Report · Culture

Therapist mental health disclosure reads as a strength to nearly half of Americans

Reading

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. Including 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

response scale

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?

  • They would be a better than average therapist 32.2%
  • They would be an average therapist 30.5%
  • They would be a worse than average therapist 16.5%
  • They would be a much better than average therapist 13.1%
  • They would be a much worse than average therapist 7.7%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.3%

beliefs

View source

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.3%
Module
beliefs

Source

  • 01
    Therapist mental health disclosure reads as a strength to nearly half of Americansreports.verasight.io/reports/spsp26

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/spsp26#q-beliefs_technology_health-16

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
AAPOR transparency standards.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.