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
Having graduated from Columbia University in 1989, I've been a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist with almost 30 years of experience helping individuals and couples thrive in an interactive approach to therapy. If you struggle with communication in your relationships consider examining core issues to promote healing. Negative behavior patterns are modified as you move from blame and reactivity to...
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I am passionate and committed to helping you break free from emotional eating and poor body image. Through my own recovery journey with emotional eating, I understand your journey very well and I'm here to tell you that there is relief in sight. This is not necessarily about getting skinny, losing weight or fitting into those size 6 jeans (though that could be a side effect). This is about lett...
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Everyone experiences challenges in their personal and family life. Therapy can dramatically improve the quality of your life and relationships. We focus on working with individuals and families who are experiencing stress, sadness, anger, or distressing feelings related communication, work/life balance, career/school, relationship struggles, parenthood, and family difficulties. We also work wit...
*EMAIL IS PREFERRED CONTACT METHOD FOR FIRST TIME CLIENTS* Have you been feeling stuck, unmotivated, anxious or depressed? Do you find that events from the past getting in the way of living in the way you would like to be? My role as a psychotherapist is to help you move through these feelings to reach your goals. I cultivate a supportive environment in which, together we can uncover the root...
You're here because you can't do it alone anymore. You need help to shake the stuck feeling and wonder if depression, anxiety, co-dependency [or insert struggle of choice] are winning this battle. You try to quit old habits and form healthier habits, but to no avail. You want to be in relationships that build you up but, more often than not, you feel doubt. Your self-esteem is in question. You...
I am a licensed clinical psychologist with 10 years of experience providing psychotherapy to adults and young adults. I approach the therapeutic relationship with genuine curiosity, openness and warmth and seek to provide a comfortable environment for you to explore your concerns. I see the therapeutic process as an opportunity for you to gain personal insight so that you may achieve satisfacti...
We all face stressors in life that can become overwhelming. Feeling stuck with our own negative thoughts or anxiety about new changes; repeatedly engaging in the same fights with our partner or spouse; worrying that we cannot support our children in the way we want - these are all universal experiences. Everyone faces obstacles, but not everyone has to remain feeling helpless, hopeless, or...
I understand the vulnerabilities that come with seeking psychological services. I believe that within a safe, supportive, educational and reciprocal environment we can learn new and effective coping skills. Together we will explore identified problems/challenges and work towards finding coping strategies that are a good fit for you. My focus is working with individuals who are experiencing...
My goal as a counselor is to create a nurturing environment for healing and growth. I hope to offer tools to help you come through a difficult time with greater strength. I have experience supporting adults seeking to understand their own childhoods in order to face the complexities of love, work, and parenting, as well as couples seeking to examine relational patterns in search of positive...
