Feminist psychotherapy

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The Feminist psychotherapy is incurred in the 1970s ideological framework for existing therapies on the basis of feminism Whether it is a stand-alone therapy method is is answered controversial. The premise of feminist psychotherapy is that women (and men) are hindered in their development and behavior by socially prescribed gender roles . Therapists should adopt a feminist attitude when practicing feminist psychotherapy.

history

Feminist psychotherapy developed from consciousness-raising groups in the 1970s in the USA as part of the women's movement . These women's discussion groups were based on the self-help principle and provided the impetus for the development of self-help therapy for women. The focus was on the criticism of conventional patriarchal forms of therapy and the discrimination against women in the context of psychotherapy, psychology and psychiatry . Self-help therapy for women was characterized by a collective experience of self-oppression, awareness of the constraints of gender roles and their reflection on one's own life. The consequence of this were processes of self-discovery combined with solidarity in the political context. However, the groups themselves developed their own norms and constraints. The basic conflict was the postulate of mutual concern and solidarity, which negated individual differences. On the one hand, this led to the dissolution of the self-help groups and , on the other hand, to a professionalization of the therapeutic procedures. The latter phase resulted in the development of feminist therapy. Stahr interprets the development of feminist therapy as a collective learning process in which women from the most varied of work contexts in the health care and public service were integrated. The link was a feminist view of the patriarchal social structure.

Feminist psychotherapy has been offered in Germany since around 1977, initially in the western part. The providers who are also concerned with the further development of therapy are mostly women's advice centers , women 's therapy and women's health centers . There is a tendency for there to be an increased range of therapies on the basis of feminist therapy by therapists who work independently or in institutions such as hospitals.

The term feminist psychotherapy was first published in 1982 by Luise Eichenbach and Susie Orbach , and was translated into German in 1984. No new therapeutic method was developed here, but feminist knowledge was incorporated into existing methods. The basis of this process was u. a. Criticism of the usual therapy methods as well as an attribution of illness without taking the social context into account.

discussion

Whether feminist psychotherapy is an independent form of therapy is a matter of controversy. Ruth Grossmann is of the opinion that feminist therapy does not represent an independent therapeutic approach, but the assurance of a psychoculture that cannot be redeemed in the context of the therapeutic processes. In her opinion, therapy is being confused with political engagement. Here it is misunderstood that the therapeutic relationship structure is characterized by a knowledge and power gap, while political work in the women's movement has precisely equal action and solidarity as a basic requirement. Therapy is also about healing problematic relationships in the interpersonal area, whereas political work is aimed at the elimination of disease-causing structures. According to Ingeborg Stahr, it could be concluded from this that the development of identity required in the context of feminist therapy cannot be realized within the framework of therapeutic processes.
With reference to training concepts from universities in the USA, Sabine Scheffler takes the position that an independent feminist therapy exists. Although the various approaches are multi-layered and rather summative, there is a stable concept behind the various basic concepts of feminist therapy. This includes a specific interpretation of the therapeutic processes with women as well as the development of a clear self-image and action plan. In relation to Grossmann, she argues that the task of feminist therapy should not be seen in motivating women to engage in political work, but that the political aspect lies in the recognition that personal suffering is anchored collectively. In this context, autonomy means developing sensitivity for the disadvantaged position in society, being vigilant for it and formulating this externally. Personal autonomy also means the ability to feel sorry for the oppression a woman experiences in society. Scheffler sees the solidarity aspect of the client-therapist relationship in feminist therapy in the awareness "that what concerns the client in her life and at the moment could basically also happen to me from my position as a woman". Irrespective of this, the inequality of the therapeutic relationship with regard to creative and knowledge power is recognized. Ingeborg Stahr recognizes the knowledge-based interest common to all approaches combined with the socio-critical interpretation of psychological suffering as the basis for an independent feminist therapeutic direction.

literature

Web links

  • Feminist psychotherapy , a text by the Association for Research and Protection of Inappropriate Behavior (VESUV eV)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sabine Schrader: Psychology: general psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology . Compact-Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8174-7811-8 , pp. 93-94 .
  2. ↑ Consciousness Raising (CR), self-awareness and self-help groups. In: Stascheit, Angela; Uecker, Karin: Archives of the Munich Women's Health Movement 1968-2000. Munich 2011, pp. 8-10. (PDF; 2.2 MB) ISBN 978-3-937120-11-9
  3. ↑ History of the Women's Therapy Center in Munich ( Memento of the original from January 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ftz-muenchen.de
  4. ↑ Information office for psychotherapy & alternatives. Feminist psychotherapy
  5. ↑ Brigitte Schigl: Psychotherapy and Gender. Concepts. Research. Practice: what role does gender play in the therapeutic process? Springer-VS, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-531-18645-0 , pp. 85-88 .
  6. ↑ a b c Ingeborg Stahr: Identity development of women in therapy and counseling, In: Women's health education. Stand and prospects. / Stahr, Ingeborg; Jungk, Sabine; Schulz, Elke (Ed.) Weinheim / Munich: Juventa (1991), pp. 117–127.
  7. ↑ Topic: Psychologie heute (Ed.): What Therapy - Feminist Therapy: ... taking the right to say no, Beltz Verlag, ISBN 3 407 30505 2 , page 157