Nearly half of Americans see therapist mental health disclosure as a strength
Core finding
In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted May 11, 2026, 45% of Americans said a therapist who routinely discloses their own struggles with mental illness to patients would be better than average. This includes 32% who said better than average and 13% who said much better than average.
About a quarter said the therapist would be worse than average (24%), with 16% who said worse and 8% who said much worse. Another 30% said the therapist would be average.
Topline scale
45% of Americans say a therapist who shares their mental illness struggles would be better than average.
Generally speaking, what would you think about a therapist that routinely does this?
n = 1,000 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±3.3%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.3% |
| Module | beliefs |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
Generally speaking, what would you think about a therapist that routinely does this?
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.