I could use in a graph or something. Like statistics for the success rate, or for how long people have been using superhero therapy as a form of treatment, etc. I realize superhero therapy doesn’t have a lot of research to it yet, so I’ll understand if you can’t answer with any straightforward statistics. Thanks!
Hi Tori,
given as how new this approach is, there isn’t a lot of research on it. I do have some data from a preliminary study I conducted that I can email you. What’s a good email address to send the graph to?
That would be great! You can send it to: ventt2686@googleapps.wrdsb.ca
Sent! 🙂
Hello!
I went to your panel at new York comic con. I am currently in my masters for Mental Health in NY and I was wondering if you can send me the info you have from your preliminary studies so I can read it. I find your superhero therapy so interesting and amazing! I have been considering my PhD and I have always wondered how to incorporate my geek side into therapy so I’d like to read more about it!!
Thank you
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks so much for coming to the panel. Feel free to email me: superherotherapy@gmail.com
Whatever you end up doing with mental health, there’s always room for incorporating your geeky side 🙂
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
Hello Dr. Scarlet,
I am currently a student getting ready to graduate and my thesis revolves around the potential that comics and superheroes have to empower those who read about them to overcome their own obstacles. Unfortunately my research has hit a wall and I am reaching out directly to the experts. I saw your website and after reading into the therapy I feel you can give some much needed insight. Would it be alright if I can send you a list of questions that you can answer regarding the issue? Id be very grateful having your thoughts backing up my thesis. Also would you happen to know if there is any concrete statistical data on this version of therapy? I haven’t been able to find anything narrowing down the numbers or even showing a graph or two on its use.
Thank you and I hope to hear back from you soon,
Hi Jeff,
so great to hear from you. How exciting! I love your thesis topic. You are more than welcome to ask me questions. If you’d like you can email me a list of questions that I can try to help with: superherotherapy@gmail.com
Regarding concrete statistical data on superhero therapy, yes and no. I’m working on looking at its uses in clinical setting but there are some research papers showing that connecting with fictional characters increases empathy (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jasp.12279/abstract), or improves health.
Hope this helps and best of luck with your thesis 🙂
Hi Dr. Scarlett,
I am a postgrad student at Nottingham Trent University and I’m currently conducting some research on comic book therapy and its effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression. My project is to propose a study in mentally ill offenders and I would like to propose the drawing of comic strips in group settings. But, in order to propose this, I need to have some form of research showing that something along the same lines has been done. I have contacted Dr. O’Connor but was told that very little research has been done. Can you point me in the direction of any work you may have done in this area? This would be really helpful. My email address is ragoonathalyssa@gmail.com in the event you have information. Thanks in advance.
Alyssa
Hi Alyssa,
Great to hear from you. Here’s a helpful article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26952569/
I will also have some more info on my site about this soon. Stay tuned.
Best of luck with your project 🙂
Hi Doctor Scarlet,
I am currently a graduate student studying mental health counseling. I was reading your article on Psychology Today about the psychology behind Inside Out and I happen to catch the term “Superhero Therapy”. After looking into it, I am overwhelmed with excitement over the idea of this! I am such a geek and absolutely love the idea of incorporating some of my favorite characters into my therapeutic work with clients. Coming on to your site and seeing posts related to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones has made me an immediate fan of this. I would be so grateful to get some more information from you about it. Love the concept and I love all the work of yours that I’ve read so far! Thank you in advance for for your time.
Best,
Robert
Hi Robert,
thank you so much for your comment. I’m so excited to hear that more graduate students are excited about this work. I”m happy to chat with you more about it. Feel free to email me here or at superherotherapy@gmail.com
Cheers! 🙂
Dear Dr. Scarlet,
Hello! My name is Melanie, and I am a student at MCP. I have an upcoming project in which I had dedicated to study my all-time favorite villain, the Joker. I checked out your website and can see how interested you are in analyzing the psychological sides of comic book characters. If you don’t mind, would you please answer a few questions concerning the Joker? It would definitely benefit my research project. Thank you so much!
1.What quality or aspect of the Joker do you believe is most interesting?
2. What quality or aspect of the Joker do you think is most appealing to others? (Comic fans, movie fans, etc.)
3. What is the Joker’s impact on pop culture society as a whole?
4. Is the Joker really insane?
5. What would his diagnoses be? Why? (Schizophrenic? Split personality?, etc.? Please list as many as possible.)
6. Do you believe he is aware of his actions and intentions or is he unconscious of them due to his “insanity?”
7. What do you believe the Joker’s motives are?
8. If he was your patient, what treatments would be conducted/would you suggest to integrate his personality into society? In other words, how would you try to cure him?
