Feminist Therapy

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Feminist Therapy
Once a woman sees a feminist therapist, she
never goes back. Lenore Walker
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Agenda

• What is feminism?
• A very brief history
• Assumptions about human nature
• View of personality development
• View of psychopathology
• Nature techniques of therapy
• What about men?
• Does feminist therapy work?

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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.

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Is feminism dead? (7-15-98)
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Types of Feminism

• A diverse, competing, and often opposing
  collection of social theories, political
  movements, and moral philosophies
• Three main differences
• Emphasize unique qualities of women?
• Integrate issues of culture and class into
  viewpoint?
• Advocate for rejection of masculine or
  patriarchal models?

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Types of Feminism

• Liberal Feminism
• Emphasis on equality of women men
• Aims to change current legal structures and
  interventions to promote access for women
• Criticized for trying to be like men

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Types of Feminism

• Cultural Feminism
• Emphasizes differences between men women
• Values unique female qualities
• Gender interacts with race, social class, and
  other factors

We found that one important source of healing
emerged when we got in touch with all the factors
in our lives that were causing particular pain.
For black females, and males too, that means
learning about the myriad ways racism, sexism,
class exploitation, homophobia, and various other
structures of domination operate in our daily
lives to undermine our capacity to be
self-determining. -- bell hooks
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Types of Feminism

• Radical Socialist Feminism
• Oppression based on gender is the most stubborn
  form of injustice (Hillary Clinton heckled)
• Capitalism is oppressive
• The whole patriarchal, capitalist system needs to
  be abolished
• Advocates separatism
• Questions heterosexuality

Left
Right
Radical/Social
Cultural
Liberal
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History (herstory)

• Karen Horney (1966)
• Psychoanalyst who rejected penis envy
• Women envy mens power and social status
• Phyllis Chesler (1972)
• Criticized patriarchal male therapist-female
  client relationship (therapist is expert, woman
  submits to his wisdom)
• Said that refusal to conform was labeled as
  mental illness
• NOW (National Organization for Women)
• Betty Friedan, 1966
• Political issues/discrimination laws and hiring
  processes
• Consciousness raising groups (1970s)
• Bring about social change
• No leaders, open discussion
• Personal is political (gender role stereotypes in
  workplace, society)

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Different meanings in different cultures
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History cont.

• Lenore Walker (Contemporary feminist therapist)
• Four stages of feminist therapy development
• Challenged traditional therapies
• Integrated some positive aspects of traditional
  therapy
• Advocated for all other therapies adding gender
  sensitive components
• Feminist therapy can stand on its own

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Therapy from a Feminist Perspective

• The practice of therapy informed by feminist
  political philosophy and analysis, grounded in
  the multicultural feminist scholarship on the
  psychology of women and gender.
• Developed out of dissatisfaction with traditional
  approaches to psychotherapy

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Therapy from a Feminist Perspective

• A therapy which fails to address power issues
  in peoples lives works automatically to
  reinforce oppression
• -- McLellan, 1999

We found that one important source of healing
emerged when we got in touch with all the factors
in our lives that were causing particular pain.
For black females, and males too, that means
learning about the myriad ways racism, sexism,
class exploitation, homophobia, and various other
structures of domination operate in our daily
lives to undermine our capacity to be
self-determining. -- bell hooks on interlocking
oppressions
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Assumptions about Human Nature

• We exist in a political and social system that is
  male dominated Patriarchy
• In order for women to experience changes in
  personal lives, political changes (to social
  institutions) must occur
• Gender schemas/sex-role stereotypes limit
  development
• In society, men have more power than women
• Women are taught to rely on men

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Patriarchy

• Masculine behaviors and thought patterns are the
  norm
• Hierarchy of value and power based on gender,
  race, class, sexual orientation, etc.
• Men and women are judged differently for the same
  characteristics

• Sex
• Biological Male/Female
• Usually dichotomous
• Gender
• Social construct Masculine/Feminine
• Occurs on a continuum

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Gender Socialization

• Gender and Children
• First question asked?
• Males preferred in some cultures
• Infant behavior across gender is similar
  treatment is different
• Babys clothing predicted how it was treated
  (Smith Lloyd, 1978)
• Media, teachers, peers, etc. often provide and
  reinforce gender role expectations (i.e., what is
  socially appropriate for females males)
• Over time, a gender role schema develops
• We interpret our world based on our gender
  expectations

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Gender socialization cont.

