Women's Role In Feminist Therapy

The narrative therapy approach allows the client the freedom to present their story and then to verbally rewrite the story in a more positive, healthy way.

Solution-focused therapy is different from narrative and collaborative therapy because it focuses more on discovering solutions to problems by asking miracle and scaling questions (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapists utilize miracle and scaling questions to help clients change their thoughts and behavior. Miracle questions challenge clients to think about what their lives could be like if all their problems suddenly went away and were solved (Henderson & Thompson, 2016). Scaling questions challenge the client to magnify their view of the current circumstance (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapy is also different from narrative and collaborative therapy because the counselor leads the counseling session. Counselors lay out clear expectations for their clients to change, and expect them to actively participate in counseling so change occurs. The third difference between the three approaches is that solution-focused therapy is complaint-based, while narrative and collaborative therapy is not (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Clients come to counseling with a complaint, and counselors typically work with those who ready and willing to change. Another difference is that solution-focused therapy consists of five steps, which are “co-constructing a problem and goal, identifying and amplifying exceptions, assigning tasks, evaluating effectiveness, and reevaluating problems and goals” (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p. 382). Collaborative and narrative therapy do not follow these five

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

This paper will look at the logic of narrative therapy by focusing on 5 major points. This paper will begin by discussing how the narrative approach defines and perceives problems. It will address how narrative therapy views the nature of the relationship between the client and the professional. This paper will look at how problems are solved using the narrative approach. It will also focus on three main techniques used in narrative therapy, which will include externalization, deconstruction and re-authoring. This paper will also include a short narrative critique of the medical model.

Rather than trying to transform or change the person and create a new “desirable” human all together, narrative therapy leans towards the goal of transforming the

Feminist theory is compatible with anti-oppressive principles. This theory sees the foundations of group work as equity and social justice, and aligns with anti-oppressive principles of bringing about change and obtaining open and meaningful communication (Gregory &

Narrative therapy emerged from postconstructuralism and deconstruction (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2008). “Poststructural thought rejects the notions that there is a deep structure to all phenomena and that its complexity can be broken down to its elements” (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2008, p. 367). Therapy must look for deep, underlying causes, repair the flaw and not be satisfied with simply reducing or eliminating symptoms. Deconstructing old notions and replacing them with possibilities reduces the power of the stories that dominate and are filled with problems (Goldenberg & Goldenberg). The stories are given thick descriptions rather than thin descriptions and the new story of a client’s life is connected to future options.

Narrative therapy was developed by Michael White and Davis Epston in during the 1980 's. Narrative therapy is described as a “ collaboration and non-pathologizing approach to counseling and community work which centres people as the experts on their own lives” (Narrative Therapy Centre, 2014). The basis of this theory is to separate the person from the problem so they rely on their own skill sets to eliminate their problems. Narrative therapy allows people to transform their personal experiences into stories and discover their life 's purpose (GoodTherapy.org, 2015).

Research efforts in 2014 have produced scholarly articles and books reporting on Narrative Therapy and its treatment of moderate depression, trauma in adolescents, video game addiction, PTSD, depression in cancer patients, phobias, and many other client problems and its application in the realms of individual, group, couple, and family therapy. Similarly, the efficacy and application of Solution Focused Brief Therapy continues to build on its considerable history of empirical research. 2014 saw articles and books detailing the use of solution focused brief therapy in treating intellectual disability,

Why is the feminist lens focused only on one perspective: females?. Throughout history females have being oppressed by sexism and racism ideologies, not only based on gender differences, but in skin color and body shape as we see in today’s society. Due to this reason, can men do Feminist theory?. To illustrate, “[men] do not have the life experiences of belonging to an oppressed group and [do not have] shared personal stories that reveal their wounds from patriarchy”(Klocke). This demonstrates that men can not be in the feminist theory because they didn't suffered the struggle and the pain that many women experienced in order to gain their natural rights. Moreover, of course males can relate and be part of the theory, but the main focus will

SFBT inspires the client to cultivate an image of a different future. This therapy "does not attempt to eliminate problems but rather attempts to develop new meanings or new ways of looking at problems so that the process of solution building can begin" (Bezanson, 2004, p. 184). SFBT This writer prefers to primarily use SFBT alongside other therapies like Existential Therapy in the counseling profession. SFBT has been growing for some years and is commonly recognized as a current treatment. The theory “solution focused brief therapy” was created by Steve de Shazer in the 1980s (Murphy, 2008). SFBT is a supple theoretic orientation and can be used together with numerous additional therapies (Fernando, 2007; Linton, 2005). All therapists will at one point counsel a client who is capable to be present at limited sessions. As a result, it is vital that therapists be familiar with providing effective psychotherapy within a short period of time. SFBT is a solution to the task modeled by managed care. It would be prudent for all therapists to have an awareness of the

Narrative therapy is a social constructive philosophical approach to psychotherapy that has been developed to help clients deconstruct their negative and self-defeating life stories while rebuilding healthy and positive life stories through the use of various techniques. This paper will discuss the leading figures, some concepts and techniques, ethics, some similarities and dissimilarities of other theories compared to Narrative therapy. This paper will also address my personal integration of faith regarding the theory of Narrative therapy.

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

The theoretical basis for working with someone with dependency and depression can be narrative therapy along with cognitive behavioral therapy. Narrative therapy is from the theoretical approach that individuals have their own unique narratives (Phipps & Vorster, 2015).

The lecture of feminist therapy annihilated my preconceived beliefs on what feminism actually is. I am all for equality, but just like we discussed in class, I would often turn my back on the issue because of the negative connotation associated with the word. I was not aware that there were three types of feminism, and even though they may overlap to some degree, they each hold very distinct beliefs in comparison to one another. My negative perception of the word and lack of knowledge made me confident that feminist therapy was not for me and never will be. Even though my insight on this particular approach has changed, I still do feel that feminist therapy would not fit well with my theoretical orientation. Of all the techniques involved, I do like how the focus of the therapy is to empower the client and eliminate any distortions one may believe because of outside influences. However, my perception of therapy does not include politics and historical occurrences outweighing the psychological aspect of the client’s situation. It is crucial that everything should be taken into consideration when working with a client. However, my first thought would not be to look at politics as the perpetrator of the situation, but instead the psychological state of the person.