When politics and therapy collide, how do you know if it's a deal breaker?
A therapist's guide to navigating different political views in the therapy room...
Your Trauma Therapist by Lauren Auer, LCPC is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
My phone lit up with another thoughtful message in my social media inbox: "I have a legitimate question..." the message began. As I read through their words, I felt a familiar tug at my heart. Since the presidential election season began heating up, I've received dozens of similar messages, all wrestling with the same core question: What do we do when we discover our therapist holds different political views than we do?
This particular message stood out. The writer had been seeing their therapist for seven years, building trust, doing deep healing work. Then, during a recent session while discussing the election, something shifted. Their therapist "said a lot without saying a lot," leaving them with an unsettling feeling - that pit in your stomach when something feels off but you can't quite name why.
I'm also hearing from folks who find themselves in a different position - sitting across from their therapist week after week, realizing they have no idea where their therapist stands politically. "Is it okay to ask?" they wonder. "Should I know? Does it matter?"
The thing about therapy is that it's not just about having someone listen to us - it's about feeling truly seen, understood, and held in our full experience. For some of my clients, not knowing their therapist's political views feels like a blind spot in an otherwise transparent relationship. For others, that very neutrality creates a freedom to explore their own beliefs without influence.
As both a therapist and someone who's been in therapy, I understand the particular complexity of these situations. It's like finding out your trusted guide on a challenging journey might be reading a different map than you, or perhaps keeping their map hidden altogether.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and here's what I want you to know:
First, your unease - whether from knowing or not knowing - makes complete sense. Politics isn't just about policy preferences - it often connects to our deepest values, our sense of justice, and our vision for what makes a good society. When we learn our therapist sees these things differently, it's natural to question whether they can truly understand and support us.
The impact of political differences in therapy isn't universal. For some people, aligned political views are essential for feeling safe and understood. For others, different perspectives don't significantly impact the therapeutic work. And for many, not knowing their therapist's views allows for a unique kind of emotional freedom.
If you're wondering about your therapist's political views, it's worth exploring why this matters to you. Are you seeking reassurance about being understood? Are there specific topics you want to discuss that feel politically charged? Sometimes the desire to know comes from a deeper need for safety or understanding in the therapeutic relationship.
And yes, you can ask your therapist about their political views. However, know that different therapists handle this question differently, for various therapeutic reasons. Some might share openly, believing transparency serves the therapeutic relationship. Others might gently turn the question back to explore what knowing means for you. Neither approach is inherently right or wrong - it's about what best serves your therapeutic work.
What matters most is how these differences or uncertainties show up in your therapy. Ask yourself:
·       Do you feel judged or invalidated when discussing experiences that touch on political issues?
·       Are you censoring important parts of your story?
·       Has your therapist's competence in helping you with past challenges been affected by their views?
·       Can you still be fully authentic in your sessions?
A skilled therapist should be able to:
·       Set aside personal views to focus entirely on your experience
·       Maintain professional boundaries regardless of political beliefs
·       Help you explore your own values without imposing theirs
·       Create a non-judgmental space for all aspects of your identity
If you're wrestling with this, you have options. You might choose to:
·       Have an open conversation with your therapist about why their political views feel important to know
·       Explore what meaning you make of either knowing or not knowing
·       Take time to evaluate whether uncertainty impacts your therapeutic goals
·       Consider whether this difference or uncertainty might actually offer opportunities for growth
·       Seek consultation with another therapist if needed
I recently sat with a client who decided to ask me directly about my political views. Instead of answering immediately, I asked what knowing meant for them. What followed was a rich discussion about their fear of being judged for their beliefs, stemming from early experiences of political conflict in their family. The conversation became less about my personal views and more about creating safety for their full self-expression.
Another client chose to transition to a new therapist, sharing that for her work around racial trauma, having a therapist who deeply understood her political perspective was essential. Both choices were valid.
There's no universal right answer here. The question isn't simply whether your therapist's politics differ from yours or remain unknown, but how those differences or uncertainties impact your ability to feel safe, understood, and supported in your healing journey.
Trust yourself to know what you need. If political alignment is essential for your therapeutic work, that's valid. If you can maintain a strong therapeutic relationship despite differences or unknowns, that's valid too.
Whether you know your therapist's political views or not, what matters most is that therapy remains a space where you feel free to bring your whole self - including your political beliefs, concerns, and questions. Sometimes not knowing everything about our therapist creates helpful space for our own exploration. Other times, knowing helps us feel more secure.
Your healing journey is yours to navigate. Trust that you know what kind of support you need along the way.
Your Trauma Therapist by Lauren Auer, LCPC is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.