Silence Isn’t Neutral: Why Therapists Need to Share Their Values.

By Allison Summer, LPC | Specializing in OCD & Eating Disorders

Dear Therapists,

This is a tender and complicated moment to be practicing mental health care.

The world is loud. Policies are changing. Rights feel uncertain. Fear, grief, anger, and exhaustion are walking into our offices every day—sometimes spoken, often not.

And many therapists are asking the same question quietly to themselves:

Is it appropriate for me to share where I stand on what’s happening in the world?

Let me be clear about what this is not.

This is not about turning therapy sessions into political debates.

This is not about imposing beliefs onto clients.

This is not about pressuring clients to agree with you.

This is about safety. Transparency. Ethics. And trust.

Therapy Is Not Neutral—And It Never Has Been

We’re often taught that “neutrality” is the gold standard in therapy. But neutrality does not exist in a vacuum.

The moment we diagnose, document, assess risk, or decide what gets written in a chart—we are operating within systems that hold power. Legal systems. Medical systems. Government systems.

When clients are worried about:

• Being reported

• Being judged

• Having their words documented in ways that could harm them

• Being misunderstood or unsafe due to identity, immigration status, reproductive choices, gender, or political climate

“Neutrality” can feel indistinguishable from silence—and silence can feel like danger.

Silence Has Consequences—Including Lost Care

Here’s the part we don’t say out loud often enough:

When therapists don’t speak up—when values are unclear or intentionally hidden—many clients simply don’t seek care at all.

They don’t ask questions.

They don’t risk a consultation.

They don’t explain their fears.

They quietly decide:

“It’s safer not to go.”

For clients who already feel vulnerable, surveilled, or at risk, uncertainty can be enough to keep them from reaching out. And that means people who need support most are choosing between their mental health and their sense of safety.

That isn’t a failure of the client.

It’s a gap in accessibility.

Visibility doesn’t just help clients choose you—it helps them choose treatment.

Public Values ≠ Clinical Boundary Violations

Sharing your values publicly—on your website, social media, or professional platforms—is not the same as disclosing them in session.

In fact, it can protect the therapeutic relationship.

When clients can see where you stand before they reach out, they can make informed decisions about entering your space. That reduces harm for everyone.

You are not obligated to share everything.

You are not required to disclose party affiliation.

You are not responsible for being perfectly aligned with every client.

But naming your stance on human rights, dignity, autonomy, and safety helps clients answer a crucial question:

“Will I be safe here?”

For Many Clients, This Isn’t “Politics”

For marginalized clients, current events are not abstract debates. They are lived realities.

What feels like “politics” to one person can feel like:

• Survival

• Access to care

• Bodily autonomy

• Family safety

• Legal risk

• Existential threat

Clients are already scanning for cues—your language, your intake forms, your silence, your marketing—to determine whether they will be believed or harmed.

When nothing is said, clients often assume the worst—because the cost of being wrong is too high.

Transparency Builds Trust—Not Bias

Some therapists worry:

• “What if I alienate potential clients?”

• “What if I’m accused of being biased?”

• “What if this is seen as unprofessional?”

But transparency doesn’t eliminate clients—it filters for fit.

And fit matters.

Clients deserve to know if a therapist’s values fundamentally clash with their safety or lived experience. That’s not unethical—it’s respectful.

Ethical care isn’t about pleasing everyone.

It’s about practicing with integrity and reducing harm.

You Don’t Have to Say Everything—But Saying 

Something

 Matters

This can be as simple as:

• Naming your commitment to anti-oppression and client autonomy

• Clarifying your stance on reporting, documentation, and confidentiality

• Stating your values around dignity, equity, and justice

• Letting clients know you are aware of the current climate and its impact on mental health

You’re not required to be loud.

You’re not required to be online constantly.

You’re not required to educate or debate.

But letting clients know where you stand can be the difference between someone reaching out—or suffering in silence.

Therapy Spaces Should Not Require Guessing

Clients should not have to wonder:

• Will this therapist judge me?

• Will what I say be used against me?

• Will I have to educate my therapist just to feel safe?

• Is silence here protection—or avoidance?

When we share our values thoughtfully and publicly, we reduce fear before the first session ever begins.

And when fear is reduced, access to care increases.

A Final Word to Therapists

You are allowed to be a clinician and a human.

You are allowed to care about the world your clients live in.

You are allowed to say, “I stand for safety, dignity, and humanity.”

Because for some clients, knowing that may be the reason they seek therapy at all.

And that, too, is ethical care.

Allison Summer

LPC | OCD & Eating Disorder Specialist

A Brighter Day Wellness