9. Where do you believe his extreme personality stems from? Traumatic childhood experience?
Thank you for everything! I really appreciate it!
Hi Melanie,
Thank you so much for your questions and your thoughtful comment. So sorry it took me a while to respond, I was out of the country and it made it difficult to check my website while I was away.
Here are my answers to the best of my ability:
1.What quality or aspect of the Joker do you believe is most interesting?
I believe that what fascinates most people is that he seems to genuinely enjoy the kinds of things that most others would not – primarily chaos and destruction.
2. What quality or aspect of the Joker do you think is most appealing to others? (Comic fans, movie fans, etc.)
Similarly, I believe that Joker’s humor and the joy that he gets from causing chaos seems appealing to others. I think people might be fascinated on how unapologetic he is about his behavior and I think that for most people there is a bit of an appeal about being naughty.
3. What is the Joker’s impact on pop culture society as a whole?
Great question! Thank you so much for asking that! I think that he created a new type of villain, one that became almost a measuring sticks against which other villains are measured.
4. Is the Joker really insane?
Psychologically, there is no such thing as “insanity,” it is actually a legal term, which means whether or not he understands the wrongfulness of his actions. Given how calculating he is, my answer to that would be, “no” – he is not insane, as he appears to know right from wrong but chooses to do “wrong” because he enjoys it.
5. What would his diagnoses be? Why? (Schizophrenic? Split personality?, etc.? Please list as many as possible.)
The most likely diagnosis would probably be Antisocial Personality Disorder
6. Do you believe he is aware of his actions and intentions or is he unconscious of them due to his “insanity?”
I believe that he is aware but he chooses to behave that way anyway
7. What do you believe the Joker’s motives are?
Truthfully, I think that boredom is extremely aversive to him and he enjoys chaos, it might make him feel empowered or more alive.
8. If he was your patient, what treatments would be conducted/would you suggest to integrate his personality into society? In other words, how would you try to cure him?
I would not be qualified to treat him if he came to see me, as I do not specialize in this disorder, I specialize in PTSD, depression, and anxiety, none of which he has. If I had to treat him for whatever reason, I would probably use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to try to teach him mindfulness skills, as well as to help him meet his values and goals in a less destructive way.
9. Where do you believe his extreme personality stems from? Traumatic childhood experience?
It is possible, however, it is also likely that he might have something going on with him on a biological level. Many people with antisocial personality disorder might also have a lower biological ability for empathy, making it more difficult for them to care for others.
Hope this helps 🙂
Hello Doc!
My name is Ludmyla, from Brazil, I’m a psychology student, passionate about geeks stufs and tremendously curious. I was watching Jessica Jones when I had the impetus for research on what psychology’s relationship with this universe is. I’m already super excited about everything I’ve seen here, the association of two things I love is tremendously incredible! I’m happy to see psychologists like you, I hope to be like this. I want to know everything about, lear abou it for real. In fact, I have discovered what I want. Amazing !
Most importantly, I will not forget my cape !
Hi Ludmyla,
So great to hear from you! Thank you so much for your lovely post. I believe in you. Glad you won’t forget your cape.
Keep superheroing 🙂
Hi Janina
Not sure if you are aware of the work I am doing at http://www.theheroforge.com?
I would love the chance to interview you for the podcast at some point soon, if we can find a window? I think the idea of blending the heroic archetype and CBT is fascinating. Perhaps you can take a look around the site and then come back to me if you are interested. Keep up the great work – you are clearly making a big difference x
Hi Andy,
thanks so much for your comment. Of course, I would love to do an interview for your podcast. Email me the details: superherotherapy@gmail.com
🙂
I need help. I have anxiety, agoraphobia (though, I am not home bound) and of course, depression follows my fight or flight episodes which are coming more an more often. I am seeing a counselor, but she is really just for venting. She’s not offering specific treatment or anything because I don’t think that is her training, background, etc. I have an appointment with a psychiatrist in a couple weeks to hopefully get some medication that helps and talk with him about perhaps getting a referral to a trained psychologist.
I’ve struggled with anxiety, agoraphobia, and anxiety all my life, but recently it has gotten worse – I think because I’ve stopped trying to run from it and am ready to deal with it.
Is there anyway that Superhero Therapy can help me?? My love of superheroes brought me to this page and that cannot be coincidence!
