History Main / AllTherapistsAreMuggles

* In ''[[Literature/TheDemonta Lord Loss]]'', Grubbs ends up in a mental hospital after seeing the titular demon slaughtering his family. The staff does the best they can for him, but they take his repeated claims that a demon killed his family as him being unable/unwilling to discuss whatever more realistic tragedy he witnessed. After Dervish finds him, confirms the demon was real, and advises Grubbs to change his story to something similar but believable (specifically that a madman broke into the house and killed everyone), Grubbs is able to respond positively to treatment.

* ''Webcomic/LoveAndCapes'' averts this trope with Doc Karma, an {{Expy}} of ComicBook/DoctorStrange serves as their psychiatrist and doctor.

Not a single therapist in the world is "in the know". Especially weird if you consider that if, say, vampires are real, in such a world vampire-related traumas should be at least slightly more common.

** {{Inverted|Trope}} a bit, however, in season 7, [[spoiler: where Buffy herself becomes a counselor at the rebuilt Sunnydale High School]]. Buffy will sometimes tell when students are having supernatural problems even when the students are muggles.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' subverts it as well. After the scarring events of "Failsafe", the team get some much-needed therapy with ComicBook/BlackCanary.

* {Subverted|Trope}} in ''Film/TheForgotten''. Dr. Munce not only knows about the alien beings using Telly as a Guinea pig, he's working for them.

->'''Dr. Fuller''': Why don't you tell me how you're feeling?\\
'''Sam''': I'm fine. I mean, okay, a little depressed, I guess.\\
'''Dr. Fuller''': All right -- any idea why?\\
'''Sam''': Probably because I started the Apocalypse.\\
(''Doctor smiles weakly, then picks up his phone'')

Sister trope of ThereAreNoTherapists. Compare with CassandraTruth and YouHaveToBelieveMe. May be caused by TheMasquerade, TheWorldIsNotReady, or the WeirdnessCensor.

* Dr Neuman in ''Film/TheMask'' doesn't believe that the mask could have any supernatural properties. When Stanley tries to demonstrate, nothing happens. He angrily declares it must only work at night, which doesn't do much to convince the therapist. The continuation has him meet the protagonist as well and still thinks there's some kind of delusion going on.
* In the FilmOfTheBook ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia: Film/PrinceCaspian'', Peter and his siblings lived into adulthood in Narnia, a magical land inside a wardrobe, and now are stuck in a world that treats them as children so despite having problems like getting into fights and struggling to relate to other people, trying to explain those issues to a Muggle therapist would probably get them sectioned.
** Subverted in ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' by 'the Professor', who is ''quite'' willing to accept that something impossible happened to them. (The book version eventually explains why.)
---> '''The Professor''': Well, if she's not mad, and she's not lying, then... [[TakeThat logically...]] she must be telling the truth.
* Subverted in ''Film/BladeTrinity'', where a famous psychologist goes on record on TV that Blade is crazy... but it's revealed that he's a Familiar to the ruling vampires (basically their stooge).
* Likewise subverted in ''Film/TheForgotten''. Dr. Munce not only knows about the alien beings using Telly as a Guinea pig, he's working for them.

*** Subverted with Dr. Neil Gordon. He's one of the therapists trying to help the Freddy-plagued kids and while skeptical at first, he's actually willing to admit the possibility that they and Nancy are faced with a supernatural threat.

** Inverted in ''Film/FreddyVsJason'': [[spoiler:The mental hospital staff in Springwood know damn well that Freddy is for real, and use Hypnocil and fraudulent institutionalization of witnesses to ensure that Freddy's potential victims remain Muggles. That way, the dream-stalking killer can't gain strength from their fear. All of that changes once Jason shows up and gives everyone a reason to fear again.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'': Dr. Silberman, the police psychiatrist in ''Film/TheTerminator'' and the hospital administrator in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', isn't for one moment going to take stories of time-traveling killer androids seriously. But as he's continually exposed to the truth, by ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'', he's starting to crack - briefly trying to counsel one witness to the two robots' fight about how sometimes "we" think we see things that are impossible, but it's just stress altering the memory. He's visibly struggling with the situation and his own repression of what he saw in the first two movies when Arnold shows up again and he all but messes his pants in terror.

