This article offers the hypothesis that an increasing effort to help families and marriages may inadvertently contribute to their dysfunction. By examining the institutions of family and marriage in the broader societal perspective as well as the theories we use to assign the labels “functional” or “dysfunctional” to families and marriages, we may render a more useful service to the health of these systems. In our enthusiasm to do good, let us first do no harm.
When practicing as group leaders, mental health nurses often incorporate Irvin Yalom's (1995, 1998) concepts of social microcosm and here-and-now. This article examines these concepts from a feminist perspective and offers an approach to group psychotherapy that processes gender issues and fosters collective consciousness-raising. A feminist perspective in group therapy challenges us to view the social microcosm as a reenactment of sociopolitical contexts and the here-and-now as a medium for developing personal and social responsibility. Therapy is not only about individual and interpersonal change in group members, but is an opportunity for healthy social change. Therapy becomes political work, raising the social consciousness of each participant as well as the group as a whole.
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