Episode Details
Back to EpisodesThe Political Bias of Mental Healthcare | The Gaslit Truth Podcast with Ryan Rogers, Dr Teralyn Sell and Therapist Jenn Schmitz
Description
The Gaslit Truth Podcast is hosted by Dr. Teralyn Sell and Therapist Jenn Schmitz, where they examine mental health myths, psychiatric medication harm, therapy culture, informed consent and brain-based healing.
In this episode, Dr. Teralyn Sell and Therapist Jenn Schmitz sit down with author and clinician Ryan Rogers to discuss political bias within therapy and trace how graduate programs, professional culture, and social media turned “therapy as activism” into a norm—and why that trade-off leaves people in pain without the skills they need.
From classrooms that replace modality training with slogans, to ethical “safety” claims used as weapons, we examine how politics in the therapy room narrows access, inflates labels like trauma and gaslighting, and distracts from the daily work of recovery.
Ryan shares personal stories of being “gaslit” in school, where neutrality was dismissed and advocacy was framed as the real treatment. We contrast that mindset with the realities of addiction, suicidality, and severe mental illness, where clients need concrete interventions: motivational interviewing, ACT values work, behavioral activation, risk assessment, and careful deprescribing. We talk about the intersectionality hierarchy that subtly teaches clinicians to treat clients unequally, and the online culture that encourages clients to choose therapists by party affiliation instead of competence.
Across the hour, we keep pulling the focus back to the here-and-now. Limit the doomscrolling that fuels panic. Ask what’s in your control today. Use precise language so diagnoses guide care instead of becoming weapons. And recover the old but vital stance of therapeutic neutrality: a disciplined, curious, client-led posture that serves change rather than signaling virtue. If you’ve felt the profession drift from evidence toward performance, this conversation offers clarity, language, and tools to re-center the work.
Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to help more people find honest, skills-first mental health conversations. Got a story or question? Email thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com and let us know what you want us to tackle next.
We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.
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