Should You Talk Politics with Your Psychotherapy Clients?
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With all the scrutiny and debate over this year’s presidential election, politics are probably near the top of your clients’ minds. Some may even want to discuss their views with you.
Should you engage in that discussion? Or should you divert it to another topic?
How discussing politics could be helpful
Though discussing your client’s political views may be uncomfortable, there are situations in which discussing them could be a good idea.
Joining with the client
Jim Jonas, LICSW, LMFT and founder of BreezyNotes EHR and The Jonas Center, has used short political discussions as a joining technique at times when the client has initiated the conversation. Having a similar discussion could allow you to learn about the client’s worldview. At the same time, discussing these personal views can strengthen the therapeutic relationship and make the client feel more comfortable.
Discussing an issue that affects the client
It could also be a good idea to discuss social or political issues that have a significant effect on your client’s mental health.
For instance, Gena Golden, LCSW, LHT advised fellow therapists to engage with their African-American clients after a recent police shooting of an unarmed black man: “If your clients can’t or won’t open up to share with you… don’t assume that all is well. It is very likely that they are impacted and are experiencing deep pain that should not be overlooked.”
Another example could be one brought up by Richard Brouillette, LCSW. He wrote in the New York Times about how therapists should be more willing to discuss how poverty and other environmental factors affect their clients. “If the patient describes a nearly unbearable work situation, the therapist will tend to focus on the nature of the patient’s response to the situation, implicitly treating the situation itself as unchangeable… But an untenable or unjust environment is not always just a fact of life, and therapists need to consider how to talk about that explicitly.”
The bottom line: If you find a situation where discussing your client’s political views would have a therapeutic benefit, follow your instincts and when in doubt, seek consultation.
What to watch out for
But, there are also some circumstances and techniques you should be cautious of before engaging in a political discussion.
Falling for power plays
The therapeutic relationship contains an unequal power dynamic, with the client revealing many things to you and you revealing little to them. So, discussing politics may be used by clients to gain some of that power back.
How could this work? Jim says clients may use a political discussion to:
- Trick you into revealing your own views
- Elicit an emotional response to their views
- Prove they know more about a political issue than you do
If this is the case, then the discussion could damage the therapeutic relationship and should probably be avoided.
Bringing up politics yourself
In most cases, it is probably best to avoid bringing up politics yourself. However, exceptions exist, such as the above example about African-American clients and police shootings. In cases like that, the client may be unwilling to bring the issue up with you for a number of reasons. For their sake, you need to raise the issue.
Making evaluative statements
Should you ever challenge or affirm a client’s political views?
Many therapists would say no, that it could damage your relationship with them. Jim Jonas is in that camp.
Still, some others would say that good can come out of challenging a client’s attitudes. For instance, a group called “Citizen Therapists” features numerous therapists publicly decrying the advent of so-called “Trumpism.” Even within that group, though, therapists such as Julie Gottman do not seek to influence their clients’ political views. At the same time, Terry Real has decided to challenge “abusive” elements of Trumpism that he notices in his clients.
The most important thing to keep in mind
As with all decisions you make when practicing therapy, the most important consideration is this: Is there a therapeutic benefit to discussing politics with this client? If not, then you should absolutely avoid the topic. But if you think that discussing politics could make a positive difference for the client, you should consider doing that.
Do you think this is the wrong conclusion? Do you have an example of when discussing politics would be helpful? Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+!