What is Feminist Therapy?

It is a therapeutic approach that views the political and personal intertwined, and considers how social inequity impacts mental health.

Feminist Therapy derives from an in-depth interrogation of standpoints that are unavailable to the dominant culture because they have been relegated to the margins: people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, gender non-conforming, queer, people with disabilities, and so on. Feminist Therapy listen the voices and experiences of those who have been defined as ‘other’ by the dominant culture.

• What to expect in a therapy session:

  • Work is collaborative. Feminist therapists try to level traditional power dynamics in the client-therapist relationship, viewing the client as a collaborator and an expert on their own experience, rather than therapist being the professional and telling the client what to do.

  • Feminist Therapy encourage feedback, openness and authenticity, so this be really validating and eye-opening. Feminist therapists will ask questions to gain a better sense of the client’s experience and sessions will be guided by both client and therapist.

  • Diagnosis or the medical model are NOT a centre of this model. The idea of pathology is moved from being located in individuals to social environments. These can look like: being neurodivergent and focussing on what are the difficulties for you living in a neurotypical world, masking and so on, rather than focussing on ‘what is wrong with you’ (nothing!).

  • Empowerment, enlightenment and feelings of independence are encouraged in this type of therapy.

  • Gain more insight about how different oppressions are interconnected and are impacting your mental health.

• Some techniques used in Feminist Therapy:

  • Self disclosure. This is when your therapist shares something personal about themselves in the session, that is relevant to what you shared/what you are going through at the moment. This can strengthen the therapeutic relationship and often help the client to feel understood.

  • Power analysis. Explore your privileges, disadvantages, oppressions and how they impact your experience.

  • Psychoeducation: Supporting clients gaining knowledge about issues that might arise in therapy, with a gender perspective. For instance, why neurodivergencies are underdiagnosed in women or how gender roles impact our wellbeing.

• Is Feminist Therapy Effective?

Yes, it is. Empirical studies have demonstrated the negative impact of oppression on mental health outcomes. Feminist therapists’ attention to power and oppression, the importance of egalitarian therapeutic relationships, and benefits of consciousness-raising and empowerment are some of the keys element that Feminist Therapy uses to work on your mental health.

Feminist Therapy is a non-biased approach because it works actively trying to combat certain biases that we all have at some level, like gender prejudice. A Psychotherapy approach that doesn’t incorporate a gender perspective and does not take into consideration how different oppressions and how they can appear in the therapy room, would be biased and less effective.

• Do you want to know more? A bit of history.
  
  Feminist Therapy was developed in 1960s as a response to the previously male-dominated field of psychology, so that women could have a therapeutic environment free from the sexist response common in the field by then.

  Researchers say that feminist therapy was unique in that it acknowledged that women could experience emotional distress due to overt oppression and marginalization, as well as micro aggressions. Though it acknowledges societal causes and issues at play, feminist therapy holds individuals accountable for their own decisions.

  It started alongside the women’s rights movement, revolving around white cis women’s mental health. However, since this therapy began in the 1960s, it has evolved to be more inclusive. Nowadays, it is not only focussed on white cis-women, rather than including every race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and so on. Contemporary feminist therapy also holds the importance of increasing awareness of personal and implicit bias, as well as adopting an anti-racist stance.