therapy is political
TLDR: Therapy work is political. We, as human beings, are political. Politics is baked into everything we do.
If you have been on this website for just a little bit, you will see that I have a few flags relevant to the political issues of our county on the footer of every page of this website.
Some people might say, “Isn’t therapy supposed to be a safe space?” Or “Can’t this be a politics free zone?” In this article, I will try to explain my reasoning behind why I invite my clients to bring politics into the therapy room. If you read this far and realized that you are not ok with where this conversation is going, I invite you to stop reading and take care of yourself.
What do I mean when I say “Political”
Freedman and Combs gave the example of two people who are responsible for recreating the world. One generation in they may say “This is how we decided to do this”, the next generation “This is how our elders do it.” and by the third generation it will be “This is how it’s done.” and eventually “This is the way the world is; this is reality.” [p. 23]**
Politics is baked into our society whether we want to engage in those conversations or not, and has shaped what we consider to be reality. If we look at what is present in our society just through a political conflict lens, we can list the following*: weekends without work, FMLA, paid vacation, 8 hours work day, ADA laws, women rights, civil rights etc. It’s important to note that all of the things listed are now recognized as reality and things that improve society. It is also important to note that these things have never been freely given to us, instead required collective community demanding and pressuring those in power to give us these rights.
To be political means to be willing to engage in conflict of ideas and framing of the past, present, and future.
To be political is also recognizing ways in which those who have powers in our county have shaped and indirectly affected our day to day lives for the better or worse. And how they have persuaded us to see these things as unchangeable truths. When the reality is that so much suffering is man made, and within their control: war in the middle east, exclusion of people who don’t ascribe to a certain male/female identities, the racial systems that black and brown Americans must live in etc.
SO what does that mean for therapy?
I want to make it clear that, although I am passionate about politics, you will not hear me talk about which candidate I’m going to vote for etc, because in the therapy room - it isn’t about me. YOU are the main focus. A safe space is a space free of my judgement, but it is not politically free.
In therapy, I will invite you to think about the dominant story: where that message is coming from, and where that dominate story may no longer serve you.
In a lot of the clients that have seen me through the years, I would say that the hardest part of therapy is supporting the client to see ways in which they have been recruited to internalize systemic issues. That there is something wrong within themselves because they could not “pull themself up from the boostraps.”
If I didn’t recognize ways in which politics has made it harder for people to even pull themself up, I may unduly support the problem story; that the only person responsible for your current life is you, that you are the problem.
You are NOT the problem.
If we can hold onto this idea of politics, as we engage in conversations about the problems, instead of naming worry, or sadness, laziness, we might name the problem “Poverty.”
And if we name the problem Poverty this might lead us to having more meaningful conversations about what responsibilities belong to you and what you have been recruited to go along with. About how yes you had a role to play in how Poverty has affected your life, but also how society has recruited you to believe that a minimum wage job should still only be $7.25. Why it’s hard to get ahead even with hardwork etc. Why there is very little social safety nets.
Therapy work is political. We, as human beings, are political.
Again, if we know that nothing we take as truths now were ever given freely but demanded, then you know that when you want to do something about the problems in your life (when you want to change the status quo) - you will need to engage in some form of conflict, and you will definitely need to demand it. But know that you don’t have to do this alone, change in the therapy room is a community effort.
*https://www.seiu521.org/521-news/36-reasons-to-thank-your-union/
** Narrative Therapy; The Social Construction of Preferred Realities - Freedman & Combs
Nyob Zoo (Hello)
I am a therapist, based out of Milwaukee, WI. My work is informed by the Narrative Therapy perspective. I believe that the stories we tell ourselves are an essential part of working through the problems in our lives. If you resonated with anything written here and want to connect, please feel free to reach out to me via my contact page.
- Bao