Feminist Family Feminist Family TherapyTherapy
ACSW 2008 Annual Conference
Dr. Deborah Foster, RSWDr. Karen Nielsen, RSW
Slides will be posted on ACSW Web site
next week
OutlineOutline
Development of feminist family therapy What is feminismWhat is family therapy
Feminist family therapyPhilosophyThemesInterventions Premises congruent with values of social work.
Video
What is Feminism?What is Feminism?
Radical - capitalism is barrier to ending female oppression. No alternative other than the total uprooting and reconstruction of society to achieve goals
Socialist - women being held down as a result of their unequal standing in workplace and the domestic sphere. Both must change for equality.
What is Feminism? What is Feminism? Liberal Equality will happen through political & legal reformEco-feminism Belief in the interconnectedness of all forms of life and each act effects the whole. All forms of oppression affect us all Two kinds of power: power over & power within. Power from within is empowerment& is unlimited & renewable. Diversity is needed in the system to maintain stability. (true for political and economic systems also.)
The Influence of Feminism: Three WavesThe Influence of Feminism: Three Waves
First Wave - Right to vote
Second Wave – Right to reproductive control, equal pay for equal work, no fault divorce, gender neutral language & sanctions against marital rape
Third wave –celebrate diversity; combat inequalities women face as a result of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, economic status or level of education; access to NRT for single women and lesbians
Gender Role SocializationExercise
What messages did you get about being an man/woman when you were growing up
How has your socialization influenced your practice
Assign a recorder/discuss Be prepared to report back 10 Mins
Family Therapy TypesFamily Therapy Types
Structural
Strategic
Bowenian
Narrative
Feminist
Structural Family TherapyStructural Family Therapy
Salvador Minuchin Directive & action orientatedGoal: modify the present, not explore pastGoal: not symptom relief but for family to
reorganize itself around a symptomNo pathologizing/ labeling of individuals Therapist not to impose their beliefs on familyNo consideration of power differential between men,
women & children
Strategic Family TherapyStrategic Family Therapy
Jay Haley Does not address gender/power differences Therapist responsible for influencing family Associated with use of paradoxical techniques Give tasks and homework Not concerned with the past View of dysfunction: symptoms regulate
homeostasis in families; symptom is a type of behavior. Symptoms carry a function for the family
Strategic Family TherapyStrategic Family Therapy
The identified patient ( symptom carrier) cannot be viewed separate & apart from the family. Unless the system changes, it is difficult for the individual to change.
Insight is not needed for change to take place.
BowenianBowenian
Murray Bowen Goal for the individual to differentiate & take "I"
position in family of origin Individual must stay connected to family &
therapy generally involves 3 generations of family Triangulation is a key concept. Triangles are likely
to develop during times of distance. In relationships, the partner who experiences the
most distress will often connect with someone else as a way to gain an ally.
BowenianBowenian
Conceptualizes togetherness and individuality as competing forces
Therapy focus on "overcoming togetherness needs and increasing individuality"
No recognition that women are relational Therapist neutral Does not address gender/power differences
Narrative Family TherapyNarrative Family Therapy
Michael White and David Epstein Developed as a reaction to labelling &
pathologizing of traditional family therapy Stresses a collaborative relationship with
family Key concept is externalization, creates a team
made up of therapist & persons united against an outside problem
Narrative Therapy Narrative Therapy
Emphasis is on victory over problems & not on problem-saturated story.
Emphasis is on uniqueness of persons, not their “deviance”
Fits very well with a feminist approach
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
As you watch the video clip, consider the socialization messages?
Who carries the power in this family?
