Our society is highly polarized by political and cultural issues. This touches all of us on some level and has the potential to impact therapy as well. How a therapist works with this is not only important for their clients’ trust and sense of safety, but also may or may not be useful for the therapy process. In order to contribute to a discussion about this topic, and address concerns of potential clients, I’d like to share how I deal with politics in my therapy practice.
My clients’ well being and growth is always my priority, and this takes precedence over any political position I may have. I generally don’t share my own opinions about political issues, unless it serves a therapeutic purpose to do so, because my role is to help my clients explore their thoughts and feelings, not to promote my own views. I have clients with a wide range of perspectives, and I am able to appreciate their unique experiences.
The type of therapy that I practice encourages self-exploration, and this can include looking into how one is being impacted by society. It may also involve examining how social and political conflicts take on personal meaning for us because they evoke feelings from our past, or remind us of our family dynamics. Therapy provides an opportunity to look inwards and understand ourselves better through inquiry into our feelings and opinions.
I believe that therapists do a disservice to their clients if they engage in political debate, or simply reinforce their client’s existing positions, while avoiding the deeper issues, such as the meaning of those views to the person, and the unconscious feelings that may be underneath. No matter what someone’s political perspective is, if they are willing to look into their underlying feelings, they will probably gain new insight into themselves. This is true even when circumstances in society are very challenging. In these times, therapy offers a chance to explore one’s inner experience, so that one can face the external situation with maximal clarity and self-awareness.
In order for therapists to effectively work with clients who have different political views, they need to have awareness of their own emotional reactivity in relation to politics. They have a responsibility to understand how their feelings about politics, such as their own righteousness, outrage, or fear, might impact their work. It is also helpful for therapists to avoid limiting themselves to an “information bubble,” in which they are only exposed to people and news sources which reinforce their existing views, making it harder to understand those who think differently.
Therapists tend to be passionate about helping others, which often coincides with having strong political views. However, they must have the capacity to accept differences of opinion and to avoid having their own feelings interfere with their work. If a therapist decides to share their own perspective with a client, it needs to be done thoughtfully, because they see a potential therapeutic benefit for the client.
