Was having a conversation with a lady-friend yesterday and, in the course of the discussion, the above question was raised.
She thought it doesn’t matter. Me, it goes to values. And, as I told her, I have little desire to see any doctor who voted for a COVID mitigation strategy which, at the time of the vote, was expected to kill another 1-3 million fellow citizens. Seems to be a violation of the hippocratic oath.
What say you? If you’re looking for a therapist (and in my mind, I’m picturing laying on the couch ‘I need to tell you about my traumatic week’ therapy not ‘my adderall prescrip needs refilling’ therapy, if this helps), how close to your value system do you want your therapist to be?
(Slightly different question than in the OP title, true. Deal. )
I’ve found that conservatives - even Trump supporters - can compartmentalize their professional practice (whatever it might be) from their political beliefs. I wouldn’t automatically reject someone who’s a Trump voter. However, if I were to find them on FB, twitter, or Parler and learn that they’re full-on MAGA…then yes, that would be a corker for me.
I think that’s perfectly fine to ask that. You want a therapist that shares your values. I would think though, that most therapists, being in a profession that requires a fair amount of intelligence and empathy, would not be trump supporters. But maybe that’s just my biased thinking.
I’m not personally sure that their beliefs are any of my concern. What matters is what happens in session. I wouldn’t need to know if my plumber was a Trump supporter and I don’t see a need to concern myself with the views of my health care expert/therapist. If the sessions go well and they provide useful feedback and tools then they are enough of a professional to set your needs above their political views. All is right with the world.
Just before I read this I was thinking about something along the same lines. I’m not planning on seeing a therapist about something on my mind, but if I did, I don’t think I would see someone local - Trump country. This isn’t it, but if I were going to come out as gay, I wouldn’t go to a therapist that is likely to be a member of the local Southern Baptist church.
“Therapist” is a broad title. The odds of a legitimate one being a Trump supporter are not zero, but probably approach it.
It wouldn’t be a good idea to ask one if he/she was a Trumpite. They’d probably raise an eyebrow, say “what do you mean by that?” and start working up an unfavorable diagnosis.
I don’t discuss politics with my clinician. I couldn’t tell you what her values are in that area. They have nothing to do with her helping me do whatever cognitive work I am or will be doing after the session.
However, rapport is important for working with a professional like a therapist. If this knowledge prevents you from feeling comfortable with that person and willing to be open to them, then you should find another therapist that you can be comfortable with.
Lol, I would ask prior to making the appointment, tbh.
To Asahi’s point, I wouldn’t care if my World Famous Oncologist, Dr. Miracle Worker, is a Trump supporter. But my therapist? I think that’s a different sort of decision.
We’re not talking about what people think about tax policy or how to fix the healthcare system. This is not within the range of normal political differences for people with a sound grasp on reality. Perhaps living with this for 4 years has distorted your perspective on the range of normal human behavior. Anyone who is a Trump supporter is either malicious or literally delusional. Neither of those traits are acceptable in a mental health professional.
I have never inquired as to my dentist’s or plumber’s politics, and unless they insist on bringing it up for some reason while doing work for me, I don’t care if they support trump.
But my mental health professional, for talk therapy? Yeah, i need to find someone who shares my values for that. And that means they didn’t support trump.
I fired my window washer this past summer after he went on a anti-Democrat rant in front of me. He also believed Trump should be our president for life. I asked for a bill for the work he had accomplished up to that point, paid him, and asked him to leave my property. I told him that he should avoid politics when talking to customers, especially one that plans on running for governor of our state in 2024*.
I would have fired him too. I also would fired him if he had went on an Anti-Trump rant. If I am paying someone to do a job I want them to do the job not listen to a political screed.
IMHO you need to be able to shut it off and work a job without getting in to politics. Your employer should have no idea what your political affiliation is. And vice versa of course, employers should not impose their political beliefs on their employees.
Sorry, no, there’s no way in hell I’d share my innermost secrets with someone who has questionable values and a dubious grasp on reality.
For everyone else, it’s more of a boycott issue than a trust issue. I don’t press anybody on their political beliefs, but if I hear them start carping about the government banning incandescent light bulbs, or make a prounoun joke, they’re fired as soon as practicable. Those dumb chuds aren’t going to make a livelihood out of my pocket. Already fired a dentist and an electrician over it.
I’d had a therapist (LFMT in my state) who was quite conservative and a super nice guy. When we started a session we’d socialize for a bit, and needle each other in a good natured way. It was actually pleasant to hear his views; who wants to know only people who agree with you? That’s boring.
Then during the Trump years he got a bit worse and ranted a bit in a session in a way I wasn’t comfortable with (plus he’s using up my billable time with this shit) so I stopped seeing him. But before it got like that he was great therapist and his politics mattered little to doing the job. I saw him for years and he quite helpful, until.
Yeah, let’s be clear here - the question isn’t about people who are normal conservatives in touch with reality. That is to say, “normal” in the sense of what it means to have conservative views in most of the rest of the world, or in the U.S. prior to recent history. It’s specifically about Trump supporters.
Let’s also be clear that someone who voted for Trump isn’t necessarily a crazy asshole, they’re voting for the ( R ) after the name as they have for years or decades.
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