Feminist Family Therapy Presentation originally given by Allen Mallory 1 In-Class Journal Feminism and Family Therapy What do you typically think of when you hear the word “feminism?” How do you define feminism? Do you think feminism is a useful concept for marriage and family therapy? Why or why not? For those who do use ideas from feminism in therapy what might that look like? Three (of many facets) of feminist theory importance of history, context, reflexive 2 The Who’s Who of Family Therapy Jay Haley Cloe Madanes Strategic “ power and control as central to family patterns ….symptoms result from repetitive, unproductive attempts to control or influence other family members” Madanes “ revers hierarchies are not bad in certain situations. They become problematic when there is incongruence in those hierarchies. Problems arise from dilemmas between love and violence 3 The Who’s Who of Family Therapy Salvador Minuchin Focus on changing interactional patterns and moving clients in the room, alliances, boundaries, and coalitions Interesting that Minuchin worked with low income population were traditional gender roles likely look different, enactments 4 The Who’s Who of Family Therapy Murray Bowen Differentiation/fusion, genograms/family of origin, intergenerational patterns, family life stages, 5 The Who’s Who of Family Therapy Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy Ethical considerations, fairness, trust, ledger of entitlement/indebtedness, invisible loyalties, integration of interpersonal and intra-psychic (the context), multidirectional pariality 6 The Who’s Who of Family Therapy Carl Whitaker Enter into the family system and use self to change patterns, co-therapy, atheoretical, battle for stucture, battle for initiative (fatherly figure), goal is to give the family new experience through craziness, creativity, humor, fantasy, treat children as children, and use of self. 7 The Who’s Who of Family Therapy Virginia Satir Nurturance, strength/growth focused, when one person has pain the whole family experiences, sculpting, holistic growth (different aspects of the self), use of self 8 Feminisms Liberal Radical Marxist/Socialist Eco Postmodern Women of Color Postcolonial Intersectionality Liberal – equality through legal means and social reform (most commonly used in MFT) Radical – oppression of women most fundamental form of oppression (what people are referring to when they say feminazi/haters Marxist/Socialist- capitalism and patriarchy as root of women's oppression public and private sphere change Eco – mainly focused on domination and oppression o.

1. Feminist Family Therapy
Presentation originally given by Allen Mallory

3. 1
In-Class Journal Feminism and Family Therapy
What do you typically think of when you hear the word
“feminism?”
How do you define feminism?
Do you think feminism is a useful concept for marriage and
family therapy?
Why or why not?
For those who do use ideas from feminism in therapy what
might that look like?

4. Three (of many facets) of feminist theory importance of history,
context, reflexive
2
The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Jay Haley

5. Cloe Madanes

6. Strategic “ power and control as central to family patterns
….symptoms result from repetitive, unproductive attempts to
control or influence other family members”
Madanes “ revers hierarchies are not bad in certain situations.
They become problematic when there is incongruence in those
hierarchies. Problems arise from dilemmas between love and
violence
3
The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Salvador Minuchin

7. Focus on changing interactional patterns and moving clients in
the room, alliances, boundaries, and coalitions
Interesting that Minuchin worked with low income population
were traditional gender roles likely look different, enactments
4
The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Murray Bowen

8. Differentiation/fusion, genograms/family of origin,
intergenerational patterns, family life stages,
5

9. The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy

10. Ethical considerations, fairness, trust, ledger of
entitlement/indebtedness, invisible loyalties, integration of
interpersonal and intra-psychic (the context), multidirectional
pariality
6
The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Carl Whitaker

11. Enter into the family system and use self to change patterns, co-
therapy, atheoretical, battle for stucture, battle for initiative
(fatherly figure), goal is to give the family new experience
through craziness, creativity, humor, fantasy, treat children as
children, and use of self.
7
The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Virginia Satir

12. Nurturance, strength/growth focused, when one person has pain
the whole family experiences, sculpting, holistic growth
(different aspects of the self), use of self
8