* In ''Literature/ShardsOfHonor'' by Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold, Cordelia literally couldn't tell the Escobaran or Betan therapists the truth about what happened to her while in Barrayaran captivity, since that could set off a civil war on Barrayar. They end up thinking she's been suborned, causing her to run away to escape the "therapy" they're offering, which only makes it look worse.
* In ''Literature/TheStepfordWives'' Joanna, at the request of her husband Walter, sees a therapist from out of town and shares with her about the suspicions she's having about the women of Stepford and how all her friends suddenly became domesticated fembots eerily similar to the ones at Disneyland and her fears about what would happen to her. The therapist merely thinks that Joanna is unconsciously unhappy in her role as a homemaker, the Holiday season is too stressful, she isn't used to suburban life as opposed to city life, and that Stepford just happens to attract that sort of person.
* Defied in the ''Literature/LauraCaxton'' series, as people are aware that vampires are real but characters can't visit therapists for more standard reasons, such as Laura being either busy at work or [[spoiler:on the run from the law]] and Simon Arkeley running out of money to pay his bills after [[spoiler:his father became a vampire, turned his sister, and then they both tried to turn or kill Simon]].
* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', when Bella's erratic behavior after Edward leaves her borders on [[UnfortunateImplications clinical depression]], Charlie ''tried'' to get Bella to see a therapist. She refused, claiming that she couldn't tell a therapist about how the Cullens were vampires and she'd decided that therapy wouldn't work if she wasn't 100% truthful.

-->Hello, Doctor Freud? My dad's thinking about remarrying. See, he thinks my mom is dead, but she's not. She's actually a slave to an alien race trying to take over the planet. And did I mention that I'm fighting this alien invasion myself? That I do it by turning into animals? Say what? [[GoAmongMadPeople What size straitjacket do I wear]]?
** Note that the stress of his dad remarrying after a long widowage isn't the normal version- Marco knows [[spoiler: his mother is still very much alive, and the current host body of Visser One]], and this is causing him to have morphing troubles. Specifically, [[BodyHorror morphing into two animals at the same time.]] Good luck finding a therapist for ''that'' particular issue.
* Subverted in Literature/YoungWizards. Nita assumes this about the school counselor, and it's true that he isn't a wizard, [[spoiler: but he's in on the secret and even gets the main cast out of school during ''Wizards at War'' so that they're free to prevent [[ApocalypseHow the end of the universe]].]]
* Subverted in the fantastic-realism novel ''Literature/PrinceOmbra''. Bentley's psychiatrist, Dr. Kreistein, happens to be extremely well-versed in mythology and realizes that Bentley is the current reincarnation of several heroes of legend, including King Arthur and Susano. Dr. Kreistein becomes Bentley's lifelong friend and advisor, aiding him in his destiny to save the world from Prince Ombra, the very source of evil and insanity.
* Played with in the [[Literature/MonsterHunterInternational Monster Hunters]] universe. There are therapists who know about monsters. Two of them. But the people who follow up on monster attacks don't say, "These are the therapists to go to." [[TheMenInBlack They say]], "Never tell anyone. They'll think you're crazy. And then we'll kill you, just to make [[TheMasquerade sure]]." As many real-life psychologists have found, this makes the resulting PTSD '''much worse'''.
* Averted in Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Music To My Sorrow'' where we are told that Eric has found a therapist that knows that magic and elves are real.
* The protagonist's therapist in the Creator/StephenKing short story ''The Boogeyman'' [[spoiler:is a horrific inversion; he's actually the titular boogeyman who killed the protagonist's children, and it's implied will now kill him as well]].
* Averted in Creator/JimCHines' ''Literature/MagicExLibris'' series: Nidhi Shah, while she's a Muggle in the sense that she doesn't have magic, is in on TheMasquerade and is specifically employed as a psychiatrist to the Porters. There certainly isn't any shortage of work for her to do.
* In the strategy guide to X-Wing, it tells the story of the protagonist, Keyan Farlander, as a young pilot for the Rebel Alliance who is Force-Sensitive, but has no teacher, and is learning on instinct alone. He keeps having disturbing visions as the Dark Side is tempting him. He tries to go to the sickbay to ask for help and to figure out what is happening to him, but the medical droid tries to have him grounded on psychiatric grounds when he tries to explain what's happening to him. He has to use a Jedi Mind Trick on the Flight Surgeon to stay on flight status.

