Feminist Therapists

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

Ted Chabasinski (born March 20, 1937) is an American psychiatric survivor, human rights activist and attorney who lives in Berkeley, California. At the age of six, he was took from his foster family's home and committed to a New York psychiatric facility. Diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia, he went intensive electroshock therapy (now termed electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) and remained an inmate in a state psychiatric hospital until the age of seventeen. He subsequently trained as a lawyer and became active in the psychiatric survivors movement. In 1982, he led a successful campaign seeking to ban the actualization of electroshock in Berkeley,

The most prevalent and popular stereotype of the post World war II era in America is one filled with women abandoning their wartimes jobs and retreating into the home to fulfill their womanly duties. In Joanne Meyerowitz’s Beyond the Feminine Mystique: A reassessment of Postwar Mass Culture, she shows how far women departed from this one dimensional image. While Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique is reflexive and focused on the mainstream, Meyerowitz’s analysis is a broader and more inclusive exploration of media, as she draws upon multiple sources. Although Friedan effectively unveiled the thought process and reasoning behind society's belief that the message of media was to make women think that their place was to be the happy housewife, Meyerowitz expanded her media archives and found a differing message in analyzing both female responses to media and exploring their stories.

When one closes their eyes and hears the word feminist, one can imagine seeing a mob full of women marching down the street burning their brassieres while chanting anti-male chants, while holding signs that sheds light on the unfair treatment women were exposed to for several decades. On the other hand, if one closes their eyes, and hears the word feminine, one can imagine seeing either a dainty female looking sweet and innocent, something like a princess, or a lady with “tasteful” sex appeal. These images along with other images associated with femininity and feminist comes from how the media, new papers, and stories portray them. Looking on the surface, they seem quite the opposite in nature. In Claire Miye Stanford’s essay “You’ve Got the Wrong Song: Nashville and Country Music Feminism” Stanford poses a question, “Can a show that is so ostensibly interested in the ‘feminine’…also be feminist?” (Stanford 277). At first glance, one would disagree, but more TV shows are portraying their leading women as a feminine feminist. Shows like Nashville, Insecure, and Orange is the New Black are breaking the boundaries and changing the views on what the new feminine feminist looks like.

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

Armed with this new awareness, the therapeutic process from a feminist perspective was reconceptualized to include an emphasis on social and political forces and an acknowledgement of their role in disempowerment for women (Brown, 2010). Additionally, the seed of creating a more respectful and humanistic approach to the counselling relationship was planted. Raising the consciousness of clients around power and focusing on societal transformation rather than individual adjustment became the identify of feminist therapy and to what Lerner (1993) referred to as the ‘feminist consciousness’. This perspective afforded practitioners a new way to view “problems” presented in therapy.

REPORTER: The reporter/niece (Terita) called to report neglect for the victim, Mattie. Mattie’s is blind, and needs assistance with her ADL’s. The reporter stated that Netasha (daughter) and Rick (boyfriend) are neglecting the victim. According to the reporter, Mattie ahs been blind for 5 or 6 years, and the home has been in horrible conditions for a while. The reporter said her brother (unknown) spoke with Natasha, a year ago, about her mother’s living conditions. The reporter said the house has cob webs, spider webs, and animals (unknown type) inside. The reporter said the ceiling is caving in near the back of the home. The tub is not being used, and the victim is not bathing. “You can see the dirt on her/victim”. The kitchen is in horrible

The last two approaches we have covered in class offer some distinct views compared to the other conventional methods we have covered. The approaches that will be discussed in this paper include feminist and postmodern therapies. These two approaches give us insight on a feminist perspective and their struggle for equality, while the other focuses on client exceptions and not dwelling on the past. I felt that postmodern therapies are a real way to give the client not only hope but confidence, by allowing them to see how “ instances of success” or “exceptions” allow them to overcome problems they are having.

Early feminism was typically focused only on white women, likely because racism was still extremely prominent at the time feminism began emerging. It was not until Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in 1989 that feminism started to look at oppressed group’s needs (Nash, 2008, 2). Intersectionality is a way of thinking that acknowledges that when a person has identities that belong to more than one oppressed group, it impacts their quality of life more negatively. In this paper, I will argue that intersectionality is important in the discussion of feminist theories and activism because it ensures that feminism is for all women, not just a select group of them. Intersectionality has changed the way the feminist movement handles the overlapping of different identities, which has helped feminist theorists understand the experiences of women of colour much more clearly. While intersectionality has a very important role in the conversation and practice of feminism, there are certainly critiques of the concept that should be brought up. These critiques, however, can offer a way to improve the study of intersectionality.

For our activism project, my sister, Maggie, and I went to the Ziibiwing Center in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. We live in the near-by village of Shepherd, so we decided to visit the Center while we were home for Easter break. I had been interested in visiting the Center for a number of years and saw this project as the necessary push to finally act on the desire. Mt. Pleasant is located right next to the reservation of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. At times is hard to tell where the reservation ends and the city begins. The Ziibiwing Center was opened in 2004 to help preserve the Anishinabe culture, honor their ancestors, and to educate people on the culture as well. The Anishinabe are the Ojibwe (Chippewa), the Odawa (Ottawa), and the Potawatomi.

