Feminist Family Therapy: A Case Study

In this essay I will explore the different schools of feminism such as Marxist, liberal and radical feminism, who share the view that women are oppressed in a patriarchal society but differ in opinion on who benefits from the inequalities. Each school of feminism has their own understanding of family roles and relationships which I will assess through this essay.

Deborah Tannen, who is a professor of linguistics, says in her essay, "How Male And Female Students Use Language Differently", that after she made her book, “You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation” that one of the unintended benefits was that she gets to reevaluate her teaching strategies and see how male and females act differently in class. As you read through her essay you can tell that Deborah Tannen wants her readers to think about why males tend to speak more in discussions than females and the reason for this difference in the classroom and also how we can improve the classroom for both men and women.Although Tannen tends to get off topic and doesn 't have much evidence to back up some of her claims, she states

One Feminist technique for Julie’s case is reframing and relabeling. In the Feminist Therapy is referred to shifting from oneself and placing blame on society. It is a different outlook as compared to reframing in Family Systems. Reframing and relabeling can be effective when the client removes her focus and blame on him or herself and place it to the society. It provides a different insight for client. For example, instead for a client to blame on depression, the client will shift the blame to society for the reason for the client may have.

Ballou (1996) in Ivey (2002) comments on other concepts of feminist therapy. An understanding of pluralism is one. That is, the value of difference. Although focused

With the revival of the feminist movement in the 1960 's many women started to renounce traditional theories of psychotherapy, arguing that these theories were sexist, oppressive, and ultimately detrimental to the psychological and emotional well-being of women. Feminist advocates highlighted the limiting nature of socialized gender roles and the damaging effects of the various levels of oppression experienced by women. In response to the recognition of these perceived injustices, feminist support groups formed and eventually a feminist approach to therapy was collaboratively developed. Feminist therapists practice with an awareness of how gender socialization and systemic

In most other therapies, the counseling session has two individuals present, the counselor and the client. According to PsychologyCampus.com (2004-2008), “family systems therapy is based on the idea that individuals are best understood through assessing the entire family” (para. 1). This is where family therapy differs and can be challenging. There may be two family members in therapy, for example, in marriage or couples counseling. However, there may be multiple individuals, for example, a large family who needs family therapy. Either way, the relationship between the counselor and family members will be

As such, the work of feminist counseling is to conceptualize and explain some of the common experiences and difficulties associated with the social roles women endure (cite). From gendered violence to limited economic resources and opportunities to unrealistic media portrayal, immigrant women are at risk of developing and suffering from emotional and psychological trauma. Women are forced to ingest the stereotypical demands of society, they become burdened and are averted from living self-defined and meaningful lives (Yahushko and Morgan-Consoli, 2013). Feminist practitioners see many of the experiences and difficulties expressed by women to be associated with the societal roles that women (and men) play and find that they can be limiting to their

One of the greatest strengths of feminist therapy is the ability to integrate feminist therapy with other counseling techniques (Maraceck, 2001; Worell & Johnson, 2001). Counselors have combined feminist therapy techniques and approaches with cognitive behavioral approaches, psychodynamic approaches, and even family systems therapies (Israeli & Santor, 2000). Feminist therapy is also commonly used with a variety of populations and disorders. Where people might assume that feminist therapy is only used with women, many feminist therapists have found working with men and non-gender conforming persons beneficial; social context, gender roles, and power differentials affect everyone (Brown, 1994; Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). The feminist approach has been applied to people with chronic illness, physical disabilities, sexual abuse, trauma, eating disorders, career counseling, and other symptomatic presenting problems (Brown, 1994; Israeli & Santor, 2000; Maraceck, 2001; Sands & Howard-Hamilton, 1995; Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014; Worell & Johnson, 2001).

I am especially aware of the role of gender in supervision. It has been my experience, (as a white, middle-aged, male) I have acted as a trigger for several women in the professional/academic setting. This may have been a solely a result of my apparent outward identity, my behavior, or a combination of both (I suspect the latter). Having negative experiences regarding my gender in relation to others has fostered a keen awareness around these interactions. Further, due to education surrounding multicultural awareness, I have developed a strong sensitivity of the power differential between men and women create by the United States patriarchal culture. In my interactions with female clients and supervisees, I attempt to address and reduce the

Feminist theory has developed through education of higher learning to advocate for social justice and gender inequality amongst race, class, and sexual identity. As gender and sex are the two-important stereotypes that determine the masculine and feminine responsibility in the workplace and relationship, dominant men utilize power women to devalue their ability and make them feel powerless. Feminist theory is a concern in the social work practice to women and all persons, as social workers help the necessities through assessments and interventions. Social workers incorporate theories of empowerment and feminist theory in a combination to help individuals, families, and people to gain control and improve their situation.

Therapy focuses on issues and problems that are troubling the client at the present moment and try to help them using brief therapy. Therapists typically ask questions about family role patterns, rules, goals, and stages of development.

As their behaviour is the norm, is functional, promotes compliance and promotes solidarity and stability, similar to that of an ecosystem (Macionis & Plummer 1997, p. 27). As a result, gender inequalities can be perceived differently in private verses publicly.

This article aims to explore that the feminist making a great change for the family, the author emphasizes family affected by feminist are the most and it makes female’s status and thinking style has dramatic change compare to different eras. Author 's objective is let people understand that pros and cons of feminism families in the study, and also use horizontal and vertical analysis the survey data to treat feminist trend critically.

Fatima Kodovandi was referred for counseling services from her case worker through Refugee One. She was referred for anxiety and depression. She experiences severe stomach pain and discomfort, as well as migraines daily with no physical medical reason according to her doctor. She came to America from Pakistan 18 months ago with her father-in-law and six children who are all under 19 years of age as a refugee from Afghanistan. Fatima’s oldest daughter, Parvin, financially supports the family and handles all interactions that require speaking English for her mother. Fatima reports that she wants to return to Pakistan to be with her family that still lives there as her family does not need her in anymore in America. She states that her children do not spend time with her anymore and she feels worthless now that she is in America. She has a good relationship with her father-in-law, but it is a respectful Afghani Muslim relationship between in-laws.

The next model for explaining gender differences is the interactionist model. According to this model, gender roles are “fragile” and need to be continuously reinforced. This is described as “doing gender.” The example given by Cherlin is as follows: after dinner, a husband and wife are cleaning up. The husband is helping by sponging crumbs off of the table, however, he leaves many crumbs on the table while sheepishly smiling at his wife. According to the interactionist model, this man has reinforced gender roles because he is (nonverbally) communicating to his wife that even though is a brilliant attorney, he is unwilling or unable to perform stereotypically feminine duties. Interactions such as these continuously reinforce