Hi Michael,
I am so sorry to hear about your struggles and am so glad to hear that you’re ready to start dealing with your anxiety. I hope that Superhero Therapy will be helpful to you, in fact, one of the main characters in it also has agoraphobia and most have some kind of anxiety. It might be most helpful to also see a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders and does cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), ideally with out of office “in vivo” exposures, which would mean that this therapist would come with you to help you face your fears. This last option is not always available. You can check out PsychologyToday.com website (if you live in the US) and maybe see if you can find a therapist to meet your needs, ideally one who specializes in anxiety. Feel free to use the book or maybe see if your therapist can help you incorporate the book into therapy. Either way, I am very proud of you for facing it. I know it’s scary but you are more courageous than you know.
I hope this helps.
Don’t forget your cape.
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
Dear Janina,
Do you have any examples of superheros struggling with and overcoming addictions?
We work with alcohol and drug addiction and I am always looking for creative ideas for presenting our information to clients.
Thank you
Hi Phil,
Thank you so much for your question. Iron Man (Tony Stark) struggles with alcohol addiction in the comics and we see some of it in Iron Man 3, though comics depict it more.
Also, Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer struggles with addiction to magic.
Hope this helps
Also, Sam Winchester from Supernatural got addicted to demon blood
Have you considered presenting at the Graphic Medicine conference in Vermont, August 2018? Might get fit in really well and you’d be among lots of similarly oriented people.
Hi Josh,
Thanks so much for telling me about it. I would love to learn more. Can you please send me the information about it and how to submit a talk proposal?
Thanks so much 🙂
Hi there!
I was wondering if you had a resource list for therapists who maintain this sort of practice with their patients? I’ve had issues with depression and would love to work through some of the things that have been coming up for me lately with some sort of geek type therapy.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Raina,
Here you go:
http://www.graphicmedicine.org/
https://www.amazon.com/Superhero-Therapy-Mindfulness-Anxiety-Depression/dp/1684030331/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506464298&sr=8-1&keywords=superhero+Therapy
https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Therapy-Unauthorized-Restricted/dp/1548107158/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506464320&sr=1-1&keywords=Harry+Potter+therapy
http://www.comicspedia.net
https://www.geektherapy.com
http://www.underthemaskonline.com
Hope this helps 🙂
“”I have a unique story too, share the world that I have been given this extraordinary ability by God but I need my story to be told not just in TV show or local news but the entire planet earth. “I’m simply asking you positive feedback doctor please… I have a Superhuman ability to help me!!! Fernando Udtujan AkA STRIKER *** 619.514.5588…
Dear Fernando, AKA Striker,
It’s wonderful to meet you. Is this you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq7hOxKL0iQ ?
It sounds like you have a very powerful story. Your story and your voice are important. Keep being amazing, Striker! Thank you for being wonderful!
Hello, I suffer from schizoaffective disorder, manic-depression, OCD, and anxiety. I’m out of state but I was wondering if you could be my therapist over the phone? Or someone like yourself.
I live in Anoka County, Minnesota. Would you be able to tell me where to look for therapist such as yourself around here?
Hi Adam,
Thanks so much for reaching out. I’m so sorry about your struggles. I am only licensed in California and therefore can only treat people in California. If you live in Minnesota, I would recommend Justine Mastin of Blue Box Counseling: http://www.blueboxcounseling.com/
Hope this helps
It was very awesome meeting a real hero like you. I served 2 tours in Iraq and have PTSD then a year ago I lost my wife of 23 years and so I took up cosplaying and creating costumes and that therapy has helped me deal with it. I love the cosplay community and I am so happy you use that to help others.
Hi Jayson,
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. It was truly an honor to meet you, I enjoyed your segment on the news as well. Thank you again for your thoughtful comment.
Hope to see you again next year.
Cheers!
Dear Dr Scarlett, I love your books! I feel like I have so much in common with you. For one thing, I have been working as a Master’s level therapist since 1981 and have been a bonafide geek since I was a teenager. I happened to be living in West Germany when Chernobyl blew up, so also understand why the comment of “you’re glowing” is not necessarily a compliment. At present I am working with a bunch of kids who have been severely traumatized. I use my love of Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc as a bridge to make that all important connection with my kids. I had already been using Harry’s spells to help my kids cope with bullies, and just plain fear. Redikkulus! works wonders. So this was a welcome addition to my treatment arsenal.
As is true of many of us in this field, I have struggled with my own inner demons and how you described and pictured them has been a great help. And as a true Potterhead, I am a member of Ravenclaw. Thank you again for taking the chance to write and publish these helpful books.
Hi Dinky,
Thanks so much for your comment. Your work sounds amazing. Are you still living in Germany?
No, I’m living and working in Missouri ss an LPC. Being a therapist is not just what I do, its who I am and my calling in life. I’m looking forward to using your books with the kids I’m working with. And I’m still not glowing!