13. Feminisms
Liberal
Radical
Marxist/Socialist
Eco
Postmodern
Women of Color
Postcolonial
Intersectionality

14. Liberal – equality through legal means and social reform (most
commonly used in MFT)
Radical – oppression of women most fundamental form of
oppression (what people are referring to when they say
feminazi/haters
Marxist/Socialist- capitalism and patriarchy as root of women's
oppression public and private sphere change
Eco – mainly focused on domination and oppression of nature
and its link to oppression of women
Women of Color – race, class and gender inseparable in ending
oppression
Postmodern – sex and gender are social constructed through
language
Postcolonial – aim to end colonialism, racism and ethnic issues
Intersectionality
9
History of Feminism
First Wave (~1848 – 1950’s) – Suffrage movement and focus
on political equality

16. First Wave (~1848 – ~1950’s) – Started with conference at
Seneca Falls. Suffrage aimed to get woman the vote for white
middle class women. Conservative really aimed at political
equality. Married women’s Property act which essential
allowed women to inherit property and gave shared ownership
of children. 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.
10
History of Feminism
Second Wave (1960’s - 1980’s) – Social, political, and
economic equality for women

17. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc
Second Wave (1960’s -1990’s) – Social Equality increasingly
theoretically aimed at patriarchy, capitalism, gender roles
(separating sex and gender), and heterosexuality. Within this
movement many other feminisms cropped up fighting the notion
that all women are oppressed in the same way
Explosion of feminist rhetoric and various theories, this is when
we start to see the creation of women studies
programs/departments. The second wave was also bolstered by
the ongoing civil rights movement, sexual revolution, fighting
for reproductions rights, access to birth control, shining the

18. light on domestic violence and marital rape, fighting for equal
pay and access to jobs, NOW was founded.
Wanted adds example
11
History of Feminism
Third Wave (1990 – present) – Intersectionality and social
construction

19. Third Wave (1990’s – present) – inclusion of anti-colonialism
(global feminism), sexism, empowered choice of what a women
can be, and deconstructing language.
12
In-Class Journal
Watch all of this Ted-Talk by Chimamanda Nzogi Adichi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc
Write down 10 personal reactions to the talk as you’re listening.
Some things you might consider to comment on:
What do you agree with? Like? And WHY?
What do you disagree with? Dislike? And WHY?
What stuck out to you?
What do you think about her comments about being angry?
Make sure you say WHY!
What did you think about her opinion on the word
“Emasculate”?
What did you think about her opinion on the male ego?
What did you think about her thoughts on “doing things for
peace in our marriages” and compromise?

21. A Definition of Feminism
“Feminism is not simply a struggle to end male chauvinism or a
movement to ensure that women will have equal rights with
men, it is a commitment to eradicate the ideology of domination
that permeates Western culture on various levels—sex, race, and
class to name a few— and a commitment to reorganizing so that
the self-development of people can take a precedence over
imperialism, economic expansion, and material desire.” (bell
hooks, 1981)

22. First Wave (~1848 – ~1950’s) – Suffrage aimed to get woman
the vote for white middle class women
Second Wave (1960’s -1990’s) – Social Equality increasingly
theoretically aimed at patriarchy, capitalism, gender roles
(separating sex and gender), and heterosexuality. Inclusion of
class, race, and gender opression
Third Wave (1990’s – present) – inclusion of anti-colonialism
(global feminism), sexism, empowered choice of what a women
can be, and deconstructing langauge.
14
Similarities and Differences

23. 15
Feminism in General
Agreement
Society considers women inferior to men

24. Redefining women as full human beings
Partially rejecting sex roles
Women’s autonomy and right to their bodies
Social change
Injustice of gendered power/privilege
Disagreement
Nature and cause of women’s oppression
What aspect is most oppressive to women
Basic human nature
The ideal society
How to achieve ideal society

25. 16
The Feminist Critique of Family Therapy
Rachel Hare-Munstin (1978), A Feminist Approach to Family
Therapy
Feminist therapy is, “the recognition that (a) the traditional
intrapsychic model of human behavior fails to recognize the
importance of social context as a determiner of behavior, and
(b) the sex roles status’s prescribed by society for females and
males disadvantage women” (pg. 181)
“All therapy is political, either supporting the status quo or
challenging the status quo…Therapist may claim neutrality but
neutrality always supports the status quo” (as cited in Goodrich
& Silverstein, 2005, p. 267)

