Violence has been a major area of global focus for feminist psychologists for decades. From its earliest volumes to the present day, Feminism & Psychology continues to provide a forum for critical and feminist psychological contributions in this domain. This work has collectively drawn attention to the power relations underscoring experiences of - and responses to - violence. Simultaneously, intersectional feminist theory has drawn attention to the complexities and nuances of these power relations. This work reveals how these power relations frame what counts as violence, whose experiences of violence 'matter', and who is worthy of attention, recognition, and support. In this Virtual Special Issue, we present examples of work from the Journal's history that address violence from this perspective. While some authors explicitly name this perspective as 'intersectional', others do not. As such, we observe an 'intersectional consciousness' that runs through this collection, both implicitly and explicitly. In response, we conclude that ongoing feminist intersectional dialogue, collaboration, and imagination is needed in order to engage with the shifting complexities of power, (in)visibility, and possibility that shape understandings and enactments of violence.

Purpose This paper explores how KOOTTKARI – a digital mental health initiative derived from the Malayalam word Koottukari (“female friend”) – promotes women’s psychological well-being and social inclusion in India. This paper aims to demonstrate how culturally informed online support systems can bridge mental health gaps and empower women in digital spaces. Design/methodology/approach This is an opinion-based conceptual paper drawing from practice experiences and theoretical perspectives on digital inclusion, feminist psychology and community-based approaches. It outlines the KOOTTKARI framework developed under the KOOTT platform, including its five-module structure integrating self-exploration, cognitive self-monitoring and peer-led engagement. Findings KOOTTKARI demonstrates how digital mental health platforms can enhance women’s emotional expression, social belonging and empowerment through accessible, culturally resonant tools. The model highlights the potential of technology to normalize psychological conversations and reduce stigma surrounding women’s mental health in India. Social implications By bridging digital innovation and cultural sensitivity, KOOTTKARI offers a scalable model for inclusive mental health care. It supports the creation of safe virtual communities that foster empathy, connectedness and collective resilience among women. Originality/value KOOTTKARI represents one of the few women-focused digital initiatives in India integrating cultural narratives, peer support and psychological education into a unified online model for social inclusion.

This reflexive commentary takes up the aim expressed in the 2010 Special Issue of Feminism & Psychology focusing on feminism, psychology and non-human animals to raise awareness of speciesism. I do this by adopting a feminist phronetic approach to analysing some of my more-than-human experiences in therapy interaction. Focusing on two moments of canine agency in multispecies therapeutic encounters, I show how multispeciesism or anthropocentrism can be enacted in this setting. Seeing therapeutic interaction as multispecies aligns with feminist theory and praxis. Given the limited discussion in feminist psychology of “the human” and “the animal” this focused experiential reflection makes visible this intersection. Taking this feminist phronetic approach may be of benefit to feminist psychologists and therapists more broadly in centring and examining the value of more-than-human agency and interconnectedness.

Global trauma recovery frameworks have predominantly emerged from Western cultural paradigms, emphasizing individualism, open expression, and cognitive reframing. These approaches often fail to account for the sociocultural realities of collectivist, honor-based societies, where silence, relational boundaries, and communal identity fundamentally shape the trauma experience. This paper introduces the SHARE Model of Trauma Recovery, a culturally grounded conceptual framework that responds to this gap by centering five core constructs: Silence, Honor, Attachment, Relational Trauma, and Embodied Memory. Developed through critical synthesis of neurobiological theories (e.g., Polyvagal Theory), feminist psychology, and cross-cultural trauma literature, the SHARE model addresses how cultural scripts, familial loyalty, and suppressed emotion inhibit traditional recovery pathways. Each element of the model reflects a culturally embedded barrier and potential access point for healing within non-Western contexts, particularly among women and survivors of violence in patriarchal, collectivist societies. The SHARE model redefines trauma recovery as a relational, embodied, and culturally mediated process, extending beyond Western diagnostic categories to include silence as survival, honor as constraint, and attachment as both wounding and healing. Clinical implications, therapeutic applications, and avenues for future empirical testing are discussed. This model offers a critical step toward equitable, culturally responsive trauma care and sets a foundation for transforming global trauma theory and practice.

