Why #TherapyNeedsFeminism

Let’s talk about therapy for a second…When I trained as a Clinical Psychologist, so much of what I was taught was to change how the client thought, or behaved, in order to change how they were feeling.  Yes, we were also taught to ask about the clients past and current circumstances, but ultimately the focus was about change of the client’s ‘faulty’ thoughts and behaviours.  Whilst this type of therapy can be helpful for some people, it places the ‘responsibility’ for change firmly within the client, without acknowledgement of the socio-political context that is also contributing to mental health difficulties.

Research has shown that being in a marginalised, oppressed group hugely impacts upon mental health.  There are systems operating in our society that we are so often not aware of, ESPECIALLY if we are not in that particular marginalised group.  Systems such as patriarchy, systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ+ systems, ableism and classism all impact upon the mental health of those who are oppressed by them.  

“But you can’t change these things in the therapy room” I hear you cry! All we have is the person in front of us and working with what they can change.  And yes of course, working with clients around what coping strategies* might no longer be serving them, what tweaks or changes might be helpful to make, is one aspect of therapy.  But if we completely ignore the socio-political context, we keep its power and effect on the client in their unconscious.  When oppressive narratives remain unconscious, oppressed people unconsciously internalise these narratives and continue to oppress themselves! That’s how insidious oppression is – it makes the oppressed do the work of the oppressor themselves!   For example, a womxn might unconsciously believe ‘womxn are not as powerful as men’ or a black person might unconsciously believe ‘black people are not as worthy as white people’ because THESE ARE THE NARRATIVES SOCIETY COMMUNICATES TO THEM DAILY both implicitly and explicitly!   So, if we only focus on changing the person, and ignore the system, we don’t accurately capture what it is that is making people feel bad! And because we aren’t addressing the whole picture, people continue to feel bad, and no amount of self-care, meditation or thought diaries can change that.  Instead, people start to think ‘there’s something wrong with me’, when in fact there are many many things wrong with our society, and it is these insidious, unconscious, oppressive systems that are impacting the mental health of many.    

So how is Feminist Therapy different? 

Feminist therapy aims to bring into consciousness the oppression of patriarchal norms which cause distress.  It uses therapeutic intervention to increase feminist resistance and social change in people’s everyday personal lives as well as in their relationships and the wider social environment (including the political). Feminist psychotherapy aims to be not only non-oppressive but actively liberatory for all.  So this is the first aim of Feminist Therapy: to bring into consciousness the ways in which patriarchal norms disempower people who have been relegated to the margins by the dominant patriarchal culture (womxn, Black and Brown people, LGBTQ+ people, displaced people, poor people, etc).

Another way Feminist Therapy is different is it calls therapists to action,  so we are not only working to liberate and empower our clients within the therapy room, but that we are actively working towards dismantling the structures that seek to oppress many, and keep a discreet few in power. That might look like, working on our own racism, homophobia, ableism or sexism (which remember can be internalised so just because you’re a womxn doesn’t mean you’re not sexist etc).  It involves thinking consciously about the power dynamics in the therapy room.  It can also involve activism and acknowledging the ways in which mental health systems and psychology itself contribute to the oppression of people.  It may also involve empowering our clients to do the same – to make that complaint, to leave that situation, to dismantle their own biases, to participate in that petition, to engage in that activism. 

So often oppression works to keep us silent and small, without us even being aware of it.  As such part of our work as clients, as therapists, as human beings contributing to society, needs to be around bringing systems of oppression into the consciousness, speaking up, taking up space, and campaigning for change, liberation and empowerment for all.  

And that is why #therapyneedsfeminism

The Feminist Therapy Centre works from a Feminist Therapy theoretical perspective that aims to liberate and empower those engaging with our services at both a personal and social level, both within and outside of the therapy setting. It does this through 1-1 therapy, courses for both professionals and clients, research and training and spreading the ethos of feminist therapy. To be kept up-to-date with the latest news and offerings subscribe our mailing list on the home page of our website.

*In Feminist Therapy all symptoms, thoughts and behaviours are seen as ways in which the client has coped with their experiences in the world