Chapter 9 - Feminist Therapy as Empowering Hope

Abstract

From the perspective of clients, the sense of feeling respected and understood is one of the most crucial aspects of the psychological process. The chapter puts across an argument that feminist therapy addresses some of the barriers that can occur in more traditional forms of therapy. It also illustrates how feminist therapy can be utilized from the perspective of hope theory. It then examines the contemporary feminist therapy and provides a brief review of the basic principles of hope theory. Based on this understanding, it addresses the ways in which the integration of these two approaches can help therapists avoid common difficulties encountered in the therapeutic process. It should be noted that although most feminist therapists are women, it does not mean to imply that males are excluded. The diversity of feminist political and theoretical models has enriched the practice of feminist therapy. True to its roots, the development of some basic tenets of feminist practice is a consensual undertaking. In many ways, feminist therapy differs very little from any good therapeutic process and remains flexible to the methods employed.