Voting: Why Therapists Can't Ignore the Bigger Picture
You open your ballot, grab a pen, and realize you have absolutely no idea what half the questions mean. Sound familiar? You know voting matters. You want to make informed decisions. But between work, family, and everything else happening in the world, finding time to research judicial retention questions, ballot measures, and local candidates can feel like another full-time job.
In this episode of Coffee with Ashley C. and Morgen V., part of The Art of Being a Therapist, Ashley and Morgen talk about voting, as well as family boundaries, political exhaustion, and the mental health field's favorite solution to systemic problems: telling therapists to practice more self-care. It's a conversation about what happens when our personal lives, professional identities, and social work values all collide.
Being an Informed Voter is Harder Than It Sounds
Ashley admits that completing her Colorado ballot took several days because she wanted to understand what she was actually voting for. Voting isn't just about choosing candidates. Depending on where you live, you may also be asked to weigh in on constitutional amendments, propositions, judicial retention, and funding decisions. Some questions can have huge implications for healthcare access, education, public safety, and the communities we serve.
Ashley and Morgen discuss researching candidates, reviewing information from organizations they trust, considering different perspectives, and recognizing that not everyone has equal access to the time and resources needed to make informed decisions. There's also an emotional side of staying informed: How do you pay attention to what's happening in the world without becoming completely overwhelmed by it? How do you advocate for change when it feels like there's always another issue demanding your attention? Morgen describes the nagging feeling that whatever she does, it will never be enough. It's a feeling many helping professionals know well.
Personal Work Doesn't Stop When you Become a Therapist
Ashley and Morgen begin by sharing their highs and lows of the week. Ashley celebrates adaptive athletes completing marathons with Team Hoyt Denver, while also reflecting on difficult family relationships and the freedom that can come from establishing boundaries. Morgen shares a different family experience: Unexpected reconciliation. She credits some of her growth to her own Internal Family Systems (IFS) work and becoming more assertive about what she needs.
Doing the work doesn't guarantee that relationships will turn out the way we want. Sometimes growth means reconnecting. Other times, it means recognizing when distance is necessary. And being a therapist doesn't make either decision easier. We spend our days helping clients establish boundaries, recognize unhealthy patterns, and navigate complicated relationships. Then we go home and have to figure out how to apply those same skills to our own lives. Sometimes we're better at it than others.
You Don't Have to Change the Entire World to Make a Difference
Social workers are trained to think about both individuals and the systems that shape their lives. But recognizing systemic problems doesn't mean we have unlimited capacity to address them. Morgen shares how she's having intentional conversations with her children about relationships, body image, societal expectations, and other difficult topics. These conversations may not change public policy tomorrow, but they matter! And that's part of the point: Advocacy doesn't always look like attending a protest, contacting an elected official, or leading an organization. Sometimes it looks like raising thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions, or helping one person understand the world a little differently. Small actions aren't meaningless just because larger problems still exist.
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