* Rainbow Rowell's ''Literature/CarryOn'' discusses this with Baz: his stepmom says he's used to be discreet about his [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire condition]] so he could probably see a muggle therapist. Baz rejects this idea immediately. [[spoiler: The ending averts this. Simon has Skype therapy sessions with one of the few magickal psychologists in the world and says they really help. Rainbow Rowell apparently got VERY fed up with the idea that Chosen Ones can't get PTSD treatment.]]

* {{Subverted}} in ''Literature/{{Touch 2017}}.'' Dr. Natalie Sharpe is a government-employed magical therapist. The protagonist, James, is sent to her [[RapeAsBackstory after being raped]] specifically because magic runs in his family and his parents realize that the incident might cause a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening. He doesn't learn any of this for a while, however, even after his {{Flight}} and [[BlowYouAway wind]] powers manifest.

* Subverted in ''Literature/CardForceInfection''. Fletcher wants to talk to the school counselor about his issues, and while he's waiting he works himself up into a frenzy trying to figure out how he's going to gloss over the infection and the devil and all that — only for Mrs. Waldemer to reveal that the Akimoto family has looped her in on the whole thing, specifically so the Peppermint Knights have someone to talk to.
* {{Averted}} in ''Literature/TeamHuman:'' Since [[TheUnmasquedWorld vampires live openly in this setting]], there's a special group of therapists who deal with vampiric issues. Anna's father worked there, which factors into the mystery subplot of the book. People who want to transition [[FantasticLegalWeirdness are legally required]] to have three counseling sessions before they get approved.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Amy is twice sent to therapy when others find out what she's experienced and can't believe it's real: in "The Eleventh Hour" because of her tales of The Raggedy Doctor, and in "The Big Bang" where all the stars have gone out and young Amy is one of few people in the world who remember them.
* In ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', Suzie [[ExploitedTrope exploits this trope]] as part of a plan for her own resurrection. Under cover of talking through her work-related issues, she attends a support group regularly armed with [[LaserGuidedAmnesia the drug]] Torchwood uses to maintain TheMasquerade. To her colleagues, this initially appears to be a reasonable solution to the lack of therapists who know about Torchwood and aliens but they soon piece together that [[spoiler:she was actually using the drug and the support group sessions to secretly turn her confidant into an AxCrazy serial killer and living backdoor to the Torchwood security system.]]

* Pretty much all the hunters in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' have deep-seated psychological issues which go unaddressed apart from the occasional monster induced psychologically-convenient dreamscape. The reason they can't seek aid is nicely demonstrated by the episode "Sam, Interrupted" where they do go to a therapist and try to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3deHzi6y9Y explain their problems]]. Shortly after they start into ''why'' they have these issues they get committed. (Fortunately, it was all part of a CassandraGambit.) While in the mental hospital, Dean finds a female therapist who has the knack of zeroing in on Dean's issues. However [[GoAmongMadPeople she turns out to be a hallucination]]. Dean is so disturbed by this he declares the only way to deal with their issues is to bury them. And he does, via sex and booze till the inevitable HeroicBSOD later on in the season.

** Buffy sees a counselor in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E4BeautyAndTheBeasts Beauty and the Beasts]]" who has no idea about vampires and the like, though he turns out to be a pretty good counselor anyway, and figures out what her problem essentially is minus the supernatural elements. [[spoiler:Then he gets killed by a Hulk expy.]]
** Inverted a bit, however, in season 7, [[spoiler: where Buffy herself becomes a counselor at the rebuilt Sunnydale High School]]. Buffy will sometimes tell when students are having supernatural problems even when the students are muggles.

** The comic book continuation has Xander start seeing a "Dr. Mike" in season 10 due to trauma and anger issues. It actually works fantastically well for those things [[spoiler: it helps that we're now in TheUnmasquedWorld]] to the point of Xander being to help his friends with similar advice, but when Xander's issue involves the potential ghost of an ex that may or may not be real (it's complicated) Dr. Mike's advice proves disastrous since it fails to take the potential ghost's feelings into account.
* In ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'', while the situation is not explicitly 'supernatural', protagonist Jane Doe has to deal with issues such as complete amnesia caused by a unique drug and the discovery that her pre-amnesia self was a ruthless terrorist. Later in the series, her psychiatrist Doctor Borden is [[spoiler:revealed to be a mole for the organisation that Jane 'originally' worked for and was basically manipulating her treatment to go along with their plan, but after Jane recovers her old memories, she is [[ClosestThingWeGot forced to go to Borden]] for help putting them in perspective because every other therapist she consults requires too much background information to properly diagnose her mental state]].
* In ''Series/RedDwarf'' [[spoiler: after the original crew is brought back to life]] Kryten is sent to a counsellor. The counsellor, having been brought back from the dead and being unaware of the passage of millions of years, assumes Kryten is crazy for believing himself to be constructed in (what is from this counsellor's perspective) the future. Though maintaining a cheerful disposition as he hears about his good fortune at not being dead anymore, he repeatedly requests Kryten confirm that his chair is still securely screwed down.