That’s incredible! Hope to meet you in person someday. Keep superheroing! 🙂
Hello Dr. Scarlet,
I have fairly recently discovered Superhero Therapy and I think it is an absolutely amazing tool to help people. I’m curious as to whether it might be applicable in settings other than 1:1 therapy, such as in groups? I currently work as a social worker in a long-term care psychiatric hospital, and we do various psycho-education and process groups to help build insight and coping skills and so on. I was wondering if Superhero therapy could be applied in this kind of setting?
Thank you so much for introducing this amazing therapeutic technique!!
Hi Benjamin,
Thank you so much for your comment. Yes, Superhero Therapy is designed to be used in both individual and group settings. It’s been implemented in a number of different settings and formats. I’ve been told of a number of hospitals, clinics, crisis houses, and prisons, which use Superhero Therapy in a group format.
Let me know how it goes. Keep superheroing! 🙂
Thank you! I’m working to develop a group using Superhero therapy in my hospital, i’m just starting to plan this out. I’d love to speak with you and correspond to learn more!
That’s fantastic! And would love to. Feel free to email me: SuperheroThearapy@gmail.com
I am interested in doing a project about suprehero therapy for my treatment of trauma in adults class. I own your Harry Potter Therapy book and I absolutely love it! I need to use articles or other sources in order to complete my project. Would you be able to guide me in that direction?
Hi Kayleigh,
Thank you so much for your comment. I am thrilled to hear that you would like to do a project on Superhero Therapy in your treatment of trauma class. I would be more than happy to offer any help I can. Please email me: SuperheroTherapy@gmail.com and let chat some more.
Warmly,
Janina Scarlet
Dr. Scarlet,
I have developed a Superhero Therapy group for children within my agency and utilized CBT, DBT, and social skills. I utilized superhero therapy to reinforce the evidence based skills for both parents and their children. I had an opportunity to translate the skills in Spanish to better assist the Spanish Speaking population. I have been using Superhero therapy for several years now and utilize with my adult, adolescent, and children clients. I want to say that I love your books and continue research on Superhero Therapy. I am in the process of developing a professional workshop for clinicians in my agency, would you have any idea or guidance to enhance a better teaching experience for the staff. In addition, finding a way to honor superhero therapy and EBP.
Dear Geovany,
Thank you so much for your message and your kind words. That’s wonderful! I am thrilled to hear and looking forward to hear about how it goes.
May the Force be with you 🙂
My therapist recommended your podcast to me yesterday.
I’ve listened to a few episodes of it so far and find it all really interesting. I’m 21 and have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, and Anxiety since around the time I was 13 and often relate to characters from shows, manga, and video games. When explaining what’s going on with me I’ll say things like ‘You know how (character) went through this?’ or ‘It feels like a dementor paid me a visit’ (I loved that you used Harry Potter the first episode. I’m Hufflepuff/Pukwudgie by the way!) and my previous therapists always had the mindset that I would have to outgrow those things, or at least not rely on them to get my points across, to truly thrive. It made it hard for me to really open up for some time. I’d get embarrassed when I let slip that I daydream about the universes and things within them to help me through my days until therapy became practically useless for me- at least therapy with those types of doctors. My new doctor is really embracing my nerdiness.
I’m really glad someone like you exists out there. Thank you for all the work you’re doing with this. I look forward to listening to more of your podcasts and (hopefully, if I can focus long enough) reading your work soon.
Thank you so much for listening and for your kind words. I’m so glad that you have a therapist who is able to embrace your nerdiness and is able to see how magical you are.
Stay magical 🙂
Hi Janina,
My name is Anika and I’m working on a project about the psychology of rape victims and why police will often not believe them. I wanted to find the point of view of a trauma specialist, and my therapist Dr. Laughter said you’re the best of the best! I know you’re incredibly busy but I’d still love to try and get your point of view on this subject. Do you have any written articles about the psychology of rape victims? To what degree do you think a victim’s background should be taken into account when they report a sexual assault? How much should this impact their credibility? Thank you so much!
Hi Anika,
Thank you so much for your message. I have not personally written articles on this manner directly. Based on my clinical experience, I believe that each person’s report needs to be taken seriously and I do not believe that a person’s background should impact their credibility. I hope this helps.
