Feminist Therapy

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

"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.

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.

Valuable information on feminist issues is provided in this book, which focuses on particular groups of women that are frequently overlooked in feminist literature. A Guide to Dynamics of Feminist Therapy takes an exciting look at the power, effectiveness, and forcefulness of psychotherapy designed for women--a therapy of change and enrichment. The effectiveness of therapy, and its liberating feeling, is fully explored. The authors focus on the feminist therapy process that deals with the equality, assertiveness, and empowerment of women, with the elevation of consciousness about sex-roles and sex-typing. Special emphasis is placed on matters important to women of color and other groups other than Caucasian.

An Introduction to Feminist Therapy, by Evans, Kinkade and Seem, focuses on the practical application of feminist theory to clinical experience. Whereas other books in the area tend to focus on specific clinical issues encountered by women (such as sexual abuse or rape), this book addresses a broad range of clinical situations. It offers strategies to be used by male or female therapists working with men, women, families, or groups. The primary goal of the book is to help instructors, students and professionals to learn 'how to' implement feminist therapy.

Annotation Written by and for practicing therapists, this text focuses on feminist issues in family therapy. In the first two chapters, the editors place feminist family therapy within its historical context and discuss some of its classic texts. Other topics include, for example, loyalty to family of origin, gender in stepfamilies, the assessment of domestic violence, and feminism in the treatment of AIDS. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Jessica Heriot discovered Women's Liberation in 1969 and became an avid feminist. A few years later, she was introduced to "feminist therapy" and decided to use her social work degree to counsel women. In 1973, she and four other women founded the Women's Growth Center in Baltimore (still in existence today) where psychotherapy for women was rooted in a feminist perspective. After working at the Women's Growth Center and at Jewish Family Services, she opened a private practice where she saw clients, primarily women, for 32 years. In 1992, she received a doctorate in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and was an adjunct professor there for nine years. During her tenure, she designed the school's first course on clinical practice with women. Her dissertation about the role of mothers in incest families, "Maternal Protectiveness Following the Disclosure of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse" was published in The Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Her first foray into writing began with a chapter, "Double Bind: Healing the Split" in Women Changing Therapy, published in 1983. She co-edited The Use of Personal Narratives in the Helping Professions: A Teaching Casebook, published in 2002. The book described individual's personal experiences with mental health issues and problems in living she thought would be useful to students in social work, psychology, and counseling. Her current book, Feminist Therapist: How Second Wave Feminism Changed Psychotherapy and Me recounts the seminal contributions of feminism on women's psychology, psychotherapy, and its impact on her own life and career. "The author begins with a personal history that many women will understand. Although her own experience may differ from someone else's, her reactions/ behaviors will be very familiar. She has a rich history counseling women and describes her work within a psychological perspective. The book is a personal catharsis, which should not dissuade anyone, male or female, from appreciating the challenges faced by many women. Perhaps it is a prelude to #MeToo. Perhaps a better understanding of themselves could prevent some women from becoming entrapped in unwanted experiences." "I especially enjoyed this interesting book when Dr. Heriot related the stories of encounters with her patients. Riding the Second Wave should be required reading for all future psychiatrists." "This is a wonderful book, beautifully written. I met Dr. Heriot when we were both Ph.D. students in the early 1980's, and age cohorts as well. Reading the first part of the book about her life in those decades was like revisiting my own in many ways. But the second part of the book, about her life as a therapist and about therapy itself, as feminism continued to impact psychology and psychotherapy, was captivating. Chapter Nine, "Finding a Therapeutic Home", is worth the entire purchase price alone. Her ability to concisely explain what various theories of practice are, and how she wove her way through them to where she ". . . settled on a theory of practice", demonstrate her encompassing knowledge of and clarity of not only her own experience, but of a typically social work process of becoming a master therapist. I wish my therapists had been like her." "Jessica Heriot is a dedicated feminist. Her efforts in helping women to understand and overcome the role that has been expected of women is commendable. Sounds like she has made a real impact. Kudos to her!"