26. Contracting – transparency of therapeutic process
Shifting Tasks in the Family – division of labor in the house
hold (second shift/ thanking others for child rearing or
household duties)

27. Communication – speaker/listener technique
(feelings/emotins/meaning of desires
Generational Boundaries (replication of parent relationships
)problematic when not congruent, parentification of children,
development of alliances (through confiding in children) due to
gender roles
Relabeling Deviance – use of diagnotic labels, resistance,
stereotypical gender roles
Modeling – self explanitory
Ownership and Privacy – helping women to develop sense of
self, ownership, and own space.
17
Suggestions to address gender in family therapy
Rachel Hare-Munstin (1978) suggestions:
Contracting
Shifting Tasks in the Family
Communication
Generational Boundaries
Relabeling Deviance (Feminine Mystique)
Modeling/examining therapeutic alliance
Ownership and Privacy

28. Contracting – transparency of therapeutic process (creating
rules for therapy, family learns about negotiation, creates space
for talking about issues of powe)
Shifting Tasks in the Family – division of labor in the house
hold (second shift/ consider why thanking others for child
rearing or household duties) addressing issues of responsibility
in the family
Communication – speaker/listener technique
(feelings/emotions/meaning of desires) not anthologizing one

29. form of communication in favor of another
Generational Boundaries (replication of parent relationships
)problematic when not congruent, parentification of children,
development of alliances (through confiding in children) due to
gender roles
Relabeling Deviance – use of diagnostic labels, resistance,
stereotypical gender roles ( discuss the pathologizing og women
who stepped out of their roles –changeling)
Modeling – self explanatory (different for women and men)
Ownership and Privacy – helping women to develop sense of
self, ownership, and own space.
18
The Women’s Project
Response to feminist critique of family therapy in 1970’s
The Group (1977)
Elizabeth Carter
Olga Silverstein
Peggy Papp
Marianne Walters
Held a successful workshop (over 500 women) addressing
women’s issues
Continued workshops until ideas became general knowledge
The Invisible Web: Gender Patterns in Family Relationships
(1989)

30. Elizabeth Carter and Olga Silverstein were clinical social work
student at same school
Peggy Papp – center of family learning
Marianne Walters – worked with Minchin in Philadelphia

31. 19
The Family Interpreted
Deborah Luepnitiz (1988)
A feminist sensibility versus agenda
“Therapy is different from indoctrination, it has to do with
creating space for people to examine their assumptions about
what it means to live as women and men and to explore greater
flexibility in their lives”

32. 20
“Rules of Thumb” to address gender bias in therapy
1.) Income
2.) Physical/Intimidation
3.) Rules for gender roles
4.) Societal attitudes
5.) Validate and empower wives
6.)Dealing with anger
7.) Validate and acknowledge men’s position
8.) Nurture friendships
9.) Emotional network of marriage
10.) Encourage spiritual values
(Green, 2003)

33. 1.) Income – talking about income and work outside the home
2.) Physical/Intimidation – intimidation and history of abuse
3.) Rules for gender roles – how does family couple decide who
does what in the system
4.) Societal attitudes – talking about partners global beliefs

34. about men and women in society (politically, socially,
economically)
5.) Validate and empower wives – woman’s focus of
relationships and empower to explore other aspects of life
6.)Dealing with anger – don’t blame self, culture of blaming
women (victims)
7.) Validate and acknowledge men’s position – understanding
that patriarchy oppresses men and limits their sphere as well
8.) Nurture friendships – help both partners build relationships (
men tend to have less friends in older age than women, wives
tend to be main source of social support)
9.) Emotional network of marriage – recognize importance of
siblings and other family relationships
10.) Encourage spiritual values – spiritual values can help
partners bond and focus on something greater than system
(family rituals, Frank Finchem)
21
Overview of Feminist Family Therapy
Addressing gendered power and roles
Empowering women and validating their voices
Social roles as harmful to men and women
Transparency
Equal relationships between therapist and clients
“Personal is political” (Political is also personal)
Advocacy
Big “A”
Little “a”