Hi Dr. Scarlet
I was wondering if I could be added to your email list serve for counselors. I took your webinar recently and misplaced your email. Thank You
Dear Dr. Janiana Scarlet,
My name is Mudasir, and I am a psychology student and admirer of your work. Your work in Superhero therapy as a solution to trauma has been a huge inspiration for me as I make a career change into psychology and counseling, I am very interested in this workshop on Superhero therapy you are hosting, as it focuses on areas and populations I want to work with as well as incorporating elements of storytelling to empower people.
https://www.praxiscet.com/events/superhero-therapy-conference-sep-2021/
However, I noticed I may be scheduled to work on the days the class is scheduled. Is it still possible to watch a recording of the classes in my own time and get a professional certificate? Also is there a difference between a professional ticket to the course and a student ticket to the course? For instance, do I need a master’s degree in Psychology or a related field (my current education is Masters-level in marketing, policy studies, and communications) to qualify for a professional course?
Best Regards,
Mudasir K.Z
Hi Mudasir,
Thank you so much for your comment. I’m so glad to hear that Superhero Therapy has been helpful for you. You will have access to the recordings for 6 months, so you’ll be able to watch them on your own time if you cannot watch them live.
If you are not yet a licensed provider, you’re welcome to register as a student. The main difference is that the professional registration allows you to collect continuing education credits but the student one does not.
I hope this helps and hope you enjoy this conference
Thank you for your response Dr. Scarlet!
Hi, Dr. Janiana Scarlet,
I have been following you for a couple of years now. I am in a graduate mental health program, and will graduate in June 2022. I have been wanting to take your Superhero Therapy training, and I just saw that I missed the latest offer for July-August 2020.
When will you offer another Superhero Therapy training? This time, I will be on the lookout for the offer!!!
Hi Kendall,
Thank you so much for reaching out and for your kind words. Although I’m not teaching the full course any more this year, most of what’s in it will be covered at the Superhero Therapy virtual (Zoom) conference in September and if you can’t watch the workshops at the time they’re offered, you still have access to the recordings for 6 months.
Here’s the link if you’re interested:
https://www.praxiscet.com/events/superhero-therapy-conference-sep-2021/
Hope this helps and hope to meet you in person one day. 🙂
Hello Jania,
YES, your information does help! I will take on the virtual conference in September! I hope to meet you in person one day! My apologies for the late response. I am in my internship for clinical mental health master’s degree. Part 2 of Internship for that area is the end of August. In November, I will be in the internship for school counseling until May 2022. Then it’s graduation! I have my cape ready to go!!!
Kendall
Yes!!
Recently enjoyed your Superhero Therapy workshop, it was certainly one of the better ones I’ve attended.
Just wanted to make you aware of a book I came across that I think you would be interested in called Live Like a Vulcan, Love Like a Wookiee, Laugh Like a Hobbit, by Robb Pearlman, subtitle Life Lessons from Pop Culture.
https://www.amazon.com/Live-Vulcan-Wookiee-Laugh-Hobbit/dp/1953295827?asin=1953295827&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1
To paraphrase Renee Zellweger, You had me at Sherlock Holmes…I have over 200 Sherlock Holmes book including the comics where Batman meets Sherlock Holmes, I’ve been to 12 NYC Comicons, favorite pop heroes are Quai Chang Caine and Howard the Duck and Buckaroo Banzai. Thanks for making it all relevant.
Hi David,
Thank you so much for your message. It’s so great to hear from you! Aww yay! Always so great to meet a fellow geek.
Thank you so much for attending. Thank you for being wonderful 🙂
I just saw you on Disney plus and identify with what you were talking about. My favorite comic book hero was and still is The Silver Surfer, a noble hero with a dark past. In book #48 you find out the Surfer had repressed memories to make him more of an efficient herald to Galactus. You find out he did parents had killed themselves at different points in his upbringing (his mother when he was younger and his father when he was a young adult). It was the first comic I could empathize with since my own father had killed himself when I was younger. This was a huge thing connect to and honestly I was foolish to see any connection to this until I saw your interview on the Scarlet Witch episode.
Hi Clint,
Thank you so much for your comment and for sharing your story. It makes so much sense how connected we feel to certain characters that help us understand and process what we might otherwise really struggle with. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. Thank you for being wonderful
I recently discovered your work and am looking forward to diving more into it, both professionally and personally. I have always loved superheroes for their human element and the way we can connect and relate to them. Superman, Nightwing, Daredevil, and The Flash are the big 4 that I really felt connected to and personally helped me as a child all the way through my adult years. Professionally, I am a therapist and really enjoy helping clients make the connection to characters in media as a way to help process their experience by seeing it through a different lens. I am working on starting a group that focuses on superheroes and therapy. I am very glad I made that decision that brought me to learn of your work. Thank you for all that you do!
Aww, thank you so much, Matt, that’s very kind of you 🙂