• Puberty
• Sex differences become more visually apparent
• Conflict for girls because of how society views
  the female body and role of female
  sexuality-conflicting
• Importance of appearance (especially for girls)
• Sexual double-standard
• Negative response to menstruation
• Adulthood
• Working mom/Superwoman
• Role strain/conflict
• Lack of support (at work and home)
• Glass ceiling
• Empty Nest
• Menopause

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Views on Psychopathology

• Psychological distress is environmentally induced
  via gender roles and (sexist) social forces
• Women at higher risk for role strain and conflict
• Women more likely to experience sexual
  trauma/harassment
• Psychological distress is a logical response to a
  stressful environment
• Women are over-represented in certain
  psychological disorders due to socialization and
  social influences (not because of biological
  differences)
• Eating disorders
• Depression
• Anxiety
• PTSD

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Views on classification

• Classification systems considered problematic
• DSM criticized for being male-centered (male
  norm)
• Dependant and histrionic personality disorders
  are in the DSM
• Dominating, greedy, macho personality disorders?
• Classification focuses on symptoms,
  underemphasizes social context (PTSD an
  exception)
• Diagnostic labeling criticized for encouraging
  adjustment to male-centered social norms

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Views on specific psychological problems

• Depression
• Women taught to be helpless, dependant, 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

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Goals of Feminist Therapy

• Consciousness raising subordinate group that has
  been wronged
• Recognize self in social context
• Choose own path
• Develop sense of self based on own needs
• Restructure schema, insight
• Empowerment
• Political awareness
• Self-esteem, remove lens of others

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What a feminist therapists does

• Is aware of what he/she brings to the table (own
  values)
• Forms egalitarian relationship
• Demystifies therapy
• Respects what client brings to therapy
• Is aware of power balance gives client
  permission to be understood
• Self-discloses own struggles (if/when
  therapeutically appropriate)
• Considers social, political, historical,
  cultural contextsthen psychological things
• Supports (interpersonally, womens groups)
• Educates
• Power analysis
• Gender role analysis
• Bibliotherapy
• Is technically eclectic, but
• Does assertiveness training
• Reframes schemas

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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.

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Research

• Enns Hackett (1990)
• College women preferred feminist counselors to
  non-feminist counselors when career planning,
  sexual harassment, or assault was the issue.
• Marecek et al. (1979)
• 67 of women in feminist therapy and 38 of
  women in traditional therapy found therapy to be
  helpful
• Schneider (1985)
• Feminist therapists seen as most helpful for
  career issues versus marriage or parental concerns

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Criticisms

• More a political stance than a theory of therapy
• Feminist views too diverse
• Radical feminists reject it entirely because
  psychotherapy is a tool of patriarchal,
  oppressive society.

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An example Jane

• Jane is a single parent of two preteen kids.
  She is currently unemployed but is (and has
  always been) very involved in her kids education
  and social life, volunteering for various school
  activities and supplementing the kids formal
  education with a variety of educational
  activities such as trips to museums. She is
  presenting with depression and expressing
  significant dissatisfaction with her inability to
  keep the house tidy and organized.
• How would different types of therapists respond?

• Psychoanalytic
• Humanistic
• Existential

• Behavioral
• Cognitive
• Feminist

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Some Good References

• Brown, Laura (1994). Subversive Dialogues Theory
  in feminist therapy.
• Chesler, Phyllis (1972). Women and madness.
• Davis, Angela (1983). Women Race Class.
• Enns, Carolyn (2004). Feminist Theories
  Feminist Psychotherapies.