What’s in your bio as a therapist may not seem all that important. It’s your bio, right? You might think that the way you describe yourself just conveys your therapeutic style and your openness to people of diverse backgrounds. But what if I told you that your therapy bio may signal your beliefs in advance and turn away clients from many walks of life.
Over the last several years, the field of psychology has been reshaped by a range of ideological and cultural commitments. While often well-intentioned, these shifts have also altered how the public perceives our profession, and our behaviors don’t always create a welcoming picture. In some cases, therapists may be unintentionally signaling who their therapy is for – and who it is not.
It is no secret that the field of psychology leans disproportionately to the political left. In fact, to name it these days is almost to recite a cliché to those already in “the know.” One consequence of this has been the normalized politicization of our work, and socio-cultural homogeneity – coupled now by rising groups of conservative leaning therapists attempting to fill in the gaps that have been created by the field.
However, the issue is not necessarily the specific political orientations of clinicians, per se. Some evidence suggests that political self-disclosure can be helpful in some cases. Rather, it is the lack of concern or awareness for what they are signaling to potential clients in attempts to align their practices with their socio-cultural beliefs that are often associated with their personal-political leanings. Some of these signals are encouraged and popularized within the field and run the risk of telling a client that their views aren’t welcome.
Consider this, the common practice for therapists to include pronouns in their bios. This practice largely stems from what appears to be a consensus amongst cultural liaisons in mental health to promote a set of beliefs related to “inclusivity” and the LGBTQ+ community. To be fair a therapist’s intentions may be to signal inclusion to some, but they may also express exclusion to others by creating an implicit moral stance or fealty with associated cultural causes.
While this may not seem like an issue someone with differing views may not feel safe to open up entirely in therapy, which might lead to tactics that prevent meaningful change. For example, clients might engage in self-censorship, avoiding topics of importance that lead to dissatisfaction in relationships or even existential concerns about the world around them. Perhaps, the very reasons they have entered your door in the first place. And this has real implications, such as detrimental effects on feelings of belonging, increased self-judgment, and increased negative emotions.
Further, signaling any one cultural stance may stall the therapeutic process by creating an atmosphere that primes clients to talk about or avoid the signal affixed to therapists’ credentials. These signals may dissuade those with a variety of sensibilities from entering the therapy space altogether, in part, due to personal beliefs that appear to be consistent with cultural values. At a time when the Supreme Court of the United States is debating definitions of gender, sex, and pronouns, pronouns in one’s bios might demonstrate a stance and a distraction from topics that clients really wish to address. Therapists can benefit from being aware of cultural happenings. After all, the world outside often enters the therapy room. But therapists mustn’t become avatars for beliefs that form beyond that role.
This is not to say that therapists don’t have personal beliefs and preferences. Of course they do. A textbook or a decoration can signal some sort of disposition. However, there is a difference between a room decorated in warm colors, a fluffy pillow on the couch, calming focus points, and evidence of topics that are not up for disagreement. Let’s not create a room without oxygen.
And yet, many therapists appear to have been taught to do just that: to showcase their beliefs as evidence of moral alignment. Therapists often engage in activities that create clinical, and arguably, ethical risks that can plainly scare clients away before or even during the therapy process.
This is simply a question of what a therapist’s role is meant to be and the potential risks of signaling without caution. So, let’s bring the oxygen back in the room for a moment. Psychotherapy developed as a clinical practice centered on individual suffering. It was not intended to function as a platform for signaling personal positions on world events.
Therapy is an open process. Its focus shifts as different concerns emerge, rather than remaining fixed on a single issue, and it must consistently return to the client’s personal narrative. It’s a space where honest, purposeful dialogue can lead to meaningful change, and where the intention is to increase understanding and decrease feelings of judgment. Therapy is for everybody. If we are truly to take that seriously, then no signal need apply.
References
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Chaikin, A. L., Derlega, V. J., & Miller, S. J. (1976). Effects of room environment on self-disclosure in a counseling analogue. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 23(5), 479–481. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.23.5.479
Conservative Professionals. (2025, September 19). National Directory for Conservative Therapists & Mental Health Professionals. Conservative Therapists. https://www.conservativetherapists.com/
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Mather, R. D. (August 20, 2021). The therapist’s dilemma: Political neutrality or activism? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-conservative-social- psychologist/202108/the-therapists-dilemma-political-neutrality-or
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Redding, R. E., & Satel, S. (2023). Social justice in psychotherapy and beyond. In C. L. Frisby, R. E. Redding, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.), Ideological and political bias in psychology: Nature, scope, and solutions (pp. 513–540). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29148-7_19
Solomonov, & Barber, J. P. (2018). Patients’ perspectives on political self‐disclosure, the therapeutic alliance, and the infiltration of politics into the therapy room in the Trump era. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(5), 779–787. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22609
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By Michael Olan, PsyD, a Doctor of Psychology in clinical psychology and clinical associate based in Chicago, whose current focus is the negative impact of current ideological norms on the clinical relationship. Michael is a co-director of Critical Therapy Antidote.
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