Feminist therapy - Systems and Postmodern Approaches Flashcards
Founders
This approach grew out of the efforts of many women, a few of whom are Jean Baker Miller, Carolyn Zerbe Enns, Oliva Espin, and Laura Brown.
Theory
A central concept is the concern for the psychological oppression of women. Focusing on the constraints imposed by the sociopolitical status to which women have been relegated, this approach explores women’s identity development, self-concept, goals and aspirations, and emotional well-being.
Basic Philosophies
Feminists criticize many traditional theories to the degree that they are based on gender-biased concepts, such as being androcentric, gendercentric, ethnocentric, heterosexist, and intrapsychic. The constructs of feminist therapy include being gender fair, flexible, interactionist, and life-span-oriented. Gender and power are at the heart of feminist therapy. This is a systems approach that recognizes the cultural, social, and political factors that contribute to an individual’s problems.
Key Concepts
Core principles of feminist therapy are that the personal is political, therapists have a commitment to social change, women’s voices and ways of knowing are valued and women’s experiences are honored, the counseling relationship is egalitarian, therapy focuses on strengths and a reformulated definition of psychological distress, and all types of oppression are recognized.
Goals of Therapy
To bring about transformation both in the individual client and in society. To assist clients in recognizing, claiming, and using their personal power to free themselves from the limitations of gender-role socialization. To confront all forms of institutional policies that discriminate or oppress on any basis.
cThe Therapeutic Relationship
The therapeutic relationship is based on empowerment and egalitarianism. Therapists actively break down the hierarchy of power and reduce artificial barriers by engaging in appropriate self-disclosure and teaching clients about the therapy process. Therapists strive to create a collaborative relationship in which clients can become their own expert.
Techniques of Therapy
Although techniques from traditional approaches are used, feminist practitioners tend to employ consciousness-raising techniques aimed at helping clients recognize the impact of gender-role socialization on their lives. Other techniques frequently used include gender-role analysis and intervention, power analysis and intervention, demystifying therapy, bibliotherapy, journal writing, therapist self-disclosure, assertiveness training, reframing and relabeling, cognitive restructuring, identifying and challenging untested beliefs, role playing, psychodramatic methods, group work, and social action.
Applications of the Approaches
Principles and techniques can be applied to a range of therapeutic modalities such as individual therapy, relationship counseling, family therapy, group counseling, and community intervention. The approach can be applied to both women and men with the goal of bringing about empowerment.
Contributions to Multicultural Counseling
Focus is on both individual change and social transformation. A key contribution is that both the women’s movement and the multicultural movement have called attention to the negative impact of discrimination and oppression for both women and men. Emphasizes the influence of expected cultural roles and explores client’s satisfaction with and knowledge of these roles.
Limitations in Multicultural Counseling
This model has been criticized for its bias toward the values of White, middle-class, heterosexual women, which are not applicable to many other groups of women nor to men. Therapists need to assess with their clients the price of making significant personal change, which may result in isolation from extended family as clients assume new roles and make life changes.
Contributions of the Approaches
The feminist perspective is responsible for encouraging increasing numbers of women to question gender stereotypes and to reject limited views of what a woman is expected to be. It is paving the way for gender-sensitive practice and bringing attention to the gendered uses of power in relationships. The unified feminist voice brought attention to the extent and implications of child abuse, incest, rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Feminist principles and interventions can be incorporated in other therapy approaches.
Limitations of the Approaches
A possible limitation is the potential for therapists to impose a new set of values on clients—such as striving for equality, power in relationships, defining oneself, freedom to pursue a career outside the home, and the right to an education. Therapists need to keep in mind that clients are their own best experts, which means it is up to them to decide which values to live by.
Application to Group Work
As with other approaches, group therapy from a feminist perspective seeks to implement these principles and techniques at a group level and provides a setting for members to discuss their position in society with those who have had similar experiences of oppression or marginalisation. Members can begin to recognise that they are not alone through this supportive network that validates their experiences and helps to raise their conscious awareness of the internalised messages about their self-worth and place in society. The counsellor acts a facilitator to encourage self-disclosure of all those involved, including themselves, and educating members on using their power effectively, practising behavioural skills, considering social/political actions, and taking interpersonal risks in a safe setting.
Six Principles
The personal is political and critical consciousness: Personal or individual problems are assumed to result from one’s political and social context, such as oppression, marginalisation, subordination, and stereotyping, and the effect this has on the individual.
Commitment to social change: A distinguishing feature of feminist therapies is the focus on social change, where the counsellor involves themselves with social justice work and education outside of the therapeutic setting. The client must come to recognise both their privilege and oppression to understand how these have affected their lives to recognise how gender-role and social class-related expectations have limited their identity development.
Voices from those who have experienced marginalisation and oppression are honoured: This principle seeks to shift the patriarchal White middle-class heterosexual perspective of other approaches to recognise and acknowledge the authoritative and invaluable voices of women and others who have experienced oppression or marginalisation, with a focus on social justice consciousness and personal experience.
The counselling relationship is egalitarian: Recognising the power imbalance in the therapeutic setting, feminist therapies emphasise an authentic, mutual, and respectful collaboration between client and counsellor to focus on the voice and experience of the client. Power dynamics are discussed at length to understand how these influence both counselling and other relationships.
A focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of psychological distress: Feminist therapy avoids the use of the disease model of mental health in favour of conceptualising psychological distress as a communication about unjust systems, reframing symptoms as survival strategies based on living and coping skills.
Recognising oppression: As feminist therapies primarily focus on the client’s socio-political context, counsellors emphasise that all social and political inequities negatively affect everyone, working towards social change to free all people from stereotyping, marginalisation, and oppression. Issues brought to counselling by the client are considered from this context, with the goal being to empower their client through social change.
Techniques
Power analysis and empowerment Helping the client to recognise how they and others exercise different forms of power to assist in discovering the power available to them.
Self-disclosure Provides modelling for the client and assists in the development of an egalitarian relationship.
Gender-role or social identity analysis and intervention Provides clients with some insight into how social issues may be influential by helping them to understand the effect of gender-role or other expectations on their lives.
Bibliotherapy Aims to challenge a woman’s tendency to blame themselves for their issues, such as domestic violence, through consideration of various reading materials (e.g. autobiographies, self-help books, novels) and the different perspectives these provide.
Assertiveness training Helping women and clients to become more aware of their interpersonal rights, transcend stereotypical gender roles, change negative beliefs, and implement changes in their daily lives.
Reframing and relabelling Shifting focus from intrapersonal to interpersonal definitions of a client’s problems and changing the typically negative label or evaluation of characteristic behaviour to a positive one.
Social action Provides a link between the client’s experiences and their socio-political context by encouraging and embracing activism to improve their understanding of feminism.
