2. What is Feminism?

3. History of Feminism

4. Feminist Theory
 Demystify therapy
 Made of many branches/positions on feminism
 Addresses power issues as root causes of clients’ problems
 Psychological Dysfunction = oppression of individual by society
 Society devalues women and qualities associated with
 FT focuses on external instead of internal factors
 Gender imbalance
 Critique of traditional approaches to health and dysfunction

5. Core Beliefs of Feminist
Therapy
 Being female always occurs in a cultural, social, political, economic,
and historical context and affects development across the lifespan.
 FT focuses on the cultural, social, political, economic and historical
factors of women’s lives as well as intrapsychic factors.
 FT includes an analysis of power and its relationship to multiple ways
women are oppressed (gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, age, ablebodiness)
 FT acknowledges that violence against women, covert and overt, is
emotionally, physically, and spiritually damaging.
 Primary focus on strengths rather than deficits.
 Committed to social change that supports equality forever.

6. Perspectives of Feminism
Differences based on extent of:
Emphasizing the unique qualities of
women
Advocating the rejection of masculine
or patriarchal models
Integrating issues of culture and class
into their viewpoints

7. Perspectives of Feminism
 Liberal/Reformist Feminists
 Radical and Social Change (or Socialist) Feminists
 Cultural or Difference Feminists
 Women of Color Feminism/Womanism
 Postmodern Feminism
 Lesbian Feminism
 Transgender Feminism

8. Sex-Role Socialization and
Self-In-Relation

9. Feminist Identity Development
Theory
Passive Acceptance
Revelation
Embeddedness-Emanation
Synthesis
Active Commitment

10. Health and Dysfunction
 Standard of health is in male qualities (independence, assertiveness,
competitive)
 Society deems women’s problems as internal
 Distress/symptoms for women can be normal
 Multiple role maintenance
 Body Image Disturbance

11. Socio-Cultural Factors: Politics
 Perceived personal problems actually political and social structures
 Women hold less than 20% of congressional seats
 84th worldwide for female leadership
 “Positive Quotas”
 Delaware, Iowa, Mississippi and Vermont
 24 states never have had a female governor
 Hillary 2016?

12. Socio-Cultural Factors: Religion
 Traditionally patriarchal (roles, deities,
apostles…)
 Strong masculine language (Father, son,
holy ghost…)
 Lack of female leadership reinforces inferiority
 Garden of Eden/Genensis 2
 Verse 4:34 of the Quran

13. Socio-Cultural Factors : Binary Gender
Expectations
 Classifies as ‘male’ or ‘female’ gender or Cisgender
 Combining gender expression and sexual anatomy
 Gender spectrum
 Non-binary oppression
 Genderqueer, Gender Nonconforming,
Pangender, Hybrid, Third Gender,
Agender, Two Spirits, etc.
 “My birth sex does not match my understanding
of who I am.”

14. Socio-Cultural Consequences:
Politics
 Governor Scott Walker repeals
Wisconsin Equal Pay Law
 Paycheck Fairness Act
 Women’s Health Protection Act
 Reauthorization of Violence
Against Women Act
 Less progressive policy
 Female national leadership =
better economic performance

15. Socio-Cultural Consequences :
Religion
 Struggle for rights as women while
retaining religious identity
 Reinforced household roles
 Muslim limitations (education,
employment, legal representation)
 Hindu traditions like dowry-giving
 Mormons and E.R.A.

16. Socio-Cultural Consequences:
Binary Gender
 Half of teens experience a
negative reaction from family
upon coming out
 84.6% GLBTQ students verbally
harassed
 45% of transgendered youth have
contemplated suicide
 Higher rates of negative sexual
health outcomes for GLBTQ youth
of color
 2x more likely to be unemployed
 GNL living in lowest household
income category
 36% of GNLs avoid healthcare due
to fear of discrimination
 20% of GNLs participate in
unground work for income
 31% reported experiencing
harassment from police/law
enforcement

17. Ideal Population for Feminist Theory
 Women
 People of Color
 People with Disabilities/Handicaps
 Religious Minorities
 First-generation or Immigrant Families
 GLBTQ population
 People with psychiatric disorders
 Privileged white males (?)

18. Case Study: Demarion
 21 years old
 Youngest son of 7
 Greenville, AL
 Football scholarship to UA
 Religious Studies major
 Wants to follow father as
Baptist Minister
 Questioning sexual identity
and gender presentation

19. Demarion
 Depression/Anxiety
 Distorted self image
 Feelings of isolation/hopelessness
 Difficulty forming genuine
relationships
 Feelings of powerlessness
 Suicide ideation

20. Counseling Relationship &
Atmosphere

21. Techniques
 Any technique from any theory as long as it is EMPOWERING
 Assertiveness training, gender role analysis, self-disclosure
 Reframing and relabeling

22. Application of Feminist Theory
 Empowerment through exploring self through therapy
 Distress/uncertainty normal responses to oppression
 No traditional assessment or DSM diagnosis
 Request thorough description of upbringing, family life, religious
affiliation
 Emphasize strengths, “expert of own life”
 Reassurance that changing or deciding not to change is right
decision
 Explore range of life possibilities

23. Feminist Therapy Continued
 Help Demarion recognize his location in society
 Show acceptance of male and female tendencies (both accurate
representations of self)
 Address societal attitudes/structures that inhibit change, reinforce
gender norms
 Gender role analysis
 Introduction to gender and sexual-attraction spectrums
 Exploration of non-binary gender and romantic orientation
 Introduction to LGBT community resources off campus

24. References
 (1980). “The Church and the proposed equal rights amendment: A moral issue.” Ensign Magazine.
Retrieved from http://lds.org/ensign/the-church-and-the-proposed-equal-rights-amendment-
a-moral- issue?lang=eng
 Brooks, D. “Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) youth: A population in need
of understanding and support.” Retrieved from
http://advocatesforyouth.org/storage/advfy/documents/glbtq_youth%202010.pdf
 Harrison, J., Grant, J., Herman, J.L. (2011). “A gender not listed here: Genderqueers, gender rebels,
and otherwise in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey.” LGBTQ Policy Journal at the
Harvard Kennedy School, 2, 13-24.
 Hill, S. (2014). “Why does the U.S. still have so few women in office?” Retrieved from
http://thenation.com/article/178736/why-does-the-us-still-have-so-few-women-office
 Koehn, A. (2015). “Neuroscience proves what we’ve known all along: Gender exists on a spectrum.”
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ravishly/neuroscience-proves-what-
_b_6494820.html
 Levitt, H.M., & Ippolito, M. (2014). “Being transgender: The experience of transgender identity
development.” Journal of Homosexuality, 61, 1727-1758.

25. References
 Murdock, N.L. (2013). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: A case
approach. (3rd Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc.
 National Women’s Political Caucus. (2010). “Statistics.” Retrieved from
http:www.nwpc.org/statistics
 National Democratic Institute. “Gender, women, and democracy.”
Retrieved from http://www.ndi.org/gender-women-democracy
 Young, N.J. (2014). “The LDS church, and the problem of Mormon feminists.”
Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-j-young/kate-Kelly-the-lds-
church_b_5547809.html