This article highlights interdisciplinary contributions to Latinx Feminism to address the complexity of multiple positionalities (e.g., gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality immigration, socioeconomic status) historically invisible in mainstream feminism and feminist psychology. Latinx feminists are taxed with the duty to raise awareness, dismantle the combined effects of imperialism, colonialism, and misogyny, and develop anti-colonial futures. The authors draw from multiple sources of conocimiento (knowledge), and discuss constructs to help understand Latinx feminist psychology from a contextual lens (e.g. Nepantla, harbor mind and puente aéreo). Feminist Liberation Psychology is presented as an example of a decolonial approach to address structural discrimination in psychology, and as a method to use clinically through conscientization and testimonios to facilitate collective healing. Examples of collectives of Latinas engaging in this community-based healing work include Indigenous Latinx and AfroLatinx groups, Mujeres de Maiz and Mujeres de la Caña de Azucar. Finally, psychospiritual concepts of culturally-centered feminist empowerment, such as Sacredness and Spirita, are presented as a form of feminist spirituality and spiritual activism.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP), the authors consider how research has expanded in the past five decades. Research has included more diverse participants and addressed topics relevant to them. Researchers have gone beyond the experiment to varied methodologies to understand the experiences of diverse women in their social context. Important advances have been made in addressing the intersectionality of identities and the operation of societal values/biases in psychological theory and research. The authors call for further research innovation in pursuit of informed science and social justice.

ABSTRACTThis study explores the psychosocial predictors of women's nontraditional sexuality, focusing on feminist identity, gender identification, gender essentialist beliefs and psychological well‐being. It also contributes to the Italian validation of the Women's Nontraditional Sexuality Questionnaire (Short Form). A survey administered to a convenience sample of 293 Italian women revealed that the scale reliably captures four key dimensions of nontraditional sexuality, which can be summarised in a single index. Findings show that feminist identification and well‐being are positively associated with nontraditional sexual attitudes and behaviours, while gender essentialism is negatively associated. No significant link was found between gender identification and nontraditional sexuality. These associations were generally consistent across the total score and subscales, with some exceptions in the ‘sex as a means to an end’ dimension. The study underscores that women's sexual expression is influenced not only by personal factors but also by feminist ideology, social identity and cultural gender norms. Results support the psychometric validity and reliability of the Italian version of the scale, offering a robust tool for research on female sexuality, gender roles and feminist psychology in the Italian context. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Abstract In this qualitative study, interviews were conducted with 12 Black parish ministers of primarily Black congregations in Vancouver, Edmonton, and the Greater Toronto Area (gta). The objective was to examine how parish ministers cultivate mental wellness in their congregations and determine how these efforts may inform counselors’ mental healthcare service delivery for expressly religious Black Canadian communities. Applying Braun and Clarke’s (2022) reflexive thematic analysis to the interviews generated five key themes: (a) Mental healthcare as a holistic enterprise; (b) Healing in community for communal healing; (c) Creating a culture of collaboration; (d) Hope as a psychosocial resource and protective factor across generations; and (e) Black faith community leaders as mediators between Black community members and the police. The findings are discussed within a Black Feminist Psychology Framework (bfp). Implications for collaboration between parish-ministers and counselors are considered.

This editorial introduces our Special Issue on disability as a feminist issue, which began from the central point that disability is profoundly gendered, and that important feminist issues are intricately interwoven with disability. We aim to locate the Special Issue in larger frameworks of scholarship on gender, feminist psychologies and disability studies. Our editorial outlines the contributions to the Special Issue, exploring voice, embodiment, power, sexuality, care, labour, hetero/sexism, disablism, and ableism.

ABSTRACTBackgroundThis study examined the lived experiences of emotional abuse (EA) in Indian parent‐adult child relationships, emphasising the intersection of systemic influences in maintaining EA. Employing a social justice framework, the research explored pathways to foster ‘change’ at both individual and societal levels to address EA.MethodsData were collected through semi‐structured interviews with ten participants undergoing therapy, and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.ResultsFour master themes emerged: ‘State of Lack’, ‘Lack of Relatability to Gender and Culture Norms’, ‘Therapy as a Catalyst for Regaining Sense of Self and Empowerment’, and ‘Cultural Shifts, Therapeutic Integration and Redefining Norms to Address Emotional Abuse’.ConclusionThe findings emphasise the contribution of gender and cultural norms in the reinforcement of EA, while highlighting therapy's potential in fostering individual healing while advocating for societal transformation. Our study adds valuable literature to the fields of counselling, social justice research, cultural psychology, social psychology, and feminist psychology, and provides a basis for future research.

