Feminist Therapy

My approach to feminist therapy involves integrating my own identity with the realities of living in society as a woman. I am passionate about working through the discrimination that women face, as well as exploring the intersectional identities that oftentimes compound the discrimination. I value social justice as a therapist, and actively incorporate it in all of my sessions.

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.

Check out my website for more info at UniquelyYouTherapyCollective.com

In my time as a counselor I have become only more convinced that the root of many- maybe most- of people's presenting concerns in therapy are the result of systems of oppression. I believe that white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism and colonialism are inextricably linked to stress, trauma, anxiety and depression. I believe that one's environment (society, culture, systems big and small, etc) plays a huge role in a person's mental health.

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!

I love feminist therapy because it is for all genders and all people: It analyzes power structures and their effects upon people. Each person's intersectional identity, along with their unique lived experience, is differently affected by the current politics and systemic structures. This model helps frame issues to show that they are likely externally caused, which can remove the feeling of self-blame. It also uses education, advocacy, and strength-building to encourage self empowerment.

My approach is built on a foundation of feminist, anti-oppression values. I believe therapy is ineffective if the greater social context a person lives in is not examined critically; most of the time, doing so is empowering for all genders.

I am an intersectional feminist, and this anti-oppressive approach guides my work. My clients are the experts of their lives; my role is not to provide expertise or to tell people how to live, but instead to support clients in becoming comfortable and confident in building and working from that place of self-knowledge. This also means considering the power structures that exist in the lives of my clients, in their families, communities, and cultures, and recognizing the impact of that backdrop.

Empowering women--and men--to understand their experiences to the extent that cultural influences have played a role is a focus of my practice. I explore with my clients the ways in which their lives might be changed by living more true to themselves and finding the strength to do so.

Attending to intersectional identity and systematic oppression is key to my practice rooted in feminist therapy. I have practiced in this modality for over a decade and lived within an intersectional feminist framework and liberation lens.

As a feminist therapist, I understand how gender roles and societal expectations can influence our individuality and relationships with others. It can be hard to discern what is your own values and what ideas are prescribed from the outside world. I recognize that these issues affect all of us, regardless of our gender: male, female, non-binary, because we are all subject to loosing our authenticity when we have to perform expectations from others.

People have a lot of assumptions about what it means to be a feminist therapist. In reality, it means being curious about power dynamics (e.g., between partners, between cultures) and creating a new, preferred way of being in relationships with others and with ourselves. In sessions, I am often curious about who makes decisions, who takes on more of the work, and about my client's preferred values such as equity, love, compassion, and accountability.

I am a feminist and I use my education in Women's Studies to allow me the perspective to understand the complexity of how gender norms affect our daily lives. As a therapist I cannot separate my desire for gender equality from my work with my clients. Whether you identify as LGBTIQ or simply are seeking non-judgmental support for a non-traditional relationship, please know that my practice is open and accepting to all. We are all different and I learn from each of my clients to offer the best.

We live in a patriarchal & capitalist society, there's no denying this. Constantly feeling the pressure of productivity, obligations & the expectations that we all be moving all the time, in a direction that makes rich people richer & powerful people more powerful? Yeah that sucks, you can't "coping skill" your way out of living in an oppressive environment. So I find it important & helpful to acknowledge this to reduce guilt/avoidance related to self-care or just saying eff you to the system.

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.

I work from a feminist and social justice framework to hold clients up as the expert in their own experience and to acknowledge the relevance of social, environmental, and generational context.

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 focuses on the challenges that women face as a result of bias, stereotyping, oppression and discrimination and the detrimental impact these forces have on a woman's sense of self-worth, confidence in how she navigates the world, and overall mental wellbeing. I have spent a great deal of time, professionally and personally, unpacking these concepts and unlearning the harmful and untrue messages we internalize as women in the world. I want to help other women to do the same.