35. 22
Example of Feminist Family Therapy

37. 23
Pros and Cons of Feminist Family Therapy

38. Gender issues are at the root of many disagreements between
couples and expectations for children
Gives women voices and acknowledges their experience
Balances the hierarchical relationship between client and
therapist which might be a relief for women and other oppressed
populations
It is in line with many of the interventions used with couples
such as speaker listener technique, “letting your partner
influence you” love maps” (places responsibility for
relationship maintenance on both partners)
Empowers women choose
Address power dynamics inherent in our culture
Many therapists are uncomfortable with the advocacy piece of
the theory and see it in conflict with their duties as a therapist.
Challenges therapists particularly males to reevaluate how they
interact with clients. Therapists may be uncomfortable
promoting self as “feminist” because of the negative
connotations. Many couple are happy with traditional gender
roles in their relationship. Discussion the fact that women are
oppressed could worsen clients mental state (mention study
about slightly less saitisfied – having ingroup creates social
support which contributes to happiness, traditional marraiges
may be happier because of feminism, dauntin choices)
24

39. A timely evolution
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Physical Violence
Sexual Violence
Single mothers
Sexuality
The Second Shift (Arlie Russell Hochschild, 2012)

40. 25
Contemporary Feminist Family Therapy
Dr. Carmen Knudson-Martin
Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy

41. 26
In-Class Journal
Think about a close relationship of yours.
Answer each of the following questions based on this
relationship.

42. Model of Relationship Equality
Relative Status
Whose interests shape what happens to the family?

43. To what extent do partners feel equally entitled to express and
attain personal goals, needs, and wishes?
How are low status tasks like housework handled?
Attention to the Other
To what extent do both partners notice and attend to the other’s
needs and emotions?
Does attention go back and forth between partners? Does each
give and receive?
When attention is imbalanced do partners express awareness of
this and the need to rebalance?
Knudson-Martin & Mahoney, 2009)

44. Accommodation Patterns
Is one partner more likely to organize his/her daily activities
around the other?
Does accommodation often occur automatically without
anything being said?
Do partners attempt to justify accommodations they make as
being “natural” or the result of personality differences?
Well-Being
Does one partner seem to be better off psychologically,
emotionally, or physically than the other?
Does one person’s sense of competence, optimism, or well-
being seem to come at the expense of the other’s physical or
emotional health?
Does the relationship support the economic viability of each
partner?
Model of Relationship Equality
Knudson-Martin & Mahoney, 2009)

45. Interview

46. As partners move into equal relationship structures, most of
them, especially men, acquire new competencies for which they
had not been socialized that go behind qualities by which good
men and women were evaluated in the past
Joan: I want my kids to see the dad showing as much interest in
them and being as much a part of their lives as the mom. And I
know he has to work on it, but I’m glad he is.
Juan: You hear stories of all the selfishness that goes on … You
know the wife is doing all the work and you are just being a
parent when you want to. That’s not fair.
Knudson-Martin & Mahoney, 2009)

47. Socio-emotional Relationship Therapy

48. 31
Socio-emotional Relationship Therapy Assumptions
Socio-cultural discourse frames experience (social construction)
Emotional flows from social identity – who we are or who we
identify as impacts our emotional reactions in situations
Social discourse defines personal worth – gendered processes
impact how partners validate each others worth.
Multiple Cultural Discourses Create Options – there is no one
way to be masculine or feminine and this creates tension.
Power and Ethics in Socio Cultural Process – therapy dealing
with these processes has an ethical imperative. (Therapist not
neutral)
(Knudson-Martin & Huenergardt, 2010)

50. Key goals are mutuality (mutual influence, shared vulnerability
and relational responsibility), and mutual attunement (intention
to experience the other.)
32
Socio-emotional Relationship Therapy Key Goals
Mutuality
mutual influence
shared vulnerability
relational responsibility
Mutual attunement - intention to experience the other
(Knudson-Martin & Huenergardt, 2010)

51. Key goals are mutuality (mutual influence, shared vulnerability
and relational responsibility), and mutual attunement (intention
to experience the other.)
33
Socio-emotional Relationship Therapy Treatment Plan

52. Feminism and Intersectionality
Liberal feminism
1980s-1990 multicultural counseling began to emerge
Mainstream feminism as well as feminist family therapy needed
to necessarily consider intersections with gender that impact
clients experience.

