Adam Guillette Warns Townhall Readers About Politics in Mental Healthcare
August 8, 2026
DEI Has No Place in Mental Healthcare
Adam Guillette | Aug 08, 2026
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.