Feminist Therapy

Miller; Enns; Espin; Brown

What is feminism
Feminism is a diverse,
competing, and often opposing
collection of social theories,
political movements, and
moral philosophies, largely
motivated by or concerning the
experiences of women, especially
in terms of their social, political,
and economic inequalities.

Introduction
Gender

and power is the core of the therapeutic

process.
It is essential to consider the social, cultural, and
political context.
It is important to understand the psychological
oppression of women and the constraints
imposed by society.
Current feminist practices address the harmful
effects of societal power on ALL clients and
emphasizes a diverse approach such as
multicultural awareness and multicultural
competence.
Social change is key to understanding the client.

History and Development

Feminist

therapy was developed

in response to the challenges and
emerging needs of women.
1960s: laid the foundation for
the development of feminist
therapy.
1970s: research on gender-bias
emerged.
1980s: marked by efforts to
define feminist therapy as its

Second Wave
Liberal:

focus on helping the individual overcome

limits and constraints of traditional gender-role
socialization patterns.
Cultural: believe oppression stems from societys
devaluation of womens strengths, values, and
roles.
Radical: focus on the oppression of women that is
imbedded in patriarchy and seek to change
society through activism and equalizing power.
Socialist: the focus is on multiple oppressions and
believe and believe the solutions to societys
problems must include considerations of class,
race, sexual orientation, and economics.

Third Wave
Post-modern

feminists

Critiquing the value of other approaches

Women-of-color-feminists

Emphasize that feminist theory be broadened

and made more inclusive
Lesbian

feminists

Emphasize that womens oppressions is related

to sexualized images
Global-international

feminists

World wide perspective on how race, sex,

class, and economics affects women in other
countries

View of Human Nature

Worell & Remar (2003) describe 6 characteristics of traditional
theories that are outdated and contain biased elements:

Androcentric (uses male-oriented constructs to draw

conclusions about human nature)

Gendercentric (Proposes separate developmental paths for

women & men)

Ethnocentric (assumes that human development & interaction

are similar across races, cultures, & nations)

Heterosexist (views heterosexual orientation as normative;

same-sex as abnormal)

Intrapsychic (attributes behavior to intrpsychi causes; often

results in blaming the victim)

Determinism (assumes present personality patterns & behvior

are fixed at early developmental stage)

View of Human Nature

Client knows what is best for her life and is
the expert on her own life
Emphasis on educating clients about the
therapy process
Traditional ways of assessing psychological
health are challenged
Assumed that individual change will best
occur through social change
Clients are encouraged to take social
action.

Principles of Feminist
Theory
Personal

is
political
(problems
have
sociopolitical roots)
Personal
and
social
identities
are
interdependent
The counseling relationship is egalitarian
Womens perspective are honored.
Definitions of distress and mental illness
are
reformulated (reject the disease model)

There is an integrated analysis of

oppression
Which emphasizes importance of working
against

Views on specific psychological

problems

Depression
Women taught to be helpless, dependent, please men
Feel unable to control their lives or assert true self
Appearance = worth

Generalized Anxiety = conflicting social expectations

PTSD = fear, anxiety, stress felt after victimization (e.g.,

rape, abuse)

Eating disorders
Socialization and societal messages
Use gender role analysis to examine external messages

Therapeutic Goals
Monitoring
their
own
biases/distortions, understanding all
forms of oppression and its impact on
psychological well-being, value, being
emotionally present for their clients
and are willing to share themselves

Therapist Function and

Role
Feminist

therapist are committed to

monitoring their own biases and
distortion, especially the social and
cultural dimensions of women
experiences.
They are also committed to understanding
oppression in all its form including but not
limited to sexism, racism, heterosexism
and they consider the impact of
oppression and discrimination on
psychological well-being.

Clients experience in
Therapy
Clients

are active participants in the

therapeutic processes.
It is important that clients tell their
stories and give voice to their
experiencing.
Clients need to be prepare for major
shifts in their way of viewing the world
around them, changes in the way they
perceive themselves, and transformed
interpersonal relationships.

Therapeutic Process
Therapists

Function & Role

Monitoring their own

biases/distortions, understanding all
forms of oppression and its impact
on psychological well-being, value,
being emotionally present for their
clients and are willing to share
themselves

Therapeutic techniques
and Procedure
Role

of Assessment & Diagnosis

-Feminist

therapists believe diagnostic labels are

severely limiting for these reasons:
They

focus on the individuals symptoms and not the

social factors that cause dysfunction behavior.
System was developed by white male
psychiatrists
They may reflect the inappropriate application of power in
the therapeutic relationship
They can lead to an overemphasis on individual solutions
rather than social change.
They have potential to dehumanize the client through the
label.

Techniques and Strategies

Empowerment

- People see themselves as

active agents on behalf of
themselves and others.
Self-Disclosure
- self-disclosure is not just
sharing information and
experiences. It also involves a
certain quality of presence the
therapist brings to the therapeutic

Gender-Role

Analysis
To help clients understand the impact of
gender role expectations in their lives
Provides clients with insight into the ways
social issues affect their problems
Power analysis and power intervention
Emphasis on the power differences
between men and women in society
Clients helped to recognize different kinds
of power they possess and how they and
others exercise power

Bibliotherapy

Reading assignments that address issues such

as, Coping skills, Gender inequality, Gender-role
stereotypes , Ways sexism is promoted, Power
differential, Society's obsession between women
and men with thinness
Self-disclosure
To help equalize the therapeutic relationship and
provide modeling for the client values, beliefs
about society, and therapeutic interventions
discussed
Allows the client to make an informed choice

 Assertiveness

training
Women become aware of their
interpersonal rights
Transcends stereotypical sex roles
Changes negative beliefs
Implement changes in their daily lives
Reframing
Changes the frame of reference for
looking at an individual's behavior
Shifting from an intrapersonal to an
interpersonal definition of a clients
problem

Relabeling

Changes the label or evaluation

applied to the client's behavioral
characteristics
Generally, the focus is shifted
from a negative to a positive
evaluation

What about the MEN???

Yes,

men can benefit from feminist

therapy
Focus on socialization
Attaining level of masculinity
Drugs/alcohol, family role issues

Men

can even be feminist therapists!

Feminist therapy does not refer to who

the therapist or client is, but rather the
framework they bring to the table.