Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ideology has spread through schools, universities, corporations, and government agencies, destroying excellence, integrity, and comity. Now, a new investigation shows that DEI has infected one of the most sensitive and important fields in America: mental healthcare.
Accuracy in Media recently released video footage (video #1; video #2) from the annual conference of the American Psychological Association (APA), the world's largest psychological association. The footage reveals that the nation's most influential psychology organization is prioritizing political activism over patient care.
The footage shows conference speakers advocating that psychologists use established therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to form better "white allies" and advance "antiracist" objectives in their practices. These therapies were developed to help patients overcome serious mental health challenges. DBT was originally designed to help patients suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder and other severe emotional difficulties, while CBT has become one of the most effective treatments for anxiety and depression.
Mental health professionals should not be repurposing clinical treatment tools into instruments of political and ideological advocacy.
Patients seek therapy because they are struggling. They are often experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, addiction, or relationship problems. They enter a therapist's office at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. They deserve care focused entirely on their well-being — not political instruction.
The APA isn’t a fringe group. With roughly 190,000 members, dozens of specialized divisions, and an annual budget approaching $134 million, it plays a major role in shaping the education, training, and professional standards of psychologists across the United States. Its influence reaches into universities, hospitals, clinics, private practices, and classrooms nationwide.
That is why the content revealed in the investigation is so concerning. And this situation is particularly alarming because the influence of these ideas does not end when a conference concludes.
Conference speakers hold positions as professors, researchers, and curriculum developers. The ideas they promote frequently go directly into university classrooms and professional training programs.
One speaker featured in the investigation, Dr. Yara Mekawi of the University of Louisville, discussed using therapeutic techniques to help "white allies overcome barriers." If such concepts are being incorporated into academic programs, taxpayers, legislators, and university leaders have every right to ask whether psychology education is focused on scientific inquiry and patient care or becoming a vehicle for political activism.
It’s not just patients that are victims of this malpractice. Students pursuing degrees in psychology, counseling, social work, and related fields should be able to earn a psychology degree by mastering science, ethics, and clinical skills — not by affirming a political worldview.
Political movements — whether from the Left or the Right — have no place directing clinical practice. Patients should never have to wonder whether their therapist sees them as individuals in need of help or as subjects for social activism.
The relationship between therapist and patient depends on trust. Patients must believe that their psychologist's primary concern is helping them heal and thrive. Once politics enters the treatment room, that trust is jeopardized.
The APA owes the public an explanation for why its annual conference platformed these speakers. Universities should review psychology and medical curricula to ensure that educational programs remain focused on scientific rigor, professional competence, and patient welfare. Legislators and oversight bodies should investigate allegations that taxpayer-funded institutions are using public resources to advance ideological programs rather than educational or clinical objectives.
Most importantly, mental health professionals should recommit themselves to the principles that made their profession worthy of public trust in the first place: objectivity, compassion, evidence-based treatment, and an unwavering commitment to the patient.
Adam Guillette is President of Accuracy in Media (AIM).
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