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)