Psychotherapy populations that are overlooked due to sociopolitical bias

Sociopolitical bias has exerted a profound yet underexamined influence on clinical research and psychotherapeutic practice. This bias has shaped which questions are asked, which populations are studied, and which forms of distress are recognized as legitimate, thereby potentially marginalizing individuals whose mental health needs fall outside prevailing ideological or cultural frameworks. As a result, large segments of the population remain overlooked in the clinical literature, underserved in therapeutic practice, and unsupported by existing mental health infrastructure. The scope of this problem is immense, encompassing numerous overlooked clinical populations that together likely comprise millions of individuals. This paper's goals are threefold: to review the scope of sociopolitical bias in both psychotherapeutic practice and the academic clinical psychology literature; to address the overlooked populations most affected in the field; and to communicate the worthiness of a research program dedicated to filling these critical gaps. This should be an urgent priority for clinical researchers, therapists, and public funding agencies alike.