Feminist Therapy Theory And Practice

"In this latest volume to emerge from the work of the Feminist Therapy Institute, Ballou, Hill, West, and their contributors have done a powerful job of explicating current themes in feminist therapy practice, with a lovely balance of theory and application. The careful attention to the economic and social demands of the current political climate and their impact on feminist practice is particularly valuable for advancing feminist analysis of the role of psychotherapy in social transformation." --Laura S. Brown, Ph.D. ABPP, Director, Fremont Community Therapy Project Seattle, WA "In the twenty-plus years since the original Handbook of Feminist Therapy was published, members of the Feminist Therapy Institute and other forward-thinking professionals have continued to push and prod-both themselves and mainstream therapists-to examine the underpinnings of the psychotherapy endeavor. In this volume, the editors and contributors present an organized overview of the most up-to-date thinking about feminist therapy and draw attention to the alliance between feminist therapy and multicultural counseling, critical theory, and liberation psychology. Whereas most mainstream therapy models have progressed beyond a view of the therapist as an objective agent, they generally do not provide a model for understanding the therapist's and, for that matter, the client's beliefs, experiences, and world view. The contextual ecological feminist model explicated here articulates a means of examining the contextual and ecological elements of person's worlds. "The authors of this volume have nicely illustrated feminist therapy's key tenets-to illuminate the multiple spheres of influence in clients' lives, to empower clients as well as ameliorate their distress, to appreciate the linkages among sociostructural, cultural and relational influences, and to work for social justice-in well-drawn theoretical explanations and carefully detailed case examples that bring us to the cutting edge of contemporary feminist therapy." --Maryka Biaggio, PhD Psychologist, Consultant, and Writer, Portland, Oregon

"Speaking in a clear, accessible, and highly engaging voice, it introduces readers to many key elements of contemporary feminist theory that are absolutely essential for learning and practice in today's diverse counselling contexts. Contributors to the collection embrace the complexities of marginalized people's lives and capture the histories and legacies--such as colonization, racism, and violence--that shape women's varied situations and subjectivities, within and beyond Canada's borders. Of equal value, the wide array of voices, issues, and vantage points included in this text all recognize the agency and creativity of individuals in contexts not of their own making."--Carla Rice, Associate Professor Women's Studies Department, Trent University --Page 4 de la couverture.

"Feminist therapy came into existence toward the end of the 1960s. Feminist practice is psychology derived from the realities that lie outside, beneath, and at variance from the visions of the dominant patriarchal mainstream. It is an integrative and competency-based paradigm that perceives human beings as responsive to the problems of their lives, capable of solving those problems, and desirous of change. It is also a politically informed model that observes human experience within the framework of societal and cultural realities and through the dynamics of power informing those realities. This book represents an attempt to synthesize feminist therapy's heritage and roots, theory, and modes of practice as they stand in the early 21st century. The model of feminist therapy described in this book is strongly influenced by multicultural and global feminism and by the politics of the social justice movements of feminism, multi-culturalism, and other similar movements working to transform society. Feminist therapy and feminist therapists face the next eight decades of the 21st century wondering how transformations of our understandings of sex and gender, of power and relationships, and of the social and political context of therapy will transform our practice. As a model for psychotherapy, feminist therapy continues to offer the concept that psychotherapy can, and should, be liberatory and that liberation is not simply a freedom from distress but a move toward the power of being able to know and name one's experiences of oppression as well as those of joy."--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Part of a series which discusses the history, theory and practice of different theories, as well as primary change mechanisms, empirical basis and future developments.

