Let them cry it out.
Liberals in deep-blue New York City shocked and disturbed by President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory are flooding shrinks’ inboxes looking for appointments.
“It’s a perfect storm for New York therapists,” said Manhattan psychologist Chloe Carmichael, who estimated she’s received a 15% spike in inquiries from patients. “It’s a repeat of 2016, where a lot of people feel really scared and traumatized and angry.”
A staggering 69% of people felt anxious or frustrated about the presidential election, according to a poll taken before Trump’s runaway win.
On Wednesday morning, New York City-based psychotherapist Alyson Cohen woke up to a deluge of paranoid texts from clients begging for extra appointments this week, many of whom claimed to be “afraid for their futures and that of their children.”
“I’ve even already heard [from] some female clients who say they are now second guessing having children out of fears for their health as it relates to pregnancy-related medical care,” she said.
It’s worse for couples, said Lisa Brateman, a psychotherapist and relationship specialist in Midtown.
Romance hit the rock for relationships where each person voted for different candidates, Brateman said.
“If a woman was saying ‘What about my rights as a woman?’ and her boyfriend or husband voted for Trump, it felt like a personal unwillingness to understand them,” she said.
Following a meeting with a split-party couple, a woman who voted Democrat asked for an additional appointment with Brateman next week — alone.
“She’s in shock, she’s trying to navigate her emotions . . . and needing to process with somebody who really understands the pain she’s feeling,” she said. “When the other person voted for someone else, they’re not feeling that pain — they’re jubilant.”
The quick and decisive nature of Trump’s victory, with the GOP nominee even clinching the popular vote, was a silver lining, Carmichael said.
“People were terrified about facing days and weeks of uncertainty,” she said. “The clarity can be kind of a saving grace.”
