What can a feminist counselor help with?

A feminist therapist can help with the challenges that women face as a result of bias, stereotyping, discrimination, and other stressors that can jeopardize their mental health. The approach is based on the idea that mental physical health are closely tied to an individual’s social and cultural environment and sense of self. Some of the issues that can be addressed by feminist therapy include sexual abuse, incest, body image, eating disorders, anxiety, relationship challenges, post-traumatic stress, and personality disorders.

Who is a certified or qualified feminist psychologist?

A feminist therapist is a licensed mental-health professional whose approach encompasses principles of feminist theory and social justice and who is attuned to the cultural and social forces, including bias and unfair expectations that people, and particularly women, face in an environment in which many feel that others are setting the standards by which they will be judged. No specific certification is required to practice as a feminist therapist, but a conversation with a practitioner before committing to therapy sessions can help individuals find a professional who shares their values, whom they trust, and with whom they can feel comfortable.

What is the goal of feminist therapy?

One goal of feminist therapy is to help clients learn to help themselves by discovering, acknowledging, and embracing their own power and agency. The therapist is less likely to make a diagnosis than to work with a client to consider the factors behind the symptoms they’re experiencing. To reach that point, a therapist may try to help an individual reframe their challenges in the context of cultural or social forces and then take steps to respond to those forces with greater awareness and confidence.

How can you recognize a good feminist therapist?

A feminist therapist prioritizes egalitarianism between practitioner and client. A good feminist therapist will not dictate change in the individuals they treat, but instead will recognize them as the experts on their own experience and work in conjunction with them to uncover the origins of their challenges, including negative social influences. Feminist therapists also aspire to consider the influences of gender, race, sexual orientation and other factors on personal identity and to unearth and address potential effects of implicit bias in all of these areas. And unlike other professionals, feminist therapists may open up about their personal stories and challenges to help clients feel more comfortable sharing their own.