Gabriela* had been seeing her therapist for approximately four years when she began putting it together that her provider was a Trump supporter. “We had a good conversational relationship, so when I talked about politics and the importance of the upcoming election she would only nod and make no comment,” Gabriela tells PS.
“Then after the election, I was talking about how upsetting it was when she said ‘well, the people have spoken,'” Gabriela says. Her therapist continued, going on a rant about immigrants overwhelming the caseload of her social worker friend. “We can’t take more people,” the therapist said. The conversation spiraled from there, leaving Gabriela not only speechless, but devastated that someone she’d been so vulnerable with and had trusted for sage advice had “voted for a racist and fascist.” After that session, Gabriela’s therapist attempted to discuss boundaries about their relationship, but Gabriela decided the political divide was already a deal breaker.
“I’ll be looking immediately for a new left-leaning therapist,” Gabriela told her therapist during their last session. And she’s not the only one having to break up with their mental healthcare provider because of their politics.
Phoebe* had a similar meeting with her therapist the day after the 2024 presidential election. Her therapist started the convo asking how she was doing. “I can’t believe the election went this way,” Phoebe recalls saying. The therapist heard her complaints and then responded by saying, “I’m not very political but he has good economic policies.” The therapist continued defending President Trump while criticizing Biden for his student loan forgiveness efforts, which led Phoebe to wonder if she could continue her sessions. She has since decided to sever ties.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Rachel Wright, MA, LMFT, is a licensed psychotherapist and certified DBT therapist.
Ben Miller, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor specializing in depression and trauma therapy.
When Politics Halts Progress
For many people, therapy is meant to be a place of solace, where you can be vulnerable, receive validation, and move toward healing. But for Gabriela and Phoebe, that progress also hinges on an element of relatability.
Therapy exists within a bigger system, and if the person you’re working with is seeing the world through a lens that is significantly different from yours to that degree, it may not be a good fit, says Rachel Wright, MA, LMFT.
For many clients, political misalignment goes against the idea that they can talk about anything in therapy. Suddenly, there’s a fear that real political concerns may be dismissed, argued with, or ignored, Ben Miller, LPC, says. “With that, therapeutic trust is broken, and the therapeutic relationship is doomed to failure.”
That said, the reality is that some therapists are politically conservative and Trump supporters (just like in any other profession). So what do you do when that happens?
What to Do When Your Therapist Has Different Political Views
Navigating differences in a relationship is tough in any circumstance, but especially when it’s with your therapist – and especially when it involves politics. It’s normal to feel grief, sadness, anger, betrayal, and even disgust over political disagreement. But if you want to move forward, either with this therapist or another, you have to address those emotions.
Wright says it’s worth a conversation if your therapist has made you feel uncomfortable in discussing their political views – especially if it could get in the way of your treatment and healing. She recommends a script:
- Acknowledge: “I know that politics and social issues are really important and I want to bring something up that feels critical to my therapy process.”
- Explain: “I feel nervous, but I’ve been thinking about how political views might impact our work together. I want to make sure I feel safe, understood, and supported. If there are differences, I want to explore whether they affect our work together.”
- Offer: “Can we talk about how you navigate political differences with clients? Or what your political positioning is? I want to figure out if continuing to work together is the best choice for me.”
If you want to stop seeing your therapist altogether due to differing political beliefs, that’s OK, too. Wright suggests telling the therapist directly. “The relationship between therapist and client is the most crucial factor in the outcome of therapy that you want, so if this is something that’s a deal breaker for you, tell them,” she says. “You can do this in a session, over an email, or however you typically communicate with your therapist.”
Remember: There is no right or wrong way to do therapy, Wright says. The best decision is the one that’s best for you.
Sara Radin is a writer and publicist based in Philadelphia. Her writing on internet trends, style, youth culture, mental health, wellness culture, and identity has been published by The New York Times, Glamour, Self, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Allure, PS, and many others.
