COUN 591: COUNSELING WOMEN
2 credits
Instructor: Dibya Choudhuri, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS
Office: 304 Porter Building
Department of Leadership & Counseling
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Phone: (734) 487-0255
Fax: (734) 487-4608
Email: Dibya.choudhuri@emich.edu
Course Website:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course serves as an introduction to issues in counseling women, focusing on
psychosocial, cultural, developmental, sexuality, career, and mental health aspects and
the implications for helping.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To become familiar with psychosocial, cultural, developmental, sexuality, career, and
mental health aspects of gender socialization.
2. To identify attitudes and values that affects their counseling work with women
3. To understand and identify a variety of approaches to counseling women
4. To articulate their own approach to working with women clients.
5. To develop an awareness of counseling strategies and techniques in working with
women on a range of counseling concerns.
TEXTS
Required: Course pack. Readings are also available on e-reserve.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
Interactive lectures, simulation activities and experiential learning, use of videos and
other case examples, skills practice and values exploration, small and large group
discussions.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Class participation in discussions, activities and exercises
10%
Reflection paper on exploring gender and socialization
25%
Reflection paper on interrogating sexism
25%
Final take home exam of a set of 3 applied case studies.
Due as a Microsoft Word Attachment by email to the instructor.
40%
COURSE OUTLINE
Session
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Topic
Psychology of women - Overview
Women’s lifespan development
Gender socialization “The Opposite Sex”
Variables in women’s lives (race, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class,
religion, and disability)
Women’s relationships with their bodies
Sexuality
Reproduction - Mothering
Women and work
Victimization and violence
Feminist and non-sexist therapies
Counseling approaches – feminist and empowerment therapies
Counseling strategies and interventions
This course outline is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. All changes
will be announced in class or by electronic communication to students.
COURSE READER BIBLIOGRAPHY
Atkinson, D. R., and Hackett, G. (2004) Oppression of women: Past and present.
Counseling Diverse Populations, (3rd Ed). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
Basile, K. C. (2005). Sexual violence in the lives of girls and women. In K. A. KendallTackett (Ed.) Handbook of women, stress, and trauma (pp. ). New York: BrunnerRoutledge
Basow, S. A. 92006). Gender role and gender identity development. In J. Worrell & C.
Goodheart (Eds.), Handbook of girls' and women's psychological health (pp ). New York:
Oxford University Press.
Comas-Diaz, L. (1994). An integrative approach. In L. Comas-Diaz and B. Greene
(Eds.). Women of Color: Integrating ethnic and gender identities in psychotherapy, pp
287-318. New York: The Guilford Press.
Enns, C. Z. (2004). Counseling girls and women: Attitudes, knowledge and skills. In D.
R. Atkinson and G. Hackett (Eds.), Counseling Diverse Populations, (3rd Ed), pp 285307. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
Espin, O. (1994). Feminist approaches. In L. Comas-Diaz and B. Greene (Eds.). Women
of Color: Integrating ethnic and gender identities in psychotherapy, pp 265-286. New
York: The Guilford Press.
Fouad, N., Helledy, K. I., & Metz, A. J. (2003). Effective Strategies for Career
Counseling With Women. In M. K. Kopala & M. Keitel (Eds.) Handbook of Counseling
Women, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Jackson, M., Sullivan, T. R., & Tal, A. I. (2003). Hidden Biases in Counseling Women:
Balancing Work and Family Concerns. In M. K. Kopala & M. Keitel (Eds.) Handbook of
Counseling Women, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kalodner, C. R. & Delucia-Waack, J. L. (2003). Theory and Research on Eating
Disorders and Disturbances in Women: Suggestions for Practice. In M. K. Kopala & M.
Keitel (Eds.) Handbook of Counseling Women, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Lips, H. M. (2003). A new psychology of women: gender, culture, and ethnicity. Boston:
McGraw-Hill.
McGoldrick, M. (2005). Women through the family life cycle. In B. Carter & M.
McGoldrick (Eds.) (2005) The Expanded Family Life Cycle: Individual, family, and
social perspectives (3rd ed.) Boston, MA; Allyn & Bacon.
Morrow, S. L. (2004). Finding the “Yes” within ourselves: Counseling lesbian and
bisexual women. In D. R. Atkinson and G. Hackett (Eds.), Counseling Diverse
Populations, (3rd Ed), pp 366-387. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
Powlishta, K. K., Sen, M. G., Serbin, L. A., Poulin-Dubois, D., & Eichstedt, J. A. (2001).
From infancy to middle childhood: The role of cognitive and social factors in becoming
gendered. In R. K. Unger (Ed.) Handbook of the psychology of women and gender. Pp116-132. New York: John Wiley and sons.
Rampage, C. (2002). Working with gender in couple therapy. In N. S. Jacobson and A. S.
Gurman (Eds.), Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy. Pp. 533-545. New York: The
Guilford Press.
Rice, J. K. & Else-Quest, N. (2006). The mixed messages of motherhood. In J. Worrell &
C. Goodheart (Eds.), Handbook of girls' and women's psychological health (pp ). New
York: Oxford University Press.
Seid, R. P. (1994). Too "close to the bone." The historical context for women's obsession
with slenderness. In P. Fallon, M. A. Katzman, and S. C. Wooley (Eds.), Feminist
Perspectives on Eating Disorders. New York: Guilford Press.
Smolak, L. (2006). Body Image. In J. Worrell & C. Goodheart (Eds.), Handbook of girls'
and women's psychological health (pp ). New York: Oxford University Press.
Tavris, C. (1992). Misdiagnosing the mind: Why women are "sick" but men have
"problems." In The Mismeasure of Woman (pp. 170-207). New York: Simon & Schuster.
Trotman, F. K. & Brody, C. M. (2002). Psychotherapy and counseling with older women:
cross-cultural, family, and end-of-life issues. New York, NY : Springer Pub.
Walker, L. E. (1979). Psychotherapy. In The Battered Woman. (pp. 227 - 250). New
York: Harper & Row.
White, J. W., Donat, P. L. N., & Bondurant, B. (2001). A developmental examination of
violence against girls and women. In R. K. Unger (Ed.) Handbook of the psychology of
women and gender, pp 343-357. New York: John Wiley and sons.
Woollett, A. & Marshall, H. (2001). Motherhood and mothering. In R. K. Unger (Ed.)
Handbook of the psychology of women and gender, pp 170-182. New York: John Wiley
and sons.
Worrell, J. (2003). Foundations of Feminist Counseling and Therapy. In J. Worrel (2003).
Feminist perspectives in therapy: empowering diverse women. New York: Wiley.
Worell, J. & Johnson, D. (2001). Therapy with women: Feminist frameworks. In R. K.
Unger (Ed.) Handbook of the psychology of women and gender, pp 317-329. New York:
John Wiley and sons.