Feminist Therapy

Feminist therapy is a set of related therapies that arose from what its proponents see as a disparity between the origins of most psychological theories and the fact that most people seeking counseling are women. It focuses on the societal, cultural and political causes of, and solutions to, the issues clients face in the counseling process, and openly encourages clients to participate in the world in a more social and political way. Feminist therapists hold that women are disadvantaged by sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion, age and other categories, and that many problems that surface in therapy stem from disempowering social forces, so the goal of therapy is to help clients recognize and resist those forces. In a feminist therapy setting the therapist and client work as equals: the therapist demystifies the process from the outset so the client understands she is her own rescuer, the expectations and responsibilities of both parties are explored and agreed together, and the therapist looks for a strength behind every symptom the client presents. The approach grew out of concerns that established therapies were not helping women, including gender bias and stereotyping in therapy, blaming victims of physical and sexual abuse, and an assumed traditional nuclear family.