Feminist perspective developed with the ideology that women face large amounts of inequalities in a patriarchal society. They aimed to address and rid the social world of this oppression of women by men. According to Bishop, (2015) “oppression occurs when one group of people use different forms of power to keep another group down in order to exploit them. The oppressor uses the power; the oppressed are exploited” (p. 133-134). Oppression must be by individual experience and not grouped into being the same for all. This includes understanding the original ideology of feminist theory being critiqued as only considering the experiences of middle class, white women. That black women, of lower class experienced oppression much different from the other women. Women are oppressed, thus has to be understood in a different construct that women are similar in some sources, experience of oppression but also experience oppression very differently from one individual to another. Feminist theories have further been expanded do its continuation throughout society and decades to encompass many more issues and arenas than just men and women relationships. Now it seeks to understand and address oppression based on culture, race, class, etc and not only for women but for all. Therefore, Bishop (2014) outlines five components that seem common to all forms of oppression and serve to maintain its presence in society.

Intro: This essay will thoroughly explore feminist counselling and take into consideration the theoretical ideas and practice skills that will include the following issues The key figures (founders) and major focus, philosophy and basic assumptions, key concepts, therapeutic goals, techniques and procedures, applications, contributions, and the limitations and criticisms of feminist counselling. To develop a better understanding of the feminist counselling approach, the next few paragraphs will look at the forms feminist counselling uses to address these issues and inequities within individuals that have been affected.

The “New Woman” refers to a category of women, beginning in the late 19th century, who adopted feminist ideals, wishing to break gender roles and gain independence from and equality with men (Newton, 560-61). While not one specific, real person, the “New Woman” is an overarching term that encompasses the many women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first generation of these women strove for economic and social autonomy with roles separate from the home and family spheres of domesticity (Newton, 561). For example, they would not marry, but instead receive a higher education and work in a profession (Newton, 561). To replace their commitments to men and family, they instead formed close and passionate relationships with other women, though these relationships were not sexual in nature, people viewed women as passionless and pure. The second generation, however, living in a more modernist culture of sexual freedom, began to discuss female sexuality, and wanted to participate in more opportunities only offered to men, including drinking and smoking (Newton, 564). Because of the societal idea that only men were sexual beings, New Women had to explain the intimate relationships among them, which had become sexual in the second generation. Thus, they created the idea of masculine lesbians, who had male souls that caused them their sexual feelings (Newton, 566). The “mythic mannish lesbian” refers to these women who dressed and acted in a masculine manner

It is essential to take Feminist ethics into consideration. Feminist ethics is providing a new approach to traditional ethics. Ethics have previously been formed around male-based assumptions. This new approach does not have to reject other forms of ethics but it can simply be a supplement. It will help aide different forms of ethics to make them less dehumanizing. We can allow feminist ethics to conform our moral framework while taking the insights of other forms of ethics into consideration but still acknowledging their shortcomings. Kantian ethics shows that reasoning is important and that we as humans should know what is right or wrong, but how one reasons and how decisions are made may vary in different situations. Kant leans more toward straight set rules that lead to a set of ethics that are too ridged. Utilitarianism is a form of ethics that thinks that the consequences are what matters, but can we really what those consequences will be. This is when feminist ethics will benefit traditional ethics as a supplement. It will help separate ethics from their male-based roots and will help make it equal for all individuals by showing interest in all activities, issues, values an moral experience for everyone and not just males or one certain group. Feminism is relatable and will show concern. Feminist ethics is taking a more caring approach to traditional forms of ethics and values relationships and

Feminist Psychology really started to flourish in the 1960’s and 1970’s. There isn’t any one particular theorist that can be credited for Feminist Therapy; rather there were a combination of psychologist who aided in the creation of Feminist Therapy. Feminist Psychologist tried to eliminate the sexist aspects of other traditional theories, but still integrate parts of those other theories that worked. The goals that the original Feminist Psychologist established in the 60’s and 70’s are still used today. One of the goals of Feminist Therapy is to establish a relationship with a mutual understanding of power. The therapist should understand that the client is the expert on her own issues. It is important for the therapist to know that the therapist is only there to help the client develop the tools that are necessary to reach her maximum potential as a valuable and unique individual. The second main goal of Feminist Therapy is change. Feminist Therapy strives to not only help the individual change for the better, but also society (Mahaney, 2014). Gender issues, like gender stereotyping and gender roles, can lead to psychological distress in individuals therefore they need to be addressed. Gender stereotypes and gender roles can negatively impact a person’s identity, because of this Feminist Therapy is not only for women, but for men as well. Both women and men can benefit from Feminist Therapy because it helps individuals better understand the impact the gender stigmas play on a person’s mental health. Females live in a mostly