Concepts ch 12
Gender Sensitive
1. The number difference: Interestingly, more pages are devoted to discussing feminist therapies as opposed to
masculine therapies. This is due, in large part, to the underrepresentation of the special issues of males in the field of
psychotherapy. After acknolwedging the issues particular to women, men's issues are just beginning to come to the fore.
2. Summary of Feminist Therapy:
- created by many psychologists and therapists (mostly women); part of the result of the women's movement in 60's and
70's.
- a. ALL psyschological problems occur in and are reflective of the sociocultural context. Often, problems are CULTURALLY
DETERMINED.
- b. Goals of therapy: increasing awareness of above (CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING), empowerment of women, and
socio-political chge. They advocate for equal rights for men and women.
c. The problem with old theories: all previous psychotherapies are reflective of the culture in which they were derived (e.g.,
white, male, European, patriarchal). The result: an androcentric theory that defines:
- what is normal
- what is not normal
- what needs to be done about it.
-- These theories are frequently biased AGAINST women; the theories make the fundamental attribution error and blame the
victim for their disorders, WHEN THE REAL DISORDER EXISTS IN THE CULTURE AND THE WOMAN HAS MADE A NORMAL RESPONSE TO THE
ABNORMAL SITUATION IN WHICH SHE LIVES.
3. Power inequalities: between men and women and the effects of gender role expectations play a central role in women's
mental health. THE GOAL IS NOT TO CHANGE THE WOMAN TO ADAPT TO SOCIETY BUT TO CHANGE THE SOCIETY TO
MAKE IT A HEALTHY PLACE TO BE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL GENDERS.
4. Key Ideas / Terms:
 Internalized oppression: when oppression in society (external messages) become a part of how we think and feel.
 Empowerment: Instilling in clients the power to make choices. Educating the client that they indeed have the power
to choose the life circumstances that they want—not solely those set out for them by gender roles.
 Sex-role stereotyping: According to societal prescribed gender roles, people are assigned to the stereotyped
behaviors according to their sex.
 Role strain / role conflict: Because of the roles assigned to individuals because of their sex, role strain and conflict is
experienced. Role strain is the pressure from conflicting demands from different roles. For example: being a mother,
a wife, a student, and a worker. Role conflict is when roles clash with one another—for example, when being a good
father conflicts with being a good student or good worker, etc.
 Blaming the victim: since psychopathology is a normal response to an abnormal environment, it is incorrect to place
the burden of the “disorder” on the client. The client is the victim of an unjust and stressful society.
 Eschewing diagnostic classification: Gender sensitive therapists look down upon DSM diagnostic criteria and labels;
they are usually based in androcentric concepts of pathology.
 Mother-bashing: the act of blaming mothers for the psychological ills in society. A very common mistake in
psychotherapy since Freud.
 Feminization of poverty: single and divorced women and their children constitute and incrasing proportion of poor
people, especially in the U.S.
 Sexual harassment and trauma: major contributor to pathology in women. Is far too prevalent and underreported.
5. Theorists
 Gilligan:
o Wrote: In a different voice; challenges Kohlberg’s stages of moral development as androcentric.
 Chodorow:
o boys and girls have different kinds of relationships w/ mothers. Boys do not identify with mothers, therefore
do not become nurturant.
7. Therapeutic Relationship: Consistently egalitarian. Group decisions are made by consensus. Non-hierarchical
organizations. Persistent attempt to instill power and equality in the session.
8. Consciousness Raising: A central PROCESS. Power analysis: helping clients identify and be aware of power differentials
that exist in their lives. Sex-role analysis: increase awareness how sex role expectations of society adversely affect them;
understand how women and men are socialized differently. Bibliotherapy: clients learn about themselves and their
environments through reading. Use of group work: helps break down isolation and self-blame.
9. Choosing: also central PROCESS. women need to choose careful the degree to which they challenge the status quo.
Social liberation: increasing alternatives for social behaviors. That is, advocating for social change to create more alternatives
for women. Women are encouraged to step outside of their personal lives and make a difference in society in order to have
better lives.
10. CONTENT:
 Anxiety: “Anxiety is a woman’s natural reaction to the forces of sexism, discrimination, and violence that have kept
her in a subservient position.” Also a result of the conflict between the desire to expand life experiences beyond
those traditionally available to women and the need to maintain the ties and strength that women receive from their
group identity. Anxiety and defenses are adaptive forms of coping.
 Self-esteem: Much of women’s self-esteem is based on relationships; society is a collection of relationships; women
strive not to fulfill their own needs and desires but those of men. Also, society tends to attribute women’s success to
luck and men’s success to skill. All of this reinforces negative images and views of self.
 Responsibility: Women feel a sense of responsibility for everyone but themselves. Responsibility involves making
time for oneself, nurturing the self in order to be better able to nurture others. Women must also accept
responsibility for helping to break the cycle of oppression and powerlessness.
11. Egalitarian client-therapist relationship: A comparatively equal relationship between the therapist and the client.
This is done by reducing the knowledge discrepancy between participants, generating mutual goals, increasing clinician’s
self-disclosure, and demystifying the process of therapy. By doing so, the therapeutic relationship refuses to replicate the
power discrepancies present in society.
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12. Male-sensitive therapy: looks at the effects of male socialization:
 Achievement / success
 Constriction of emotional expression
 Alexithymia: difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions. Men are often genuinely unaware of emotions. Tend
to rely on cognition to determine how they feel.
13. The problems with the male gender role: As a result of the male gender role, men experience the above. Men
frequently overvalue autonomy and undervalue connections, they overvalue stoicism and undervalue emotional expression,
etc.
14. Processes of Therapy: Like feminine therapy, uses CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING and CHOOSING. Educate men about
the negative effects of gender role socialization and give them power to make choices about how they want to be.
15. RESEARCH:
 NO RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED OUTCOME RESEARCH on Feminist Therapy.
 Research suggests that female therapists, and then same-sex therapists contribute to the treatment process.
However, no consistent effects of therapist gender or patient-therapist matching on treatment effectiveness.
 Symptom Reduction vs. Social Change: Since symptom reduction is only part of the agenda present in feminist
therapy, outcome research is not the biggest focus. Successful therapy as defined by feminist therapists lies in not
solely a reduction of problematic symptoms (since these symptoms are produced by the environment in which the
clients lives) but a reduction in societal restrictions and negative gender relations.
16. Practicalities:
 Promotes cultural competence and gender awareness. It is the responsibility of the counselor to have a “raised”
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consciousness about gender issues.
Respect for woman’s choice of sexual preference and ENCOURAGE exploration of her sexuality.
Recognize that sexism is the reality, help clients to cope
NOT make the fundamental attribution error
The other 10 guidelines: p. 402 of text