* Subverted in ''Series/TeenWolf'': when Stiles sees the school counselor, he glosses over the werewolf part of his problems - completely unaware that she knows ''exactly'' what's going on.
* Actually nicely subverted in ''Series/{{Chuck}}''; when Chuck is sent to a therapist by the CIA, he spends quite a bit of time trying to talk about his problems without mentioning classified information until the therapist mentions that yes, he was fully briefed because he was a CIA therapist whose entire job is treating people whose problems are highly classified.
* In ''Series/{{Garo}}'', Kaoru regularly sees a therapist, though she glosses over the whole "being hunted by demons" aspect of her life and focuses on her job-related troubles. [[spoiler: Subverted, when we find out that her therapist is actually the BigBad, and that he has been using his position in order to monitor her so that he may eventually use her as a host-body for the queen of the Horrors.]]

* Subverted in ''Series/StargateAtlantis''. The expedition has a staff psychologist. Generally, she deals with fairly normal issues that don't differ too much because of their science fiction cause, but then there was the time that Dr. [=McKay=] had another person's mind trapped in his head, and they shared control of the body. She acknowledged that this wasn't exactly something she was trained in, but that it was clear that both of them would need some psychiatric attention, so they did the best they could.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Haven}}'', where Dr. Claire Callahan reveals she specializes in treating Troubled people.
* This trope is actually the reason why ''Series/{{Constantine}}'' starts with John Constantine as a self-admitted patient in a mental hospital. He knew that the doctors there wouldn't believe in demons and black magic, and after years of shouldering the guilt of watching a little girl get dragged down to Hell by a demon he himself summoned, he hoped that they could make him believe it was all a delusion, too.

* One episode of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' has Piper and Leo going to see a marriage guidance counselor. They have to use a ''lot'' of euphemisms or at least pretend that what they're saying are euphemisms ("When you say she shattered you, that's..?"/"Metaphorically speaking") but fortunately the therapist is easy-going enough to take it all in his stride and give them some decent advice.
** The next time they need counselling, they actually seek out a magical being so they can avoid that issue. Unfortunately, the only option seem to be a soothsayer who actually works as a gardener. His method is offering vague advice then instigating a FreakyFridayFlip so that they walk a mile in each other's shoes. It doesn't go particularly better than the {{Muggle}} counselor.
--> '''Soothsayer:''' "How many times a day do you have sex?"
--> '''Piper:''' "A ''day?'' What, are you crazy?" [to Leo] "No wonder you wanted to see him."

* Averted on ''Series/BirdsOfPrey2002''; Helena only ''believes'' her therapist [[ComicBook/HarleyQuinn Dr. Harleen Quinzel]] is this. In reality, not only is Dr. Quinzel entirely privy to Helena's world of metahumans, she is actively using their therapy sessions to do reconnaissance work against Helena to help her get her revenge against Gotham and the heroes protecting it.
* Averted in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': May's psychiatrist ex-husband knows all about S.H.I.E.L.D., does psychological profiles of agents and "gifted" individuals, and in fact [[spoiler:part of Coulson's unexplained absences were appointments with him.]]
* Over the course of ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'', Matt Murdock regularly goes to talk to a Catholic priest named Father Lantom for spiritual and moral advice. Lantom catches on that Murdock's situation is unique in the first episode when Matt comes in for confessional to atone for what he's ''about'' to do while leaving the details vague. That vagueness continues throughout the first season as Matt constantly brings up the nature of justice versus revenge and whether [[ThouShaltNotKill killing an evil person is any better than letting that person kill others]]. By the end of the season, Lantom is able to fill in enough gaps to realize that Matt is the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.
* Early in ''Series/IronFist2017'', Danny Rand has just about convinced his therapist that he is, in fact, the long-lost heir to the Rand Corporation. He loses them when he starts on about K'un Lun in the Realm of Heaven and being the Immortal Iron Fist. That said doesn't completely dismiss the possibility until Danny is unable to demonstrate the superpower he claims to have - a delusional belief in having superpowers being a recognized phenomenon in the Marvel universe.

