05b_Feminist Therapy Flashcards
Feminist Therapy:
Essential Characteristics
Emphasis on women-men power differential and its impact on both group’s behavior
Oppressive social context
Feminist Therapy:
Foundational premise
“the personal is political”
Circumstances always reflect the position of women in society
Feminist Therapy:
Etiology of Pathology
Nature of traditional feminine roles
Conflicts inherent to those roles
Feminist Therapy:
Symptoms as Survival Tactics
Symptoms are a means of exercising personal power
Feminist Therapy:
Symptoms as Social Control
Symptoms = arbitrary labels for certain behaviors
Goal of label = impose sanctions / social control
Feminist Therapy:
Therapy Goals
Identifying and altering the oppressive forces in society that have impacted clients’ lives
Feminist Therapy:
Primary Goal of Therapy
Empowerment
Increase self-definition and self-determination
Feminist Therapy:
Four Feminist Therapy Techniques
Striving for an Egalitarian Relationship
Avoiding Labels
Avoiding Re-Victimization
Involvement in Social Action
Feminist Therapy:
Striving for an Egalitarian Relationship
Minimize power differential inherent to therapist-client relationship
“Power with” compared to “power over”
Feminist Therapy:
Avoiding Labels
De-emphasis on traditional assessment and diagnosis
Nontraditional labels for feelings and behaviors
Goal is to avoid pathologizing client’s problems
Feminist Therapy:
Avoiding Re-Victimization
Avoid blaming women for the current problems
Emphasis on women’s strengths
Sole responsibility of abuse is with abuser
Feminist Therapy:
Involvement in Social Action
Social and political activism considered necessary to be an effective feminist therapist
Feminist Therapy:
Commonalities with Nonsexist Therapy
Recognition of the impact of sexism
Avoidance of gender-biased techniques
Feminist Therapy:
Distinctions from Nonsexist Therapy
Nonsexist therapists focus more individual factors and personal behavior
Feminist therapists prioritize role of sociopolitical factors and need for social change
Combined Approach:
Feminist Therapy & Object Relations Theory
Goal is to understand how social and other environmental influences determine gender differences
