Counseling organization reviewing therapy class calling Trump support ‘cultic’   

A national counseling accreditation organization has told The Lion it is reviewing information about a continuing education class describing Trump supporters as part of a “cultic” group.

The class sought to instruct therapists and counselors to “think more critically through an established cultic studies lens about what supporting Donald Trump means.”

The training – “The Impact of Donald Trump on America – A Cultic Studies Perspective” – frames 74 million Trump voters as trauma-driven cult members.

The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) said it received several public complaints about the accredited class and shared information on accessing the public complaint procedure.

Based on information it received, NBCC “initiated a review of information provided,” President and Chief Executive Officer Kylie P. Dotson-Blake told The Lion.

Dotson-Blake noted NBCC policy section E.3 states:

“The program content cannot state or imply in any manner that individuals who act inconsistent with, or who do not accept, a particular political or religious belief or principle are dysfunctional, or otherwise inappropriate, or that the belief itself is unacceptable or incorrect.”

The class, which promises continuing education credit, raised the ire of conservatives on social media after the Post Millennial reported on it.

One of the class’s more controversial assertions involved diagnosing dissociative identity disorder (DID) – more commonly known as multiple personality disorder – among Trump supporters.

DID is caused by childhood trauma with the patient switching between various personalities to blunt the pain of traumatic experiences.

However, research by The Lion reveals each of the three class instructors has a diagnosis of DID or emotional trauma caused by abuse, sometimes associated with cults.

Janja Lalich, lead instructor of the training, goes by the pronoun “we” and speaks extensively about her own experience as part of a Marxist Leninist cult.

Her reminiscences of “abuse and trauma” as an LGBTQ person who studied at a conservative Franciscan University indicates a continuing conflict with the Catholic church, which she views as a cult.

“Janja Laich [sic] shared with the [continuing education] class: ‘Most days I sit around and cry,’ when asked about why trauma victims support Trump,” reported one social media user who watched the class.

The two other trainers in the class – Dr. Jamie Marich, who also prefers the “we” pronoun, and Heather LS Scarsboro, who likes to be referred to as “they” – both share a diagnosis of DID and have embraced multiple personality disorder as a lifestyle.

DID affects a small group of Americans estimated to be between 0.1%-2% of the population.

In contrast, 74 million Americans voted for Trump in the 2024 election.

These results from the 2024 election may have revisited personal trauma in Dr. Janja Lalich, Dr. Jamie Marich and Heather LS Scarsboro, according to some analysts.

Elections can reactivate past wounds such as abuse or identity threats, therapist Annie Wright noted last November. Nothing threatened the identity of the “we/they” crowd more than the re-election of President Donald Trump, she argued.

At least two months must take place for complaints to be processed through the NBCC system. Even if the complaint is found valid, the NBCC can only refer the therapist to the appropriate state licensing board for further action.