Laura S. Brown is a clinical and forensic psychologist in independent practice in Seattle, Washington. A writer and speaker on feminist therapy theory and practice, she offers workshops and trainings to professionals and the public on such topics as trauma treatment, cultural competence, psychological assessment, and ethics. She is also the founder and supervisor of the Fremont Community Therapy Project, a low-fee psychotherapy training clinic in Seattle.
Recent Publications
- Brown, L.S. (2008) Cultural competence in trauma therapy: Beyond the flashback. American Psychological Association.
- Brown, L.S. (2008). Feminist therapy. In J.L Lebow (Ed.) Twenty-First Century Psychotherapies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
- Brown, L.S. (2007). Empathy, genuineness—and the dynamics of power: A feminist therapist responds to Rogers. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training.
- Brown, L.S. & Bryan, T.C. (2007). Feminist therapy and self-inflicted violence. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session.
- Brown, L.S. (2007). Feminist therapy as a meaning-making practice: Where there is no power, where is the meaning? In. K. Schneider, (Ed.) Existential and experiential models in psychotherapy. New York: Wiley.
- Quina, K. & Brown, L.S (Eds.) (2007). Trauma and dissociation in convicted offenders: Issues of gender, science, and treatment. New York: The Haworth Press.
Forthcoming Publications
- Brown, L.S. (In press). Feminist therapy: Not for women only. American Psychological Association.
Recent Presentations
- Finding my Center: Martial arts on the way to Tikkun Olam [mp3] - Psychotherapist Self-Care symposium at 2007 APA Convention in San Francisco. Slides [pdf]
- Integrating multicultural perspectives into feminist practice [mp3] - International Perspectives on Feminist Multicultural Psychotherapy symposium at 2007 APA Convention in San Francisco
New Book
Laura's newest book, Cultural Competence in Trauma Therapy: Beyond the Flashback was published in March 2008 by APA. You can order a copy now from amazon.com or APA books.
This book was written because few of the excellent models that have been developed for working with trauma survivors take into account the complexity of an individual's unique background and experience. Even treatment for people identified as "diverse" often ignores the individual's multilayered identities—which may include age, social class, ethnicity, religious faith, sexual orientation, and immigrant status— in favor of a "one-size-fits all" approach. This volume offers multiple strategies for therapists to become aware of both dominant group privilege and of their own identity and culture as well as those of clients. The book has a practical focus and contains a variety of case studies illustrating how theoretical constructs can inform assessment and treatment.Videos
The APA Video Series now has available all three of Laura's psychotherapy videos. The two most recent, Working with Men Survivors of Trauma and Abuse and Working with Women Survivors of Trauma and Abuse show Laura demonstrating the use of feminist therapy strategies with a two clients who are survivors of abusive families. If you'd like a chance to see how Laura puts feminist theory into practice these videos afford an excellent opportunity to observe her work. The tapes also include post-session commentaries in which she discusses how specific aspects of the sessions reflect her feminist theoretical orientation. Both of these are available in VHS or DVD formats from APA Online. New: APA has re-released Laura’s classic Feminist Therapy video in DVD format.
Read the review of Working with Men Survivors of Trauma and Abuse in PsychCritiques.
