One egregious trend in our current politicised therapy professions is the apparent widespread acceptance of discrimination and prejudice under the banner of DEI. Dr Sally Satel, a member and long time friend of CTA, has just published a wide ranging essay on the way that antisemitism seems to have become established in the psychotherapy field (see her earlier piece about the blacklisting of Jewish clinicians). CTA has been tracking these developments – see Prof Jon Mills podcast discussion about antisemitism in psychoanalysis. We have now even reached the point where one of the world’s foremost professional therapy bodies, the American Psychological Association, is in the first stages of being investigated by the U.S. government on charges of antisemitism.
Sally reminds us of the history of psychoanalysis developed within the antisemetic context of Austria. She reviews the different ways in which antisemitism is manifesting currently in the therapy field, noting its escalation since the October 7th 2023 Hamas attack. The paper ends on the following somber and rueful note:
“Surely, there remain therapists who are emotionally mature—they may even
represent the majority of seasoned professionals. Trust has nonetheless been
resoundingly damaged on several fronts: among colleagues in the field, among
colleagues and their professional organizations, and between patients and
therapists. Today, Jewish and Zionist individuals who seek psychological care must search carefully for an experienced therapist who, no matter his or her politics, will regard the patient, foremost, as a fellow human who is suffering.”
We encourage viewers to read the full essay here.
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