17 popular mental health podcasts to listen to when you need a boost

Medically reviewed by Nikki Ciletti
Updated March 12, 2024by BetterHelp Editorial Team
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five American adults currently lives with a mental illness. Mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression are highly treatable, yet research shows that more than.

While some mental health challenges may be best addressed with the help of a licensed therapist, a mental health podcast can be a valuable resource to learn strategies to cope with mental health concerns, hear stories from people experiencing similar challenges, and discover practical tips to overcome life’s adversities and prevent mental health complications.

Listening to your way to health

If you’re interested in trying a mental health podcast but are unsure of where to start, you might try one of  the following health, wellness, and therapy podcasts. From helpful practical tips to real and relatable stories on a grief podcast, there are podcasts designed to help people from all walks of life. Below are 17 popular mental health podcasts to listen to when you need support.

  1. Mental Illness Happy Hour

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Considering ways to improve your mental health?

In the Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast, host Paul Gilmartin creates a safe space for guests to talk about difficult subjects, past traumas, and life’s challenges while striving to reduce the stigma around mental health topics. With over 500 episodes, Gilmartin covers all things mental health with compassion, authenticity, and a bit of humor, normalizing what so many people experience but may feel too afraid to talk about.

If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.

    1. Getting Better: Stories of Mental Health

    BetterHelp's official podcast, Getting Better: Stories of Mental Health, is hosted by therapists Micheline Maalouf and Nadia Addesi. The podcast features guests like Ian Somerhalder, Meghan Trainor, and Chris Bosh, who join in and tell their own stories about mental health.

    1. Ten Percent Happier

    Hosted by author Dan Harris, Ten Percent Happier is a podcast that touches on many mental health topics, including anxiety, happiness, stress, and meditation. Created for individuals who may be skeptical about meditation or other mental health practices, this podcast is intended to provide a fresh perspective for people to discover something new and learn evidence-based strategies to overcome mental health challenges, improve relationships, and become happier.

    1. The Gratitude Diaries

    Research shows that practicing daily gratitude can have numerous benefits for your mental health, such as decreasing stress and depression, improving your relationships with both others and yourself, and increasing resilience when dealing with life’s adversities. Hosted by author and editor Janice Kaplan, The Gratitude Diaries podcast explores gratitude by offering practical ways to cultivate it in everyday life.

    1. Meditation Minis

    Research shows that meditation has many mental health benefits and is an effective practice for managing anxiety, overcoming negative thought patterns, and being more mindful. Meditation Minis is an award-winning podcast that focuses on short, guided meditations for everyone. Hosted by Chel Hamilton, these 10- to-20-minute guided meditations may be great for both beginners and advanced meditators to listen to whenever they need a moment of peace and relaxation.

    1. Oprah’s Super Soul

    Created by Oprah Winfrey, Super Soul is a podcast featuring Oprah’s selection of top interviews with health and wellness experts, intellectuals, and other influential people who discuss life’s important questions. This podcast is meant to inspire, connect, and foment growth for those who want to become the best version of themselves, providing valuable insights and strategies to have a better life.

    1. Latinx Therapy

    This podcast was created by the founder of Latinx Therapy, a network of Latinx therapists, Adriana Alejandre. This podcast explores mental health concerns and stigmas within the Latinx community and answers listeners’ mental health questions. This podcast features content in both Spanish and English, discussing practical self-help techniques, stigmas in underrepresented groups, and how to effectively support others experiencing mental health challenges.

    1. Here’s Something Good

    With all the negative daily news and the stresses of daily life, it may be helpful to start each day on a positive note with this podcast focused only on good news. Featuring helpful tips, expert advice, and inspiring stories, Here’s Something Good is a podcast intended to inspire, motivate, and offer a boost whenever you need it. 

    1. Mentally Yours

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Hosted by Rachel Moss, Mentally Yours is a podcast featuring guests who experience a mental illness. This podcast is intended to educate, combat stigma, and create a safe space for hope, empathy, and compassion, offering practical tips and tools to overcome symptoms of mental illness.

  1. The Happiness Lab

Hosted by Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos, The Happiness Lab is a podcast based on the science of happiness and Dr. Santos’s popular psychology course at Yale University. Dr. Santos discovered in her research that many individuals tend to do the opposite of what makes them happy. This podcast explores why that is and discusses useful tools and inspiring stories that may change the way you think about happiness.

  1. Attitudes!

Attitudes is a humorous and political podcast hosted by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi, who explore LGBTQIA+ and gender issues in today’s world, help normalize mental health discussions within the LGBTQIA+ community, and provide real support with a comedic twist for those who may need it most.

  1. Feeling good

Hosted by David D. Burns, a physician and author, Feeling Good is a podcast exploring valuable techniques designed to help people overcome anxiety and depression, increase self-confidence and happiness, and boost their overall mood.

  1. Self-Care IRL

This podcast hosted by Ty Alexander focuses on self-care related to your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Self-care is often an underestimated practice that has many. While self-care can mean different things to different people, you may find a combination of self-care practices that work for you by listening to Self-Care IRL. In each episode, Ty Alexander talks about practical tips and strategies for instilling self-care into your everyday life.

  1. Bottoming

Bottoming is a mental health podcast created for the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies. Hosted by Brendan Geoghegan and Matthew Riley, this podcast navigates difficult conversations, uncovers stigmas, and explores rock bottoming and mental health concerns that can affect individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community.

  1. Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Bestselling author and podcast host Gretchen Rubin explores happiness in the Happier podcast, which is co-hosted by her sister Elizabeth Craft. Together, they aim to provide practical tips on how to increase your happiness. From managing loneliness to implementing new life hacks, this podcast covers a wide range of topics meant to make your life easier and happier.

  1. Being Well

Hosted by Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson, this highly rated podcast explores the science of health and well-being while providing practical tips and advice on how to improve your mental health and overall well-being, build inner strength, and live a happier and more fulfilled life.

  1. Griefcast

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Considering ways to improve your mental health?

Hosted by Cariad Lloyd, the Griefcast podcast is a safe space and source of support for those who have lost a loved one and are experiencing grief. This award-winning podcast explores the individual experience with death and grief with a touch of humor from comedians, intending to make those living with grief feel a little less alone.

When to see a therapist

While a mental health podcast can be an effective tool for managing mental health concerns and boosting your overall mood, it may not substitute treatment from a licensed therapist. A professional therapist or counselor may be able to provide tools, strategies, and other treatments specific to your unique mental health needs. If you don’t feel comfortable with in-person therapy at this time, you might benefit from online therapy, which many peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated to be just as effective as in-person therapy.

Online therapy has been a venue through which many individuals have found help for a number of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and grief. With online therapy, you can connect with a licensed counselor via phone, videoconferencing, or live chat. You can also message your therapist in between sessions, and they’ll respond as soon as they can.

Takeaway

The above mental health podcasts may serve as a good starting point to seek help with your mental health challenges. If you think you may need more help, you might consider speaking with a licensed therapist, whether in person or online. 

With BetterHelp, you can choose from a network of more than 25,000 licensed therapists, so you can find someone who has experience treating whatever specific challenges you’re facing. Take the first step toward getting support and reach out to BetterHelp today.

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