Politics, Therapy, and the Responsibility of Clinical Neutrality

for clients for therapists

A reflection for therapists — and for the clients we serve.

A recent Wall Street Journal article, “Politics Makes for Bad Therapy,” raised a difficult but necessary concern: when therapists allow their own political biases to shape the clinical space, clients can leave feeling more anxious, more depressed, or subtly pressured.

Whether one agrees fully with the article or not, it surfaces an important professional question:

What is our responsibility as therapists in politically charged times?

To My Colleagues: The Room Is Not About Us

We are human beings before we are clinicians.
We hold values. We have lived experiences. We care deeply about justice, safety, and the well-being of vulnerable communities.

And yet, the therapy room is not our platform.

It is not our classroom.
It is not our advocacy stage.
It is not our social media feed.

It is a clinical space designed for one purpose: the psychological safety and growth of the client in front of us.

When we allow our personal political identities—whether subtly or overtly—to shape the environment, we risk narrowing that space. Even small cues can communicate alignment or judgment. Clients may:

Filter their thoughts.
Avoid disagreement.
Over-accommodate.
Or feel quietly unseen.

None of that fosters healing.

Advocacy and Neutrality Are Not Opposites

We have an ethical obligation to protect vulnerable populations.
We have a professional duty to confront harm and uphold human dignity.

But advocacy in society and neutrality in the clinical room are not contradictions.

Clinical neutrality does not mean moral indifference.
It means disciplined containment.

It means we hold the frame steady so that:

A client who agrees with us feels safe.
A client who disagrees with us also feels safe.

Both deserve competent care.
Both deserve dignity.

The Subtle Ways Bias Shows Up

Bias rarely enters therapy in obvious ways. It often appears as:

Pathologizing certain beliefs.
Over-validating clients who share our worldview.
Avoiding topics that activate us.
Assuming distress is caused by one political narrative over another.

The work is not to eliminate bias.
The work is to know ourselves well enough to bracket it.

That requires humility, consultation, and ongoing self-examination.

For Potential Clients Reading This

If you are considering therapy, you deserve a space where you can speak openly — without fear of being recruited, corrected, or judged for your political identity.

Therapy should not increase your anxiety because you are wondering what your therapist believes.
It should not feel like you are being evaluated for your worldview.

A strong therapeutic relationship allows room for complexity. You can explore:

Your fears.
Your anger.
Your confusion.
Your uncertainty.
Your convictions.

Without being shamed for them.

Strength in Containment

True clinical strength is not loud. It is steady.

It looks like:

Regulating ourselves before responding.
Asking curious questions instead of persuasive ones.
Holding boundaries even when cultural pressure pushes us to signal alignment.

The therapy room may be one of the last places where genuine psychological safety can still exist across differences.

That matters.

Final Reflection

We can stand in the gap for vulnerable communities.
We can advocate outside the therapy room.
We can remain grounded and neutral inside it.

These are not opposing commitments.
They are complementary responsibilities.

As therapists, our role is not to shape clients into versions of ourselves.
Our role is to help them become more integrated, regulated, and whole — on their own terms.

And for clients seeking care:
You deserve a space wide enough to hold you exactly as you are.