feminist therapy

1. Feminist Therapy
Jean Baker Miller, Carolyn Zerbe Enns,
Oliva M Espin, Laura S. Brown

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Background
 Role of social, political and cultural context
in individual’s problems
 Power: central aspect in human relations
 Perspective of psychological theories: White
European middle class men
 Male gender role as normative
 The dominant group tends to consider what
is different from them as deviant or “not as
good”

3. Women’s movement of the 1960’s
 Reaction against limited female gender roles
 Gender socialization affects women’s
development and well-being
 Cultural conceptions of gender serve as an
organizing principle in people’s identity
 Traditional therapy: way to maintain the status
quo
 Need for psychological theories that take into
account women’s perspectives and political
realities
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4. 1970’s and 1980’s
 Research on gender bias
 Self-in relation models: validate relational and
cooperative dimensions of women's experience
 Research emphasis on body image, eating
disorders, abusive relations, sexual abuse
 Expanded focus to: multiple oppressions,
multicultural competence, and social justice
 Incorporate ideas about gender socialization in
working with men -- Men’s Movement
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Gender Roles Theory: Traditional vs. Feminist
 Androcentric: male-oriented constructs constitute
the norms used to draw conclusions about humans,
including female nature
 Traditional women’s gender roles and dispositions of
connectedness and inter-dependence are devalued &
independence and autonomy are exalted
 Relational cultural theory- challenges the
Androcentric view
 Women’s identity and self-concept develop in the
context of relationships
 Accepts the notion of intrinsic gender differences

6. Gender Roles Theory: Traditional vs. Feminist
 Gendercentric: There are two separate innate
(biologically rooted) paths of development for
women and men.
 Socio-cultural and power analyses challenges
the Gendercentric view (socialization process)
 Traditional women’s gender roles and dispositions
have been acquired/learned in the context of
women’s subservient position
 Rejects the notion of intrinsic gender differences
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Common Themes in
Feminist Philosophies
 Gender socialization is central to
therapeutic practice for men & women
 A socio-political and cultural perspective
is essential in understanding people’s
problems
 Ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, class, age
& disabilities
 Symptoms may be self-preservation
responses to an oppressive environment

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Goals of Therapy
 Empowerment
 Help clients free themselves from the
internalized constraints of gender role
socialization and oppression
Societal change
 Social change to eliminate sexism and other
forms of oppression

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Techniques and Strategies
 Egalitarian counselor-client relationship
 Actively engage client in setting the direction, goals,
length and procedures of therapy
 Therapist Self-disclosure
 To decrease power differential
 Gender Role Analyses/Intervention
 Emphasize societal as opposed to intra-psychic origin
of problems
 Examine how internalized societal expectations
regarding gender roles are related to client’s issues
 Internalized homo-phobia, racial devaluation

10. Techniques and Strategies
 Power analysis
 Raise awareness of power difference between
men and women in society.
 Help clients recognize different kinds of power
they possess and how they and others exercise
power – personal and societal levels
 Assertiveness Training
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Techniques and Strategies
 Bibliotherapy
 To help educate clients about societal issues
 Increases clients’ expertise and decreases power differential
in therapy
 Social Action
 Encourage clients to actively influence social change
regarding women/other oppressed groups
 Helps empower clients by making the connection between
society and personal problems

12. 1972 2011
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Contributions
 Brought awareness to the impact of the cultural
context and multiple oppressions
 Gave validity to women’s perspectives
 Sexual conduct in therapeutic relations has been
recognized and sanctioned
 Strengths in women's qualities of nurturance and
cooperation (rather than competition) are
recognized
 Established as proper focus of therapy to change
oppressive conditions rather than just expect
clients to adapt to them

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Limitations
 Feminist therapy does not take a neutral stance
regarding gender roles
 May put undue pressure on clients to follow a
specific direction
 Not all clients may be interested in engaging in
social action
 Over-emphasis on environmental factors may
 Neglect exploration of the intra-psychic world
 Motivate clients to forsake responsibility for
themselves in the face of an unjust world