Our philosophy as feminist therapists leads us to view people from a perspective of health. Historically, traditional psychology saw people as defective and viewed the human condition as pathological. This has been extremely harmful to all of us, especially to women, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender variant people, people suffering from economic hardship or trauma, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees; virtually anyone who was different from "the norm". Normal was defined as white, male and middle class. Anyone who didn't fit that description was considered sick or mentally ill.
We actively challenge that viewpoint in our work. Feminism informs our thinking and when we talk with clients, we look at what is already working in their lives, as well as their struggles. Every one has a unique life story that is intertwined with the larger social, cultural and political world and we explore how these various aspects of life affect them. One goal of therapy is towards empowerment to make change--and discover where change needs to happen. Isn't therapy about changing oneself? Often it is. However, personal change may not be enough. Far too often people try to "fix" themselves when the fix needs to be made in the world around them. One example is the body-hate many women face as a result of our cultures pressure to look "young, thin and perfect." If a woman thinks the problem is hers alone, she may spend her life trying to look like that idealized version of womanhood. If she challenged the belief that women should look like Barbie dolls, she might instead find herself softening her harsh criticisms of her body, redirecting body hate towards our culture's unrealistic standards of beauty. Challenging societies' attitudes about how she should look, instead of changing her body can be a deeply empowering and transforming experience.
Obviously, therapy alone cannot change societal ills. Yet we know that trauma affects a great many people in our culture, which can lead to psychological numbing that alienates them from their feelings and their bodies. By regaining their ability to "know what they know and feel what they feel" one can be empowered to seek constructive responses to what is wrong in the world, regaining personal strength, respect and a sense of justice.
Women's Psychotherapy Centre of Wisconsin, LLC 16 N. Carroll St., Suite 710 Madison, WI 608.255.4747