Feminist Therapy

This blog is part of the series for my reflections on studying different therapy theories. For any citing or quotation, please email nicoyu.w@gmail.com

The feminist therapeutic approach is focusing on culturally formed gender-role differences. They see human suffering as the oppression from cultural and societal influence when a person’s true self is different from social expectation.

Feminist therapy shares many beliefs with other therapeutic approaches. Feminist therapists share common ground with Existential therapists on the emphasis of sharing the journey and with their trust in the client’s ability to move forward positively and constructively. Similar to Person-Centered approach, Feminist therapists focus on the client-therapist relationships and focusing on the client’s experience. However, they disagree on the reason for healing. For the Person-Centered approach, they claim that the quality of the client-therapist relationship is the key reason for the positive therapeutic outcome. In contrast, the Feminist approach sees the positive client-therapist relationship is a way to explore the current and past experience of the client, and to identify the pressure from the culture and society which lead to the client’s current problem.

As a beginning therapist, I agree with Feminist approach on concepts of egalitarian relationships, enhancement of women’s strengths, non-pathological victim-blaming, education, and acceptance and validation of feelings. However, Feminist therapy is heavily dependent on therapists’ and clients’ culture. Also, most of the current theories are highly influenced by western culture, especially European American and African American female groups. In a society where gender difference is less emphasized, the extent that Feminist approach would be limited. For example, my cultural background is Taiwan and Hong Kong. Both cultures less emphasize on gender roles, and both societies emphasize on being successful professionally regardless of gender and provide equal opportunities to men and women. It is difficult for me to imagine the pressure causing by culturally defined gender role, but more about the anxiety of the need to be successful.

However, I do not see this issue as a roadblock for applying a feminist approach in my future practice. Interestingly enough, my husband is an ethnic Korean, and I experienced many cultural shocks since married to him and moved to the states. For the first time, I realized gender differences still exist at every level, from home to the workplace. People also have very different expectations and standard toward men and women. As an outsider, I can identify those inequality and biased perspective quickly, and share the alternative view with people around me naturally. I can use examples from the culture and society that I grew up with, as the real-life and achievable cases for clients to understand the possibility that their frustrations come from societal pressure of gender roles.

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References

Corey, G. (2017). /Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Student Manual (10th edition)./ Boston: Cengage Learning