Psychotherapist reveals why therapy might be doing you more harm than good
Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert argues that modern therapy, by focusing heavily on identity politics, may be increasing anxiety rather than alleviating it. He contends that framing personal issues through race, gender, and oppression can alienate patients and detract from effective treatment. In his book 'Therapy Nation,' Alpert warns that this shift risks making therapy less about individual healing and more about ideological agendas.
- ▪Jonathan Alpert has been a psychotherapist for decades and is the author of 'Therapy Nation: How America Got Hooked on Therapy and Why It’s Left Us More Anxious and Divided.'
- ▪He claims that many therapists now prioritize discussions of race, gender, and oppression over addressing patients' specific psychological concerns.
- ▪Alpert describes a case where a woman seeking help for driving anxiety was instead questioned about her identity and political issues, leaving her more distressed.
- ▪He acknowledges therapy's past failures in addressing cultural context but warns that the corrective shift has gone too far in some areas.
- ▪Therapist training programs increasingly emphasize social justice frameworks, which may lead to overemphasizing identity and power dynamics in treatment.
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Opinion Psychotherapist reveals why therapy might be doing you more harm than good By Jonathan Alpert Published May 16, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ET Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert claims modern therapy, focused on identity politics, harms patients. Alpert says therapists increasingly frame patient issues through race, gender, and oppression. He argues therapy’s focus on identity, once a correction, now makes patients more anxious. Jonathan Alpert has been a psychotherapist for decades, but in his new book, he questions whether his profession is doing some people more harm than good.
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