Feminist Family Therapy Feminist Family Therapy
Developed in Second Wave Rachel Hare-Mustin (1978): A Feminist Approach to
Family Therapy Application of feminist theory & values to family
therapy, including personal & political Understanding gender & power is the core of
therapeutic practice Understanding client’s problems requires a socio-
cultural perspective Societal changes & empowerment of the individual
Feminist Family TherapyFeminist Family Therapy
Explores way gender roles & socialization affect each individual & their relationships with one another in family system, society & within the client therapist relationship
Recognizes the unequal status of women & the reasons for that inequality
Feminist family theory is a philosophy, not just a set of techniques
Therapists help clients examine & challenge gender rules & roles
Themes in Feminist Therapy
Understanding power & control issues Examining external forces that influence behavior Identifying messages receive in growing up Learning to accept appropriate responsibility Exploring personal values/beliefs Recognition that both women & men live in a
gendered context & that male gender roles can also be problematic
Parenting is not the sole responsibility of women
Feminist Family TherapyFeminist Family Therapy
Egalitarian role of feminist therapist Therapeutic alliance: Recognize power imbalance
between client & therapist Judicious use of self-disclosure to reduce power
differential between client & counselor No labelling & pathologizing No giving interpretations Client is “expert” on self
Feminist Family TherapyFeminist Family Therapy
Historically women & men have been socialized in different way. Men socialized to be task focused; women are socialized to be emotional caretakers.
Masculinity is defined through separation; femininity is defined through attachment.
Important to incorporate a gender lens when counselling couples & families. Empowerment is a key concept.
Brokeback Mountain
How do same sex relationships challenge our assumptions about male female socialization
Consider the importance of a gender lens
Empowerment
Empowerment: the process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices & to transform those choices into desired actions & outcomes.
Feminist Family TherapyFeminist Family Therapy
o Includes male clients and male therapistso Seeks non-gendered & culturally fair ways to
approach & interpret traditional psychotherapeutic theories and techniques
o It looks at gender role strain for both men & women
o Family seen as powerful resource for positive change
o The task of therapy is to mobilize that resource
Intervention Techniques in Feminist Family Therapy
Gender-role analysis Help family understand the impact of gender-role
expectations in their relationshipsProvides clients with insight into the ways social
issues affect their problems Power analysis
Emphasis on identifying the power differences in relationships, in society, and impact on family
Clients helped to recognize different kinds of power they possess and how they and others exercise power
Intervention Techniques in Feminist Family Therapy
o Power issues detrimental to the family system are confronted
o Feminist family therapists help clients examine and challenge rules and roles and reorganize them so that destructive patterns can change
o Feminist family therapists encourage the development of inner resources and goal setting
Reframing
Turns problem behaviors into resources & conflict situations into platforms for agreement
Fundamental shift in our cultural paradigm Encouraged & rewarded to be problem-solvers
from early age Seeing self through the filters of being a problem
solver sets our perceptual filters to "scan for problems"
Life is seen primarily as a source of problems being served up so that we can maintain our status as master problem solver
Reframing
Problem solving is dominant theme in schools, psychotherapy, management & counseling
This orientation can hide from us the small successes that if noticed and nurtured, can lead to creative spirit of continuous improvement & success
An individual attitude of reframing problems into potential and opportunity is more than just “sleight of mind”. It is literally a way to change the perceptions of ourselves and others
Gaylord’s Wall
Acknowledging small successes: is it sleight of mind?
Social Work & Feminist Family TherapySocial Work & Feminist Family Therapy
Core Social Work Values and Principles
Value 1: Respect for Inherent Dignity and Worth of Persons
Value 2: Pursuit of Social Justice
Value 3: Service to Humanity
Value 4: Integrity of Professional Practice
Value 5: Confidentiality in Professional Practice
Value 6: Competence in Professional Practice
Core FTT Values and Principles
Value 1: Respect clients' freedom to choose; emphasize development of collaborative relationships; therapy must be geared to helping the client see that she must be her own rescuer - that the power she longs for is not in someone else but in herself. Client as expert (Respect for Inherent Dignity and Worth of Persons)
Value 2: The personal is political; consider problems within societal context; actively seeking to change gender injustices experienced by women and men. (Pursuit of Social Justice)
Social Work & Feminist Family Social Work & Feminist Family TherapyTherapy
Value 3: Feminist therapist seeks multiple avenues for impacting change, including public ed. & advocacy within professional organizations, lobbying legislative actions (Service to Humanity)
Value 4: Feminist therapist is accountable self, colleagues & clients. (Integrity of Professional Practice)
Social Work & Feminist Family Social Work & Feminist Family TherapyTherapy
Value 5: Open agenda, informed consent; egalitarian relationship (Confidentiality in Professional Practice)
Value 6: A feminist therapist will contract to work with clients & issues within the realm of her/his competencies (Competence in Professional Practice)
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