I can see where questions of values is vital to the issue of trust: for example, if I wanted to discuss being sexually abused by a priest my therapists relationship with Catholicism is probably pertinent!
Exactly. It’s absurd to expect your therapist to agree with you on every issue. If that were the case, what would even be the point of seeing them? But it’s completely reasonable to expect your therapist to not have characteristics that are too closely aligned with your own personal trauma or other major issues.
For many liberals, a Trump supporter would be problematic right now.
We may have different definitions of “supporters”. I regularly play bridge with Republicans. I would guess they all voted for Trump, thinking him better than the alternative. Only one of them is a “Trump supporter”. The others despise Trump, and were shocked and saddened that he won the primary 4 years ago.
None of them are the sort of person who would become a therapist, but I can relax with them, and know they are basically decent people who share most of my values. The one guy who is actually a Trump supporter is a different story.
Have you ever been to therapy?
Because they could try lying. But most people can tell when they are being lied to, especially when it would have to happen over and over as they discuss the topic.
The first half of therapy is basically building trust and a rapport so that you can then get down to addressing things. If that trust can’t be gained, the therapy fails. It’s why disorders that are naturally distrustful are some of the hardest to treat, only possibly beaten by those who won’t accept anything is wrong.
All it would take is for one person to figure out the therapist is lying, and they’d be unable to help anyone.
And that’s without getting into the problems with Trump supporters: they tend to either be very hateful people, or very credulous and easily conned. Any therapist who couldn’t see that Trump has the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and is a harm to himself and others is one that I couldn’t trust to be able to not be tricked by me when I inevitably try to get out of doing what I need to do.
My question is, how did you spot the credulous hateful therapists before Trump?
Before Trump, I wasn’t concerned about credulous hate. Now I am.
Now that the horse has left the barn. Lol.
Trust me, people weren’t having this issue when Jerry Ford was President.
Uh, trust me some people were. A light pop reference: BlackkKlansman was set in Ford’s time.
Lol, your cite is a 2018 movie which was set in 1975?
Color me convinced!
A light pop reference isn’t a cite. Chillax, dude.
If you want to debate morality of Trump supporters, go here:
Otherwise, you’re just hijacking this topic which is, again, about how to address value systems with therapists, especially if those value systems are something you wish to discuss in your sessions.
I’m not interested in debating that and I haven’t done that here. I just pointed out that maybe you didn’t have to deal with credulous hate back in the 70s, but “people” did. And then you argue about it?
In the words of P.J. O’Rourke regarding Hillary Clinton: “She may be wrong, but she’s wrong within normal parameters.”
And ISTM that some here may be getting hung up on the specific matter of Trump support qua Trump support, as opposed to the more general case of wondering if the therapist (or consultant, or accountant or legal counsel) has a vision of the world that means the two of you may not even share a “common language” as to what is the reality that is causing your emotional strain address the validity of that strain. That is a valid matter to consider, and “Trump support” serves as a shorthand example of such a case. (FWIW so could “Sovereign Citizen”, if you asked me)
Add me to those who applaud susan’s approach and would greatly respect running into a professional who applies it.
I was 8 in 1975.
Then why in the world did you bring it up?
Look, I am not arguing that you should let it slide if your therapist is a hateful idiot. I get that “Trump supporter” is shorthand for that. I’m not sure it’s the healthiest shorthand.
It’s you who is squirming. Trump is hardly charmain Mao, even if you disagree with his policies.
It isn’t like there’s a plethora of opposition to Trump who have a good chance of getting in to office and being able to change things. Biden or any other politician are not squeaky clean. Look at
Do all your friends have the same leanings and opinions as you? Are you that much of a child?
Says some drive-by rando who is so disturbed by how I choose to spend my money that he popped into this thread just to tell me that Trump isn’t that bad and Biden isn’t that good.
Thanks for proving my point.
Modnote: This last bit is too much. Don’t insult other posters. Don’t be a jerk. Don’t repeat.
This is just a guidance, not a warning. Nothing on your permanent record.
Neither are ‘bad’ or ‘good’. It’s not as if with one party, minimum wage goes up 300% with every worker entitled to a free shiatzu in the morning. Peoples lives in developed countries aren’t often fundamentally, or at all, different under any of the major parties.
A therapist may have any number of of reasons to vote for any candidate, no therapist in the world agrees with every opinion of every person they see. Same with anyone in any position.
Every country has had a different covid strategy, Sweden tried herd immunity, is every Swede who supported that policy a scumbag as well?
I made the point exactly for that reason, because the original question may as well have been ‘every trump fan bad, agree with me’?
What was the point of that reply?