With Conservatives being largely ostracized in contemporary American culture, where can they go to solve personal issues? As a therapist, it’s important to me that people of all walks of life are able to access mental health services, regardless of their politics. However, in recent years, the field of psychology has been influenced by notions of social justice that have resulted in politically left leaning therapists refusing to provide services for conservative patients — or, perhaps worse, attempting to use the therapeutic relationship to exert undue influence on vulnerable patients. This week's discussion with Soad Tabrizi touches on this issue of countertransference by analyzing how therapeutic competencies have been compromised by ideological narratives that tarnish the foundational principles of the therapeutic process.  

Soad Tabrizi is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with a deep passion for integrative mental health. In her career, Soad has had the privilege of working with various individuals, families, couples, adolescents, addicts, codependents, geriatrics, students, and inmates in a diverse range of internships in the criminal justice system, hospitals, agencies, and schools. Shortly after graduating in 2010, she established her private practice.

Today, her private practice operates exclusively through Telehealth. Soad holds certifications as an Addiction Specialist from Western Seminary and as a Psychological Autopsy Investigator (Suicidologist) from the American Association of Suicidology. Additionally, she is a Reiki Master trained through the International Center for Reiki Training. In her holistic approach to therapy, Soad works with the whole person, incorporating energy work and offering a unique perspective as an intuitive healer. Her sessions aim to align clients' outward behaviors with their core beliefs, fostering growth and transformation. Soad is licensed in eight states: California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Florida.

Born in Iran and raised in the Bay Area, CA (Silicon Valley), Soad now lives with her husband in Orange County, CA. You can find Soad on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all under the handle @soadtabrizi. Soad has also published her first journal that aims to help individuals create a healthy habit in processing their thoughts, feelings and behaviors through journaling. Her journal, “It’s Me” can be found here or at my bookshop!

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

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