Liberation is a multifaceted concept, often intertwined with psychological processes such as freedom from oppression and the ability to think and act freely. Historically, Western social psychologists have favored the individualistic notion of freedom over the collective effort of liberation. This divergence has led to the separation of the histories of liberation struggles and psychology, including feminism. This article explores distinct historical trajectories in Turkey and highlights the divisive dynamics within feminist movements, particularly the erasure of ethnic minority women by state feminists in postdynastic Turkey. Furthermore, the Westernization and the Americanization of psychology have positioned the field as a neutral, value-free science, effectively silencing indigenous feminist perspectives and encouraging overreliance on adapting gender-based scales to Turkish. Despite this, a nascent history of feminist psychology in Turkey exists, which challenges homogenization and standardization, advocating for a conceptualization of freedom beyond individualism. Finally, an agenda for liberating social psychology is proposed through challenging tattered binaries of "East" and "West" or "secular" or "conservative" and promoting a collective and intersectional approach to psychological research and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

In the following we introduce a special issue of the journal Woman & Therapy, titled Women in Their 80s and 90s: Positively Vital. Our intent has been to provide a balance to the prevailing literature on older women which tends to present a negative view of the trials and tribulations of old age. We believe that this information is vital not just for old women but also for feminist psychologists who work with this population and for the world at large.

Although there has been a focus on intersectionality theory in feminist studies broadly and within the field of psychology specifically, there have been increased calls for an explicitly anti-racist focus within intersectional feminist psychology. The purpose of this article is to articulate what an intersectional anti-racist feminism in psychology looks like in terms of research, clinical practice, and advocacy. First, we provide some context for our focus on articulating an intersectional anti-racist feminism and our hope for this special issue, particularly in the current sociopolitical moment. Next, we share our positionalities as feminist leaders during the impetus of this special issue and share a brief herstory of intersectionality and the Society for the Psychology of Women (SPW). Then, we envision the future of intersectional anti-racist feminism with a focus on coalition-building and use the Combahee River Collective as a foundational example for the way forward in both theory and praxis. We end by briefly highlighting the series of articles that encompass this special issue which showcase scholarship, clinical practice, and advocacy.

Multicultural psychology emphasizes the role of social, cultural, and gender forces in creating an individual’s identity; the social and cultural world in which they live; and the psychological strengths that different cultures have to offer. In a complementary way, feminist psychology highlights the importance of collectivist alternatives to mainstream, individualistic thinking in the U.S.; and the identification and dismantling of patriarchal power structures that oppress women. Combining these two in a multicultural, feminist approach to psychotherapy highlights the importance of relating to clients with an understanding of, sensitivity to, respect for, and responsiveness to their cultural identities and life situations. This also involves the therapist building on strengths that come from some cultures bringing a collectivist rather than an individualist orientation to life’s challenges, such as combating child maltreatment. To illustrate the potential of a multicultural, feminist approach to psychotherapy in cases of child maltreatment among minority individuals, the present article offers two highly successful case studies. The first involves “Bashiir,” a 16-year-old African, first-generation immigrant young man from Somalia; and the second involves “Jaquaan,” a 15-year-old African American young man. Both clients were referred to therapy because of poor school attendance and academic difficulties, and associated symptoms consistent with a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. These symptoms derived from the clients having lived in poor, dangerous, high crime communities. A crucial component in both cases was the process by which the therapist employed the multicultural feminist approach to cross age, racial, gender, and socioeconomic-class lines to establish a very strong, trusting relationship between the therapist and the client; and between the therapist and the clients’ families.

In recent years, there has been increased cultural interest in perimenopause and menopause. The importance of peri/menopause in many women's lives makes this topic particularly pertinent for feminist psychologists. Some feminist scholars have acknowledged both physical and psychological factors as important aspects of women's experiences within their wider social and cultural contexts. However, consideration of relational aspects during peri/menopause remains sparse. We report our research exploring peri/menopausal women's experiences of friendships, family, and relationships. Thematic analysis was used to analyse responses to an online qualitative survey in which 71 mainly British women participated. In our analysis, we discuss the Menopause Sisterhood and how these women described social support as grounded in embodied experiences shared with other women. However, there were tensions concerning partners, whose understanding varied, which we report in the second theme: Accounting for (lack of) partner support: Men as heroes (or as absolved of any blame). We discuss the importance and implications of our findings for feminist scholars and psychologists more widely.

