When Leaders Attack Mental Health and Healthcare, Women Pay the Price

Today’s episode is a call to awareness, a call to action—and above all, a call to compassion.

At Her Time Therapy, we practice from a feminist counseling lens, which means we don’t view mental health in a vacuum. Systems, policies, and power structures deeply shape our emotional lives, and right now, those structures are failing women—especially those who are most marginalized.

In this episode, we explore how political rhetoric and policy decisions—especially those under the Trump administration—have actively harmed women’s mental and physical health. From Medicaid cuts and mental health stigma to abortion bans and scientific censorship, we trace the throughline between harmful leadership and the rising emotional toll on women across the country.

We talk candidly about:

• How cuts to Medicaid and the ACA disproportionately impact women (KFF, 2020)
• The gutting of mental health programs and mocking of depression and anxiety
• Trump’s anti-science policies, including the CDC’s banned language list (Washington Post, 2017)
• The dismantling of abortion access and its consequences for maternal health (The Lancet, 2021; ACOG, 2023)
• The erasure of gendered and LGBTQ+ language in federally funded research
• Why seeking support is not just personal—it’s political

If you’ve ever felt ashamed for needing help, or enraged by the growing barriers to care, you are not alone. We see you. And we believe that caring for your mental health is an act of resistance.

Take Action:

• Share this episode with someone affected by healthcare rollbacks
• Visit Her Time Therapy to find a feminist-oriented therapist
• Register to vote and stay informed about your state’s policies
• Use the Five Calls App to contact your representatives
• Support this podcast for $3/month on Buzzsprout or join us on Patreon for bonus content and community

Referenced Sources:

• ACOG: Abortion Policy
• Brené Brown (2018). Braving the Wilderness. Random House.
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Kaiser Family Foundation – Medicaid & Mental Health
• NIH Women’s Health Research – Janine Clayton
• The Lancet (2021) – Maternal Mortality Review
• CDC Language Guidance Coverage – Washington Post & NYT
• Politico – Healthcare Reporting
• Rush Holt Statement – AAAS
• The Cardiology Advisor – Coverage Disparities
• Vox – Women’s Healthcare Coverage
• Trump Administration Policy Documents – US Archives

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