Explore the obstacles and challenges involved in bringing feminist values and techniques into mainstream therapy Feminist therapy has been challenging mainstream therapy thinking and practice for the past thirty years. The Foundation and Future of Feminist Therapy is the first book to provide a summary and compilation of that history. It describes the work of the major contributors, early and recent, and gives a terrific overview of the rich and radical development of feminist therapy from a variety of perspectives. The Foundation and Future of Feminist Therapy honors the work of women such as Laura Brown, Iris Fodor, Miriam Greenspan, Hannah Lerman, and Lenore Walker, who developed, and who continue to develop, feminist therapy theory and practice. This book breaks new ground by envisioning a feminist-informed future in the areas of therapy practice, the education of therapists, and community. It also provides an unflinching look at the challenges and threats to developing that future and offers suggestions for action. The Foundation and Future of Feminist Therapy includes the work of past and present contributors to feminist theory on topics such as: the complex intertwining of gender and other oppressions the impact of race and ethnicity the effects of sexual orientation, age, class, disability, and refugee and immigrant status discussions about violence against women feminist theory from a wide range of perspectives, from relational-cultural to multicultural theory perspectives on trauma the discussions at a conference that imagined a future informed by feminist principles and much more! For those interested in feminist therapy theory, The Foundation and Future of Feminist Therapy is an excellent starting point, and many references are provided for readers who want to pursue specific topics further. This book will interest practicing therapists at all levels, including psychologists, counselors, and social workers. It is also appropriate as a textbook for women’s studies, psychology of women, counseling, psychology, and social work classes.

An updated, reader-friendly guide to feminist theory and therapy! Feminist Theories and Feminist Psychotherapies: Origins, Themes, and Diversity, Second Edition examines major feminist theoretical perspectives and links them to practical applications of feminist therapy. This book focuses on the evolution of feminist therapy and how histor

Focusing on the practical application of feminist theory to clinical experience, Introduction to Feminist Therapy provides guidelines to help therapists master social action and empowerment techniques, feminist diagnostic and assessment strategies, and gender-role and power analyses to foster individual and social change. This guide is ideal for graduate students enrolled in a techniques of counseling course and practitioners who wish to incorporate feminist therapy into their current approach, including how to apply feminist therapy to both women and men and how to deal with the gender issues of both sexes. Client/Therapist dialogues provide readers with examples of how each technique actually works in a therapeutic session. The text also provides case studies, coverage of ethical issues, and feminist assessment guidelines that show readers how to conduct a feminist assessment with and without using the DSM-IV-TR.

This is an interesting book. It may be useful for those who have not followed the debate on the experience of women in psychiatric services. It provides useful information on ways of working with more disturbed women. These are women whom psychiatric services often avoid or at least with whom they do little constructive work. The emphasis on offering therapy to these women instead of a bed in an institution was refreshing. --Andrea Bennett in Clinical Psychology Forum How can counselors and clinicians help empower women in a sexist, racist, and homophobic society? How can they help women reclaim their bodies? Or repair their violated bond with womenkind? Taking feminist therapy one step further, this enlightening volume focuses on a central problem in our society--violence against women--and explores practical, feminist ways of working with women′s responses to it: depression, cutting, splitting, troubled eating, and protest. Radical Feminist Therapy explores issues that are usually either omitted or pathologized in generalist feminist counseling texts such as women battered by their pimps, women who self-mutilate, and psychiatrized women. Other topics covered are working with lesbians; American Indian, African American, Jewish, and immigrant women; women with disabilities; working with heterosexual couples; sexual violation by therapists; and working with suicidal clients. A list of recommended readings follows each chapter. Radical Feminist Therapy addresses the needs of both students and practitioners in the areas of psychology, counseling, social work, and women′s studies who desire a comprehensive, enlightening text they will refer to again and again. "Burstow′s book should prove very useful as a resource for practitioners in a wide variety of areas dealing with violence against women. . . . The first part of the book presents the theoretical foundations; the remaining 12 chapters integrate theory and practice. Written from a well-articulated radical feminist position, the text is grounded in structuralist theory that situates problems in living within the systematic oppressions of classism, sexism, and racism. Respect for women and for their right to make their own decisions in therapy permeates the text." --Choice "This book fills a gap in the literature addressed by no other publication I have seen. There are numerous theoretical books on feminist counseling or therapy. But I have seen nothing which moves from theory to clear, practical suggestions on what to do and how to do it when working with women on different problems. Bonnie begins by presenting a clear feminist framework in which she sees violence against women in our society as the central problem in all women′s lives. She explains how this core issue plays itself out in different areas of women′s lives and how it is central to the personal problems women struggle with. She then goes on to give practical, concrete suggestions about how to actually work with women in therapy. She warns readers of common pitfalls and how to avoid them. It is an extremely cohesive and useful piece of work." --Linda Advokaat, Feminist Counselor, Sessional Instructor, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada "As a presentation of theory translated into casework, this is the best I have seen in its field--a deft integration of politics and philosophy, made relevant and workable in the chosen context." --Counselling