54. Liberal feminism doesn’t quite capture EVERY woman/persons
experience. Reference definition of social, political equality of
the sexes.
35
Examples of Integration
Strategic
Structural
Bowen Family Systems
Experiential
Solution
Focused Therapy

56. In general the modern models can incorporate feminist concepts
by acknowledging gender dynamics and how they impact family
systems. Need to reject “neutrality” as it supports the status
quo. Changing interactional patterns, perscribing symptoms,
paradoxical interventions ect should take gender into
consideration.
Contextual therapy is largely respectful of gender relations
through its emphasis on fairness, trust, putting people and their
relational context and ethical obligations. Multipartiality rather
than neurtality
Post modern models are inherently feminist as they place the
clients experience at the center and believe that language shape
reality and can shape society. However, the therapist as a co-
creator of reality has to acknowledge gender relations and
institutionalized power.
36

57. Focused Genogram
(DeMaria, Weeks, Hof, 1999)

58. Example questions
1.) Family beliefs about being a man or woman in society,
change over time, one gender superior? Beliefs about marriage
and men/womens roles
2.) Questions about gender and work. Did women work, are

59. their jobs more suitable to men/women?
3.) egalitarian relationship, do both men and women share
emotions, do the show closeness and distances differently?
4.) Questions about childcare, patterns around reproduction
5.) affairs, divorces, abandonment, sacrifice?
6) Role of men and women with in sexuality (initiation,
avoiding it, talking about it)
Ask how these beliefs are affecting client in the present( Do you
fulfill them? Have you rebeled, or accepted them, have these
expectations affected currentl relationship?)
37
Integrating Feminist Concepts into Models
Groups
Case Example
Presentation of case conceptualization or interventions with
integration of feminist concepts

61. 38
Case Example
Jane, Mark, and their 12 year old daughter, Lila, are sitting in
your office. Jane is a 34 year old 1st generation Asian-American
businesswoman. Mark is a 30 year old Caucasian bar owner.
The couple has been married for 6 years. Jane has a MBA and
Mark a high school degree. The couple has had a relatively
uneventful marriage until the last month when Lila got in
trouble at school for kissing another student. The couple has
been unable to decide on how to address the incident which has
lead to ongoing conflict. The daughter has become increasingly
rebellious towards her parents as she does not think she did
anything wrong.

63. 39
Can Marriage and Family Therapy not be Feminist?
A survey of MFT found that most scored high on a feminist
family therapy scale despite many not identifying as feminists.
Participants (n= 109) reported a number of theoretical
orientations
40% of women and 25% of men indicated feminist perspective
guides their work
No difference in how often men and women engaged in
behaviors on scale

64. No different in proportion of men/women identifying as
feminists
Scores on scale were significantly related to amount of “Gender
sensitive training”
(Dankoski, Penn, Carlson, and Hecker, 1998)

65. 40

66. Can Marriage and Family Therapy not be Feminist?
Over time the training specific to feminism has decreased at
national conferences and there are a decreasing number of
publications address gender issues.
Incorporated into programs and given “lip service”
Fragmented
Grouped as an “issue” rather than embedded in a context
Gendered issues have become a given
Aware but lacking critical analysis of gendered power
Reflects societal status quo
Issues have become covert
(Goldrich & Silverstein, 2005)

68. 41
In-Class Journal: What do you think?
Do you feel comfortable calling yourself a Feminist?
If not, why not?
If so, why?
Either way, know for yourself WHY.

70. In-Class Journal: Epistoweenie Round 2
Complete the Epistoweenie again (it is under today’s Module)
Compare your Epistoweenie from your 2nd day of class to
today.
What’s changed?
What’s the same?
Why do you think that is?

71. Michelle’s opinion
Feminism is not man-hating.

72. Feminism does not mean being a stay-at-home mom is bad.
Feminists can still wear lipstick.
We as a WORLD need Feminists who are men and women.
All humans matter. Sometimes when society tells us some
humans matter more than others, we have to spend some time
remembering those whose worth has been erased or
unacknowledged.

73. The Post-Modern World and Family Therapy

74. 1
Our interpersonal realities are constructed through interactions
with other human beings and human institutions
Focus on the influence of social realities on the meanings of
people’s lives
The problem is actually the context in which the problem lives
Social Constructionism
2