Feminist Theory

Key Concepts

• one of many critical theories

  • feminist theory, queer theory, critical race theory, etc.

  • problems are viewed in a sociopolitical and cultural context

• acknowledging psychological oppression imposed through sociopolitical status of women and minorities

• the client knows what is best for her life and is the expert on her own life

• emphasis is on educating clients about the therapy process - transparency!

• traditional ways of assessing psychology health are challenged

• it is assumed that individual change will best occur through social change

• clients are encouraged to take social action

• many unique approaches

Principles

• the personal is political - politics impact our mental health, our mental health issues can be changed by participating in society and politics

• personal and social identities are interdependent

• commitment to social change

• the counseling relationship is egalitarian

• women’s and girl’s experiences and ways of knowing are honored

• definitions of distress and “mental illness” are reformulated

• there is an integrated analysis of oppression

Goals of Feminist Therapy

• to affirm diversity and strive for social change and equality

• to encourage clients to act as advocates on their own behalf and on the behalf of others

• to become aware of one’s gender-role socialization process

• to identify internalized gender-role messages and replace them with functional beliefs

• to acquire skills to bring about change in the environment

• to develop a wide range of behaviors that are freely chosen

• to become personally empowered

Multicultural Feminist Therapy Video

• cultural issues come up in many ways with many clients, but they don’t always want to work on that ***

• counselor characteristics

  • soft voice, restatements, mhms

• client assessment

  • doesn’t look too distressed, just a little uncomfortable - hard topic

• therapeutic relationship

  • good understanding of what the client was saying, affirming client’s feeling, knowing spanish - allowing client to choose

• techniques

  • immediacy - what is it like to talk about that with me now?

  • flipping thought - shame vs pride

  • bringing up culture and society - impact on thoughts and feelings (internalizing)

Approach #1 - Liberal Feminism

• focus

  • helping individual women overcome the limits and constraints of their socialization patterns

  • works within mainstream society, instead of “overthrowing” it

• major goals

  • personal empowerment of individual women

  • dignity

  • self-fulfillment

  • equality

• originated during the American Revolution

Approach #2 - Socialist Feminism

• focus

  • goal of societal change, but less extreme than radical

  • emphasis on economics

    • capitalism supports the sexist status quo

• major goal

  • to transform social relationships and institutions by upending capitalism

• based in Marxism of the 1910s-30s

Approach #3 - Radical Feminism

• focus

  • seek to change the patriarchal society that oppresses women through activism

  • therapy is viewed as political enterprise with the goal of transformation of society

• major goals

  • transform gender relationships

  • reject societal institutions (e.g., family structure)

  • increase women’s sexual and procreative self-determination

• part of 1960-1970s social movements

  • the stereotype

Approach #4 - Cultural Feminism

• emerged from radical feminism

• focus

  • oppression stems from culture’s devaluation of women’s strengths

    • note how society is negatively impacted by patriarchy

  • emphasize the differences between women & men, the need to avoid/reject ‘male’ culture

  • believe the solution to oppression lies in feminization of the culture

    • the creation of a new ‘women’s culture’

    • society becomes more nurturing, cooperative, relational

• major goal

  • the infusion of society with values based on cooperation

Social Justice Counseling

• beyond feminist theory, the field has moved to a focus on multicultural or social-justice oriented counseling

• this means counselors both viewing themselves and their clients through different lenses

• clients

  • embedded in a system that privileges some groups and penalizes through different lenses

  • are intersectional beings

  • are validly constrained by larger systems

• counselors

  • also embedded!

    • therefore need to explore their own levels of privilege and oppression

  • must maintain a stance of cultural humility, not resolution

  • multicultural core competencies

  • acknowledge the realities that clients face

Feminist Techniques

• a range of techniques generally based on the underlying feminist theories

• techniques are somewhat dependent on the unique theoretical viewpoint

• an incredible range of techniques - bibliotherapy, gender role analysis, self-disclosure, etc.

• many of these approaches have been adopted by other theories

Bibliotherapy

• reading assignments address a number of key topics

• topics include…

  • psychoeducation

  • coping skills

  • gender inequality

  • gender-role stereotypes

  • power differential between women and men

  • society’s obsession with thinness

  • sexual assault

  • the ways that society promotes sexism

  • attachment theory

Techniques in Feminist Theory

• empowerment

  • forms the basis of feminist strategy

  • highlighting of strengths and areas of success in everyday life

  • sharing of key elements of therapy to make the relationship more equal

    • informed consent, expectations of therapy, goals, openness around the therapeutic process

• power analysis

  • refers to the methods aimed to help clients understand inequality, privilege, differentials

  • specific focus on institutional barriers can block self-esteem and well-being

• also gender role analysis - impact of gender

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

feminist techniques

• empowerment

• self-disclosure

• reframing

  • changes the frame of reference for looking at an individual’s behavior

  • shifting from an intrapersonal to an interpersonal definition of a client’s problems

  • its not all your choice, society has an impact too

• 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

• social action

  • encourages clients to embrace social activism

  • develops clients’

• assertiveness training

  • women become aware of their interpersonal rights

  • transcends stereotypical sex roles

  • changes negative beliefs

  • implement changes in their daily lives

• gender role analysis

  • gender role intervention