** In season 3, there is a flashback to Finch making use of therapy to treat his survivor's guilt for [[spoiler:not having prevented Nathan's death at the ferry bombing]]. Of course, Finch faked his death at the occasion, so he can't open up about the real circumstances and tells a more roundabout version - to which the therapist replies that it reminds him of the [[spoiler:survivors of the ferry bombing]].
** Reese also deals with one of these in season four. In his cover identity as a detective, he is given a department mandated psych evaluation. Unlike most cases, Iris almost instantly sees that he is lying and is actually almost entirely correct about his issues, zeroing in on his HeroComplex.
* ''Series/HemlockGrove'': Subverted. When Roman tells his uncle Norman (a clinical psychiatrist) the truth about the werewolf terrorizing the town, he asks him if he's gonna call for the men in white coats. Norman chooses to believe him, given all the bizarre stuff he's already witnessed.

* ''Series/{{Lucifer}}'': Dr Linda Martin is Lucifer's therapist, and has her hands full trying to help him while dealing with his 'elaborate metaphors' and 'roleplay' about being the Devil and associating with demons and angels and being targeted by God, instead of just sticking to who he 'really' is. [[spoiler:The trope is subverted when he eventually reveals his true face and, after being terrified for a while, she carries on treating him. For several seasons she's the only mortal on the cast with full 'inside knowledge', making this something of an inverted trope.]]

* Subverted in Podcast/TheBrightSessions. The therapist is a muggle but knows more about what's going on than her patients. Additionally, her patient, [[TheEmpath Caleb]], decides to use his ability to detect others' feelings to work in therapy or social work.

* Averted in Creator/MarvelComics for gamma-irradiated psychologist [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Doc Samson]], who apparently all the supers in the world consult with their problems[[note]](there are others in the know with such training, but [[MindRape their usual]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy standards of treatment]] are worse than most conceivable psychological problems)[[/note]]. Except not lately, because Doc Samson has been evil, dead, or both. Another example is Dr. Kafka, psychiatrist at Ravencroft, the prison for insane super-villains in ComicBook/SpiderMan. \\

* In a deleted scene of ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', Bruce tries to explain his condition to therapist Leonard Samson, but all he can safely say is that "there are aspects of my personality that I can't control." Samson mistakes it for just anger management problems but does perceive that Bruce is holding part of the info back and is annoyed that he does so.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' subverts it as well. After the scarring events of "Failsafe", the team get some much-needed therapy with ComicBook/BlackCanary.

%% Examples that simply mention the existence of individual therapists who are or are not muggles will be {{zapped}}. This trope is about how when there is a Masquerade, the fact that ALL therapists are muggles presents a significant barrier to psychiatric treatment. In short, its the circumstances that are the trope, not the existence of a therapist.

* {{AvertedTrope Averted}} in ''Webcomic/AngelDown'', Samuel mentions that the Seraphim Order employs therapists and suggests that Ariel make an appointment with one at the beginning of chapter 2.

* {{AvertedTrope Averted]] in ''Webcomic/AngelDown'', Samuel mentions that the Seraphim Order employs therapists and suggests that Ariel make an appointment with one at the beginning of chapter 2.

:: Note that the stress of his dad remarrying after a long widowage isn't the normal version- Marco knows [[spoiler:his mother is still very much alive, and the current host body of Visser One]], and this is causing him to have morphing troubles. Specifically, [[BodyHorror morphing into two animals at the same time.]] Good luck finding a therapist for ''that'' particular issue.

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13537630/2/The-Traitorous-Soldier The Traitorous Soldier]]'': Following the events of ''[[Recap/StevenUniverseFutureS1E10PricklyPair Prickly Pair]]'', the gems have Steven meet with a therapist, which Garnet saw as the best option. While it has helped Steven calm down with the exception of a few outburst. However, talking about the events of Steven's life has given the therapist trauma.

* Played with in Literature/{{Worm}}, where government-sanctioned superheroes ''can'' receive therapy from muggles who know all about them. However, it's by no means mandatory, and teen heroes can be out of luck if their base's commander thinks TherapyIsForTheWeak. Additionally, therapists rotate on a weekly basis. This is officially to prevent young superheroes being subverted by any particular therapist, but a knock-on effect is that it makes therapy much less effective as the patients have less chance to form a bond of trust with their confidant.