In this presentation, I offer a brief personal reflection of my entry and introduction to psychology. I start from positionsing myself to highlight how we do not come into institutions of higher learning and our disciplines as empty vessels but with histories that shape how we view the world. Drawing from social justice scholars and my earlier work, I point to how psychology needs to shift from locating ‘problems’ within individuals but instead acknowledge the structural imbalances that contribute to individual and collective dis-eases facing society. I go on to call for a decolonial feminist psychology that acknowledges the multiple oppressions faced by people in many formely colonised nations such as South Africa, with a particular focus on women. I further show how visual methodologies such as embroideries offer the potential for epistemic justice and decolonial possibilities by centering community members as co-constrctors of knowledge. I conclude by highlighting how hope carries the potential for psychological healing.

In a teaching and learning context, viewing psychology through a feminist lens can prompt thoughtfulness and critical engagement in students. Therefore, it is important to consider how students can be supported to understand feminist approaches to psychological research, including feminist epistemology, ontology, and methodology. Further, given recent concerns surrounding the robustness, rigor, and replicability of psychological research, there has also been a renewed focus on the pedagogical potential of replication studies as a mechanism to corroborate claims within the literature. In this article, I outline an innovative new assessment that encourages students to think critically and creatively about psychological research in a way that champions the principles of feminist psychology and engages with issues of psychology's "replication crisis" through developing ideas for conceptual replication research proposals. Here, I share the theoretical rationale for this work, an overview of the assessment design and development, evaluations from students, and my own reflections. Generally, the assessment was well received and led to impressive and creative student work. Thus, conceptual replication research proposals represent a promising new avenue for psychology teaching.

Happiness scholarship has gained prominence in a number of disciplines over the last few decades, including economics and psychology. In South Africa, we have observed an uptick in happiness studies, but also that these studies are mostly using quantitative methodologies. What is missing in nearly all these studies are conceptualizations of happiness from African-centered decolonial psychological perspectives. The main objective in this article is to approach happiness from an African-centered decolonial psychological perspective. The article draws on data from a qualitative study which investigated happiness and gender equality amongst South African women. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit participants. Eleven qualitative individual interviews were conducted with key informants and three focus groups with women who shared their everyday lived experiences of happiness. We draw only from the individual interviews. The interviews were subjected to an adapted, theoretically driven thematic analysis informed by African-centered decolonial psychological interpretations. Whilst we identified four key themes, we report and discuss only two of these, namely: happiness as inter-connectedness and happiness as maintaining a balanced life. The perspective we adopt in this article offers an opportunity to unpack how happiness is inter-connectedness and how happiness is a balanced life. In enmeshing decolonial African-centered perspectives and African feminist psychology, it was possible to not only produce a more situated analysis of women’s happiness but also to center issues of gender and gender inequality within African-centered psychological thought. Potential directions for further contextual and transnational qualitative studies on happiness that incorporate African-centered decolonial perspectives are offered.

The links between experiences of discrimination and mental health consequences have been well established among Asian Americans. Since the pandemic, anti-Asian racism and xenophobia surged, and the negative outcomes can be severe and long-lasting. Asian American mental health professionals can play an important role in addressing the mental health needs in the Asian American community. Feminist psychologists have long criticized the oppressive nature of traditional Western mental health practices. Strategies to promote liberation and radical healing among Asian American students are especially needed, given the challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that their needs are often overlooked due to the model-minority stereotype. This article offers critical consciousness–informed pedagogy as a form of anti-racist feminist practice to cultivate radical healing and liberation for Asian American students. Anti-racist teaching strategies include: modeling by counseling and psychology educators, challenging internalized oppression and teaching accurate history, building community and collectivism, cultivating solidarity with other communities, and supporting student activism.

This psychobiography of Frida Kahlo explores the psychology of the famous Mexican artist. Drawing upon Kahlo’s paintings and diary entries, a rich psychological analysis of the feminist icon is juxtaposed with the zeitgeist of 20th century Mexico. Framed through the theoretical model of feminist psychology, Kahlo’s role in promoting gender equality and dismantling patriarchal society is discussed. Physical pain resulting from illness and impalement by a metal pole in a trolley accident was matched, if not exceeded, by the psychological pain the artist felt due to resulting issues with fertility and the long-sought but never-realized role of motherhood, infidelity within her marriage, and the eventual loss of her ability to paint. Nevertheless, Kahlo’s perseverance and strength led to worldwide recognition of her bold and vibrant paintings, vulnerably depicting her rich inner world. The present study utilises perspectives from art therapy and attachment theory to elucidate the factors contributing to Frida Kahlo’s resilience in the face of lifelong trauma and chronic pain. Ultimately, Kahlo’s life and work offer valuable insight into the psychological experiences of women in patriarchal societies, emphasising the importance of feminist perspectives in psychological research and highlighting the healing and resilience-promoting role of art.