Feminist Therapy

Identifying as female in our culture comes with so many landmines. Navigating relationships, work/life balance, parenting, misogyny, and so on. If you've clicked on this specialty, you know. I like to work from an feminist perspective to see how gender underlies other stressors. Feminism is intersectional, and if you identify as female (or on the feminine side of the spectrum) this space is for you.

I practice from an anti-oppressive and fat positive framework. I recognize how systems at multiple levels intersect and can impact someone's ability to thrive, or even survive.

I am a feminist before I am a therapist. I believe that mental health is political, and that in order to be supportive, counselors must consistently weave racial justice and social justice into their work. This looks like asking processing global atrocities with my clients, naming systemic oppression when it shows up in the therapeutic space or in my client's experiences, supporting my clients in unlearning internalized forms of supremacy or oppression, and being clear and open about my values.

I love feminist therapy because it is for all genders and all people: It analyzes power structures and their effects upon people. Each person's intersectional identity, along with their unique lived experience, is differently affected by the current politics and systemic structures. This model helps frame issues to show that they are likely externally caused, which can remove the feeling of self-blame. It also uses education, advocacy, and strength-building to encourage self empowerment.

My approach to feminist therapy involves integrating my own identity with the realities of living in society as a woman. I am passionate about working through the discrimination that women face, as well as exploring the intersectional identities that oftentimes compound the discrimination. I value social justice as a therapist, and actively incorporate it in all of my sessions.

Feminist therapy is an approach to psychotherapy that focuses on gender and the particular challenges and stressors that women face as a result of bias, stereotyping, oppression, discrimination, and other factors that threaten their mental health. The focus of treatment is on empowerment, identity, and understanding of social factors that contribute to distress.

My approach is strongly informed by a critical feminist, social justice approach to individual and relationship therapy, examining the impact of structural and systemic oppression on our sense of self, sense of belonging, and our connections to our values and sense of purpose in our lives.

The Feminist perspective in counseling focuses on the importance of empowerment, and awareness of systems of oppression that impact people of all genders. What you can expect here is to be treated with respect and to have the whole person that you are, all your identities and lived experience validated and welcomed in counseling. You can expect that we can talk about the differences between our identities and lived experiences in a safe and productive way.

I work from a feminist and social justice framework to hold clients up as the expert in their own experience and to acknowledge the relevance of social, environmental, and generational context.

As a feminist therapist, I understand how gender roles and societal expectations can influence our individuality and relationships with others. It can be hard to discern what is your own values and what ideas are prescribed from the outside world. I recognize that these issues affect all of us, regardless of our gender: male, female, non-binary, because we are all subject to loosing our authenticity when we have to perform expectations from others.

My therapy is feminist in nature because I am always looking through the lens of feminism and anti-oppression when working with clients. For my clients who strongly identify as feminist, having a feminist therapist means you're not starting from scratch in explaining your worldview. For people who are newer to feminism, I can help you see angles to your situation that you might not have noticed.

Feminism is going through growth spurts. As the therapist and nutritionist to women and femmes, I am constantly reading and educating myself on how to best, and most respectfully honor the multitude of identities that each person inevitably carries as well as attend trainings than emphasize social justice and activism. Anne Balay is credited as saying, “If your feminism isn’t intersectional, then it isn’t feminism.” Our work together will help you liberate not only your body, also your mind.

As a systems therapist, I believe that patriarchy, racism and capitalism have impacted the overall development and accessibility of healing services. I believe there is value in deconstructing the ways we have been impacted by those systems and how we can break down the barriers they create in our lives. I will help you lean into your own self-identity and free you from the pain that oppressive systems have caused you.

I specialize in integrating feminist theory into therapy, providing a framework that addresses power imbalances, social inequalities, and the impact of gender roles on mental health. Through a feminist lens, I empower clients to explore and challenge societal norms, fostering self-awareness and personal agency. This approach aims to promote equality, inclusivity, and a deeper understanding of the intersectionality of clients' experiences.

I am well-trained in feminist psychotherapeutic practice with members of the queer community, racial/ethnic minority populations, and with women/womxn.

I view the treatment of gender-based violence, intimate partner violence and sexual assault through a feminist theory lens, meaning these experiences are the result of gender oppression and the cultural and societal attitudes and beliefs that support gender oppression. Therefore, my therapeutic orientation incorporates an empowerment approach as well as supporting clients in identifying how they have been impacted by gender oppression.

I utilize feminist therapy in the ways that I support clients in exploring how the broader social-cultural context impacts mental health and overall wellness. This can include gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and more. I view this as a crucial part of therapy because our systems and structures directly impact us as individuals, and without including this perspective, I find that it can be more challenging to holistically address what's happening in our lives.

What forms of gender expression feel safest, most comfortable, or fun for you? Which forms feel unsafe or unavailable to you? Gender-based expectations and norms impact people of all genders, and may be holding you back from being yourself and feeling empowered. We will explore the ways that your gender impacts your life, including your values and any limiting beliefs that you may be internalizing from your upbringing, environment, or culture about yourself or others.