Feminist Therapy

Feminist therapy examines how systems of oppression affect our lives. Ableism is often what my clients encounter the most, along with transphobia and homophobia. I talk with my clients about how their schools can be more accommodating to them and how they can have the best chance at success while advocating for themselves.

What forms of gender expression feel safest, most comfortable, or fun for you? Which forms feel unsafe or unavailable to you? Gender-based expectations and norms impact people of all genders, and may be holding you back from being yourself and feeling empowered. We will explore the ways that your gender impacts your life, including your values and any limiting beliefs that you may be internalizing from your upbringing, environment, or culture about yourself or others.

Feminist therapy is a strength-based framework that is cognizant of power, bias, prejudice and systemic oppression. The problems the client brings to therapy are viewed in relationship to society at large. Rather than the problem being intrinsic to the person. In feminist therapy, we work diligently to foster an egalitarian relationship. This is the idea that you are the best expert of yourself and your problems. The therapist is bringing all their skills and training but doesn’t assert to be the expert of you. In this context, therapist and client collaborate as equals to help the client heal. Feminist therapists may use a variety of tools to help validate and normalize the client’s experiences. This includes analyzing how the social construction of gender has influenced the problems they are bringing to therapy – if at all. We may look at how power, unequal power, or the abuse of power impacts your well-being and capacity to thrive. Feminist therapy is particularly useful when considering experiences of inequality, race-based or gendered traumas, such as domestic and sexual violence.

My roots and core values come from an intersectional feminist therapy perspective. My graduate program at Lesley University further reinforced these values and training.

When co-creating healing, I recognize that I am bringing my own humanity to the table as well, which includes aspects of privilege from my own intersectional identities. I am committed to continuing my own work to examine and minimize any potential for harm, and I use my own journey as opportunities to refine my ability to support my clients in theirs. My goal is to create a safe and supportive space for learning, growth, and transformation.

In my philosophical counseling practice, I rely heavily on feminist wisdom about the problematic social expectations and gendered "scripts" placed upon women that reduce our personhood, freedom, and ability to pursue our own authentic lives. Together with my clients, I work to dismantle the assumption that these cultural scripts are somehow "the way of nature," shed light on the inequities that they create, and free up our thinking for new self-perceptions and aspirations.

As a practitioner, I have been trained in and have written about Feminist Therapy. Specifically, my practice is rooted in trans-inclusive feminism, which also acknowledges the cultural and societal forces that marginalize the experiences of women, transgender/nonbinary people, LGB and Queer people, People of Color/BIPOC, and other groups. Feminist Therapy acknowledges that marginalized people cannot live absent of politics, because their lived experiences have been politicized or criminalized.

I was there at the beginning of the feminist therapy movement in the 1970's in Berkeley, CA. I remember working with other women to discover what a feminist approach to crisis/rape counseling might involve. My doctoral dissertation was a feminist analysis of women who attempt suicide. This was at a time when there was almost no research on why women made more attempts than men. The personal is political!

Identifying as female in our culture comes with so many landmines. Navigating relationships, work/life balance, parenting, misogyny, and so on. If you've clicked on this specialty, you know. I like to work from an feminist perspective to see how gender underlies other stressors. Feminism is intersectional, and if you identify as female (or on the feminine side of the spectrum) this space is for you.

I am able to discuss and process systems of oppression that we all live in and how to change the systems. I will not discount your lived experience and will provide a safe space for you to tell your story.

My approach with feminist theory is primarily focused on understanding how the client's identities influence their experience in the world as well as within the therapeutic space.

I specialize in feminist therapy, a framework rooted in gender equality and empowerment. I address societal influences, power dynamics, and how they impact mental health. By acknowledging the intersectionality of identities, I help clients explore and challenge oppressive norms. Together, we work to foster self-acceptance, autonomy, and resilience, promoting positive mental health from a feminist perspective.

I aim to provide clients with a safe and non-judgmental space to explore our identities, interpersonal relationships, hardships, and experiences in this life. I am hella good at creating space to deep dive into the ways you have been shaped by systems of oppression and cultural experiences. Together, we can unlearn damaging and false narratives and heal the pain they have caused you.

My experience in utilizing feminist theory involves a deep commitment to creating an empowering, inclusive, and affirming therapeutic space where clients can explore and address the impact of societal dynamics on their lives. I am dedicated to helping clients navigate these complexities, find their voices, and work towards personal and collective empowerment.

My therapy is feminist in nature because I am always looking through the lens of feminism and anti-oppression when working with clients. For my clients who strongly identify as feminist, having a feminist therapist means you're not starting from scratch in explaining your worldview. For people who are newer to feminism, I can help you see angles to your situation that you might not have noticed.