An Exploration of Feminist Family Therapists' Resistance to and Collusion with Oppression

Goodwin, Annabelle M.; Kaestle, Christine E.; Piercy, Fred P.

doi:10.1080/08952833.2013.778133

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(88 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It appears that all the aspects of power, defined by Proctor (), were being re‐enacted within many therapeutic relationships, leading to defensive attitudes, mistrust and disconnection. If these are not addressed within therapy, Chalifoux () warns that shame, secrecy and guilt are perpetuated, thus reinforcing the ‘inferior’ client's feelings of powerlessness and subordination (Goodwin, Kaestle & Piercy, ), or keeping the ‘superior’ client stuck in a cycle of collusion and oppression (Baughan, ; Utt, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social class and the therapeutic relationship: The perspective of therapists as clients. A qualitative study using a questionnaire survey

Trott

Reeves

2018

Couns and Psychother Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background This research aimed to explore clients’ perceptions of the impact of social class and whether, if so how, perceived social class disparities impact upon the therapeutic relationship. Method A total of 45 completed questionnaires, via an online survey, were returned, comprising 30 middle‐class and 15 working‐class qualified and practising therapists from their role as client. A quasi‐phenomenological approach was taken and thematic analysis used to interrogate the data. Findings Four primary themes were identified as follows: (1) Perceptions of own social class; (2) Social class as a facilitative aspect of therapy; (3) Negative impact of social class on therapy; and (4) Clients perceptions of their therapeutic relationship. The findings show that where there was social class disparity, it was the explicit recognition and acknowledgement of disparity that were shown to have a positive impact on the client; improving equality, increasing rapport and enabling greater psychological growth. Implications for practice Therapists’ lack of awareness of social class was shown to lead to inadvertent oppressive and/or classist behaviour. For a client to take full benefit from therapy, therapists must recognise the importance of social class and classism and their impact upon the therapeutic relationship, and be prepared to attend to these dynamics when appropriate. Conclusions Though many respondents thought social class was an irrelevant factor within their therapeutic relationship, this study illustrates that social class was a silent but powerful force affecting clients’ feelings of equality and the effectiveness of therapy.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social class and the therapeutic relationship: The perspective of therapists as clients. A qualitative study using a questionnaire survey

Trott

Reeves

2018

Couns and Psychother Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These authors argued that academics should critique the colonial agenda (i.e., ideologies of the dominant culture) and acknowledge the legitimacy of indigenous knowledge and performance. Goodwin, Kaestle, and Piercy (2013) similarly invited feminist family therapists to describe their own experiences of both resisting and colluding with oppression.…”

Section: Journal Of Feminist Family Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

Feminist theories in contemporary couple and family psychology.

Silverstein¹,

Goodrich²

2019

APA Handbook of Contemporary Family Psychology: Foundations, Methods, and Contemporary Issues Across the Lifespan (Vol. 1).

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Family relations scholars have quantitatively approached the study of (sexist) gender role attitudes, exploring their link to other constructs, such as marital satisfaction, role overload, and housework (Helms, Walls, Crouter, & McHale, 2010;Shapiro, 2014;Toomey, Updegraff, Umaña-Taylor, & Jahromi, 2015). Most family therapy scholarship on gender and gender-based power is qualitative and involves analyses of interview data involving therapists (Goodwin, Kaestle, & Piercy, 2013;Keeling & Piercy, 2007;Knudson-Martin et al, 2015;Parker, 2009) or family members (Cowdery et al, 2009;Maciel et al, 2009;Reynolds and Knudson-Martin, 2015), with some studies exploring recorded interactions between therapists and clients (Ward & Knudson-Martin, 2012).…”

Section: The Study Of Gendered Discourse In Family Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, therapists are advised to discuss gender and power in respectful ways, challenge gender and inequality only when the alliance is strong, use nonthreatening approaches, and promote reconstruction of meaning. Goodwin et al (2013) used grounded theory to analyze 10 feminist-identified therapists' accounts, generated through interviews, of how they have developed as feminist therapists and how they have resisted and colluded with oppression. The authors suggested, among other conclusions, that "drawing attention [to gender and power] can be done through provoking conversation, recognizing the social prescription of values, exposing relationships, examining prevalent discourse, and critiquing social norms" (p. 244).…”

Section: The Study Of Gendered Discourse In Family Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Primacy of Discourse in the Study of Gender in Family Therapy

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Family therapists and scholars increasingly adopt poststructural and postmodern conceptions of social reality, challenging the notion of stable, universal dynamics within family members and families and favoring a view of reality as produced through social interaction. In the study of gender and diversity, many envision differences as social constructed rather than as "residing" in people or groups. There is a growing interest in discourse or people's everyday use of language and how it may reflect and advance interests of dominant groups in a society. Despite this shift from structures to discourse, therapists struggle to locate the dynamics of power in concrete actions and interactions. By leaving undisturbed the social processes through which gendered and other subjectivities and relations of power are produced, therapists may inadvertently become complicit in the very dynamics of power they seek to undermine. In this article, we argue that discourse analysis can help family therapy scholars and practitioners clarify the link between language and power. We present published examples of discourse analytic studies of gender and sexism and examine the relevance of these ideas for family therapy practice and research.

show abstract

An Exploration of Feminist Family Therapists' Resistance to and Collusion with Oppression

Cited by 6 publications

References 49 publications

Social class and the therapeutic relationship: The perspective of therapists as clients. A qualitative study using a questionnaire survey

Social class and the therapeutic relationship: The perspective of therapists as clients. A qualitative study using a questionnaire survey

Feminist theories in contemporary couple and family psychology.

The Primacy of Discourse in the Study of Gender in Family Therapy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About