Therapist Zero

Therapist Zero is an unflinching, darkly funny solo show about raising a brilliant, but troubled daughter – and the endless revolving door of therapists who couldn’t help her. Written and performed by Brian Leonard and directed by Ken Sonkin, the piece traces a decades-long journey through misdiagnoses, meltdowns, and moments of grace. Along the way, Leonard reflects on his own chaotic childhood: smoking by 2nd grade, forgotten during a family trip to Niagara Falls, etc., and how that upbringing shaped the parent he became.

Blending biting humor with deep vulnerability, Therapist Zero isn’t just about parenting a child in crisis; it’s about the generational echoes we carry, the limits of expertise, and the stubborn, imperfect love that sometimes requires walking away to find your way back. Under Sonkin’s deft direction, the show walks a tightrope between laugh-out-loud absurdity and raw emotional truth.

At its heart, Therapist Zero asks a deceptively simple question: What happens when everything you thought would work… doesn’t?

A story of failure, persistence, and hard-won healing, Therapist Zero will resonate with anyone who has ever tried to help someone they love, especially when that love defies easy answers.

Brian Leonard – Writer and performer
Ken Sonkin – Director