Former Cradle of Filth keyboardist and solo artist Lindsay Schoolcraft has strongly rejected recent assertions made by All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte, who claimed that “therapy is for women” and argued that men do not resolve their emotional issues through verbal communication.
The controversy stems from comments Labonte made during an appearance on “Today’s Boondoggle Podcast” with host Bill Bailey. The musicians were discussing an op-ed penned by Labonte in 2024 titled “The Silent Crisis: Why Society Is Failing Men And Boys“, which focused on modern male disengagement across workforce, educational, and community sectors, alongside shifts in mental health statistics.
During the interview, Labonte argued that modern cultural trends and left-leaning societal values over the past thirty years have systematically alienated men, causing younger generations to completely withdraw from foundational institutions like higher education and dating.
He said at the time: “Look, for the better part of the past three decades, men have been told that they are the problem. You saw it in the ’90s when every single sitcom had the doofy husband, and the woman was the smart one, and thank God for her because without her, that poor schlub would just run his life into the ground. And that was the standard kind of thing. And it’s been like that. And that’s not the way that reality is. Raising a family is a team effort. Mothers are super important, but fathers are super important too. And you see a lot of kids that are being raised by single mothers. You’ve got divorces at all-time highs. Generally, it’s initiated by the female. Young men are not going to college. They’re not graduating college. They’re checking out of society. They’re deciding that it’s not worth it to try and find a girlfriend. Most kids nowadays — I don’t know the numbers — but most kids have not gone on a date. There’s not nearly as many young men and young women getting together that are dating. Gen Z is the least sexually active generation in a long time. You see abortion is at an all-time high. All of these things are directly downstream from feminism and the massive influence that the left and feminist ideas have on society.”
Labonte further asserted that contemporary cultural expectations surrounding women balancing high-powered professional careers with motherhood are inherently unrealistic, which he believes heavily disrupts traditional dating dynamics.
“The idea that a woman can be the boss babe and a mother at the same time is a total lie. You cannot do both. You can do one or the other. Women are deciding that they want to go to school and have a career, and then when they hit their 30s, they’re scrambling to try and find a man, but men have checked out or they’ve already found — or they’re going for younger girls that are looking for families and stuff,” he added.
Linking these societal developments directly to skyrocketing male suicide rates, the frontman threw his support behind a legislative effort currently sitting in a House committee. The proposed bill aims to establish a dedicated federal council to support fathers and sons, drawing on administrative frameworks utilized by previous presidencies.
“Male suicide is at an all-time high,” Labonte continued. “Men are, like I said, they’re checking out of society. They’re deciding to anesthetize themselves with video games and p*t. All these things are absolutely terrible for a society. And so the op-ed was kind of to outline this stuff, and now there’s a bill that’s in the House — it’s in committee, I think — and it’s to start the White House council on fathers and sons. It’s based on the framework that was created during the Obama administration, which was the White House council on women and girls, and then it was changed during the Biden administration, I believe. I forget what the Biden administration called it, but it was something very gender neutral. And so there is a framework there. So hopefully we can, we can get this passed and have the White House actually talk about this because this is a crisis that is a big deal for society.”
The core of the backlash, however, centers on Labonte‘s explicit dismissal of traditional psychotherapy for men. The singer argued that physical action and tangible goals are the sole avenues for male fulfillment:
“Suicide among men my age — 50 and above — the rates are up. Men have to have meaning. Men need something to do. The idea that men can go to therapy and that’s gonna solve their problems is ridiculous. Therapy is for women. Men don’t solve their problems by talking. Men solve their problems through action. So men should be doing things with other men, like building things, going out and fixing cars, whatever it is. But those kind of activities are what will help a man feel accomplished, help a man feel like he’s got purpose. Just going and talking to a therapist, that’s not what fixes men. That’s not what fixes men at all. Men need goals that are achievable, and they need to make progress to those goals. That kind of stuff is what will help a man feel empowered, feel good about himself. That’s the kind of stuff that men need. And the idea that all of society is telling men, ‘Oh, you should be more like women,’ or, ‘You should go to therapy,’ none of these things help men. And the evidence is in the statistics.
To close his thoughts, Labonte clarified that his viewpoint is based on what he views as fundamental psychological differences between genders rather than a direct animosity toward women.
“The evidence is in the suicide rate,” Phil concluded. “It’s in the depression rate. It’s in the fact that men are checking out from society. These ideas don’t work for men because men and women are not the same. And this is not in any way an attack on women, but men and women need to be treated as if they are men and women. They’re two different, different psychologies. And that’s not to say that there aren’t men with more feminine characteristics or women with more masculine characteristics, but broadly, men are different than women, and they need different things to make them feel emotionally fulfilled and psychologically acceptable.”
In a new interview with Blabbermouth, Lindsay Schoolcraft was asked directly about Labonte‘s comments. The multi-instrumentalist, whose latest solo studio album Harrowing explores themes of mental health survival and recovery from narcissistic abuse, immediately questioned the singer’s authority on psychological matters.
“He’s not a healthcare professional, he’s not a psychologist, he’s not a therapist,” she responded.
Countering his stance, Schoolcraft emphasized the positive real-world transformations she has witnessed among men who pursue professional counseling:
“This is my opinion and I’m not a professional either — I have a lot of male friends in therapy and it’s done them a world of wonder and has transformed their lives because you can do healing work and then you can do growing work, and there’s life coaching. You can come out on the other side. You don’t have to struggle.”
The musician went on to criticize the broader implications of discouraging men from seeking mental healthcare, linking the viewpoint to systemic societal issues:
“Discouraging people from going to therapy, especially men — that’s an extremely toxic, masculine view that is ultimately an opinion from the patriarchy that has done a lot of damage to society and is the reason why it’s crumbling right now,” Lindsay continued. “I don’t know… I think he probably does need to go to therapy and is a scared little boy who cares too much about the scared little boy inside, his inner child and is scared of what his macho homies are going to think of him.”
Concluding her thoughts, Schoolcraft used a physical injury analogy to illustrate the necessity of therapeutic intervention, warning against the negative impact such rhetoric can have on struggling individuals:
“There should be no shame in getting help. If your brain is broken, you need a doctor. If you broke a bone, you’re not going to leave the bone broken; you’re going to get help. You’re not going to get a Band-Aid. You’re going to get it reset and cast and x-rayed. That’s what therapy is. It’s healing the brain. But I don’t think that’s a very good message, especially for young men who could be struggling.”
