Few people today would deny that the overall mental state of our country is fragile. Stories about shooters, stabbers, and rioters are filled with deeply disturbed people. The most alarming problem, however, is that some therapy professionals worsen their mental health. 

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Graphic: Book cover screen grab

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In his book, Therapy Nation: How America Got Hooked on Therapy and Why It's Left Us More Anxious and Divided--psychoanalyst Jonathan Alpert explains how we’ve found ourselves in this predicament. Alpert focuses on not only the lack of skills of the therapists and what they provide (or don’t provide) to their patients, but also the misunderstandings and attitudes that patients bring to therapy. 

“Too often, the therapist’s own need to feel important, agreed with, or in control overshadows what the patient needs. When the provider-patient dynamic becomes this muddled, you have to wonder: Who is really the patient? The true purpose of therapy—teaching people to face life head-on and grow stronger—is being drowned out by wallowing, grievance, and fear. This isn’t just bad for patients. It’s bad for the profession. And it’s bad for America.”

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Alpert describes social justice warrior-therapists. There is no research that shows that this approach actually works, but that doesn’t stop them. They insist on “overtherapizing,” showing the patient how they must free themselves from their grievances, although they never give them the tools to do so:

“Regardless of whether someone is struggling to communicate with their spouse or face a difficult situation at work, these social justice therapists continually steer in-therapy conversations toward race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, ability, religion, and other identities. The goal: Force clients to awaken to their privileged or oppressed status.”

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According to these therapists, oppressors are straight white males, and the oppressed are black patients (even though they may not feel race is an issue for them).

Some therapists think their role is to simply be a sounding board, to listen to the patient’s grievances. Listening is certainly part of the process, but does nothing to empower the patient:

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“In these overly affirming sessions, if the patient thinks someone is a narcissist, the therapist agrees. If the patient believes their workplace is toxic, the therapist nods in support. If the patient claims they had an abusive childhood, the therapist buys into the narrative, hook, line, and sinker. If the patient adopts a victim mentality, the therapist reinforces it, fueling the victim narrative that has come to define much of modern therapy culture.”

The therapist might even insist that patients work with them for an indefinite period, even years, or they will otherwise encounter disaster. Perhaps even worse, people are diagnosing themselves. They have picked up on therapeutic jargon, watched podcasts or visited websites that profess to understand every psychological problem imaginable, and decide which diagnosis best fits them:

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“According to some estimates, one in four people have self-diagnosed… with a condition with the support of Google. Fewer than half have followed up with a medical professional to check to see if their diagnosis is accurate. [snip]

Students, in particular, will seek out these therapists, claim to have a ‘diagnosed’ cognitive or psychological disability, and ask the therapist to write a letter recommending a list of needed accommodation; these therapists will recommend students be offered any or all of the following: •Extra time to take tests •The ability to turn in work late without being penalized •The ability to not participate in class discussions •The need for a private note taker to assist the student in class.”

Especially intriguing factors are the perceptions of many on the Left. They believe their problems originate outside themselves: people in their lives are toxic or have caused them trauma. We see some of these in response to ICE agents. Although Alpert points out that both the Left and Right name-call, the Left tends to demonize the Right, calling them Nazis and hatemongers. Often, the Left sees themselves as helpless victims:

“A common thread runs through their stories. They saw themselves as victims. In some cases, grievance may have begun with a real slight or disappointment, a moment when they felt ignored, rejected, or powerless. But by fixating on that sense of injustice, they inflated it into identity. They came to believe they had nothing left to lose and that violence would even the score.”

Alpert tells patients, or those who may become patients, what to expect from therapy:

“Come prepared to be open and candid in sharing your concerns; apply what you’ve learned outside the therapy session, since that is the only way you can integrate the strategies into your everyday life; stay open to being challenged, because a therapist needs to challenge you in areas where you may be stuck; be honest if the therapist says something that doesn’t sit well with you; and finally, set clear goals—what do you hope will change?”

If those in need of help are to become healthier, they need to commit to a therapy that will help them reflect on their thinking, help to empower them, and eventually provide enough healing to send them happily on their way.