Feminist Psychotherapy emerged as an approach to counseling as the waves of feminism gained popularity in mainstream western society. It examines the unique way women relate to the world around them after being seen as inferior to men for many generations. It’s also a response to the once male-dominated field of psychotherapy as a whole.
Feminist therapists aim to treat all genders as equally deserving of respect and dignity and accept. They believe in the historical marginalization of all genders besides males.
Critical to Feminist Psychotherapy is an analysis of power dynamics. Power dynamics are inherent in any relationship, specifically within the counseling relationship. Usually, a counselor is an “expert” with high levels of education and status. The client then is thought to be less than. Feminist Psychotherapy, instead of ignoring this power dynamic or using it to their advantage to tell clients what they ought to do, seeks to highlight it and converse about it. Bringing up how the power dynamics affect the counseling relationship helps people examine the power dynamics in all other areas of their life.
Feminist Psychotherapy can be helpful for a range of mental health concerns, can be utilized for a person of any gender identity, and can be used in group settings, family settings, or individual counseling.
Critical to Feminist Psychotherapy is the idea that people grow through relationships with others. Your therapist might help you analyze your patterns of relating to significant others in your life and might ask you to recall some of your early relationships with parents or other caregivers.
Feminist Psychotherapy does not have a list of techniques necessary for treatment. It focuses on the ideas of empathetically relating to you, from one human being (your counselor) to another (you). A healthy relationship with your counselor becomes a model for all of your relationships.
Therapists Who Specialize in Using Feminist Psychotherapy
Experiencing anxiety can feel isolating, even when surrounded by caring people. You're wearing a smile on the outside; but on the inside, you feel overwhelmed. You worry that your stress is impacting those you love. You've tried different strategies to reduce it. They aren't helping. Deep inside you know there's a better way to live, but you're not sure how to do it. The idea of going to therap...
**NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS**I enjoy helping clients move through stuck points in their lives. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, depression, career dissatisfaction, relationship issues, low self-esteem, or other life transitions, I can help you identify what is holding you back and create an action plan to help you build the kind of life you want and deserve. Working collaboratively, I w...
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Do you find yourself at a crossroad? Are you wondering what you want to do, who you want to be, or how you want to be seen by others? Maybe, you find yourself stuck -- feeling like you have few or no options, or possibly, with too many options. Or maybe, you are trying to figure out which of the many ideas shared with you by your family, friends, co-workers or the world are ideas that you want ...
For 35 years, I have worked with individuals, couples and families in many different contexts dealing with many different problems. I hold an assumption that people are more than the sum of problems that have come into their lives and start by getting to know them outside of those problems. Rather than beginning with a focus on the problem and what caused it, I'm more interested in looking forw...
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*Please send an email as opposed to leaving a voice message so that I may get back to you in a timely manner* Experienced Clinical Psychologist with a demonstrated history of working in outpatient, educational, forensic, and geriatric settings. Skilled in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Conceptualization, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Group Therapy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substan...
