therapy IS political

“Therapist should be a blank slate and neutral” is a myth that we need to debunk because I am tired of hearing it and it is simply not true, and the reality of this world is THERAPY IS POLITICAL. In this political climate, we must remind ourselves of the systemic power and influence over our lives.

As a human, I see how broader systems of power, privilege, and oppression affect not only myself but also the world around me, and as a licensed marriage and family therapist, I see how these same forces and cultural, social, and political factors impact my clients every day.

When I say “therapy is political” I mean that therapy does not exist in a vacuum. It is influenced and controlled by political, social, and cultural factors whether we like to see it or not. Mental health, healthcare, our personal and collective experiences, and therapy IS shaped by power, privilege, and oppression.

As therapists, we MUST address and acknowledge:

• Systemic Issues

  • Mental health challenges arise and are exacerbated by systemic inequalities :

    • racism

    • sexism

    • classism

    • ableism

    • homophobia

    • transphobia

  • These external forces must be assessed and considered when working with clients.

  • Systemic thinking and lens are CRUCIAL

• Our Influence and the Power Dynamics in Therapy

  • Therapy itself naturally involves a power dynamic between therapist and client(s).

  • We must work to minimize the hierarchy, promote collaboration, and empower our clients. They are the experts in their lives.

  • We must be mindful of our own influence and bias.

• Equity and Accessibility of Therapy

  • Who has access to therapy is 100% a political issue.

  • There are many barriers such as cost, lack of insurance, stigma, and lack of culturally sensitive therapist

    • Therapy is also a predominantly WHITE field. We need more therapists of color and representation to encourage other people of color to access therapy.

  • We must ensure therapy is accessible to marginalized populations by addressing all these barriers. This can look like:

    • Offering sliding scale

    • Providing therapy in different languages

    • Offer public psychoeducation and workshops

• Our Role in Advocacy and Community

  • Our role extends beyond the therapy room.

  • We must engage in advocacy, community work, and activism to address systemic problems affecting our clients

    • Advocacy and activism can look like so many things (there is no one right way):

      • Putting resources on your websites

      • Creating support groups

      • Taking pro bono clients

      • Educating the public and community about mental health. Especially if there are people who can’t access therapy or who are skeptical.

      • Decolonize traditional ways of doing therapy

      • Volunteering as a mental health professional in the community

      • AND SO MUCH MORE (I can definitely do another blog post)

• Social Justice in our therapy models

  • You can incorporate social justice in any therapy models you work with.

  • This looks like integrating:

    • an awareness of systemic inequities

    • a commitment to equity

    • advocacy

    • empowerment

  • It means recognizing how societal structures and power dynamics influence mental health and directly addressing these factors in collaboration with clients.

    • This looks like:

      • Understanding the client’s struggles within a broader systemic context. It is NOT purely about a client’s personal “failings” nor is it something there “making up”

      • Acknowledging and validating the negative experiences of oppression

      • Practicing cultural sensitivity and humility by truly exploring your client’s lived experience and BELIEVING THEM

      • Not pathologizing hypervigilance and anxiety if it is a totally appropriate reaction of what it means to be a person of color in this political climate and nation

      • Empowering clients to foster agency and reclaim their power in their lives

      • Exploring client’s internalized oppression

        • Internalized oppression is when a person accepts the negative stereotypes and beliefs about themselves that are perpetuated by the oppressor

      • Being aware of our client’s intersectionality, identity, and environment

      • Trauma-informed care

      • Grief-informed care

      • Using empowering therapeutic frameworks. This also might mean integrating therapy models to fit your client’s unique individualized needs

THERAPY IS POLITICAL, and as therapists, we have a lot of power and influence, and we must CONSISTENTLY examine our own biases, privileges, and assumptions to avoid unintentionally perpetuating MORE harm to our clients and the community.

It is so crucial to keep all these things in mind in the political climate we live in. I have been feeling helpless, discouraged, sad, disappointed, frustrated, angry, and empathetic during this time. It is so overwhelming at times and it’s okay to let ourselves feel the gravity of everything. I am so sorry. Please know that there is support out there and you are NOT alone.

May we grieve, feel, validate each other, fight on, and move forward together.