This article addresses the challenges of translating the evidence for the effects of the relationship in psychotherapy to work with clients whose intersectional identities are strongly informed by being members of groups marginalized for their sexual or gender orientations. We discuss managing both differences and similarities in the experiences of those offering and those seeking… Read more »
Posts Categorized: written
Institutional Cowardice: A powerful, often invisible, manifestation of Institutional Betrayal
In this article I introduce a new construct, Institutional Cowardice, which expands on Jennifer Freyd’s constructs of Institutional Betrayal and Institutional Courage. In it, I discuss the ways in which cowardice, and the fear of being ostracized and marginalized within an organization that is engaging in Institutional Betrayal, enables the betrayal while allowing the coward… Read more »
Complex trauma: Missed and misdiagnosis in forensic evaluations
This article, co-authored with my former trainee and colleague Tyson Bailey, speaks to the common and problematic phenomenon of how persons with complex trauma are misdiagnosed by forensic evaluators who are not trauma-informed. The risks to the quality of forensic evaluation when complex trauma is not taken into account or identified correctly, and the costs… Read more »
Complex trauma and the question of reasonableness in sexual harassment cases
This article discusses the interactions between a history of childhood complex trauma and responses to various levels of sexual harassment. Because sexual harassment occurs on a continuum, its effects can vary depending on the target’s own history of prior sexual trauma or abuse of power. Forensic evaluators who lack a trauma-informed perspective are likely to… Read more »
Guideline orthodoxy and resulting limitations of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults: Introduction to the Special Issue
This article is the introduction of one of two special journal issues in which Christine Courtois and I have generated scholarly critiques of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults, writing from the perspective of having been members of the group that generated those guidelines. We explore how our attempts…
This article introduces one of two special issues of journals that critique the process and outcome of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults. We introduce the readers to several innovative modalities for the treatment of trauma that were either marginalized in the guidelines development process, or excluded because their… Read more »Trauma treatment: The need for on-going innovation
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy and related treatments for trauma: An innovative, integrative trauma treatment
Although EMDR has been utilized clinically for more than three decades, and now has a growing and large body of scientific scholarship demonstrating its effectiveness with survivors of a wide range of traumas, it is still wrongly treated as “controversial” by those who have remained ignorant of this strong evidence base for its use in… Read more »
Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Association for Women in Psychology: A life in feminist psychology. A long and interesting journey from Ft. Wayne to Newport
In 2019, I had the privilege of being the invited keynote speaker for the 50th anniversary conference of the professional organization that shaped my entire life’s work, the Association for Women in Psychology. This article expands on that speech, in which I highlight the ways in which the radical vision of feminist psychology has both… Read more »
Psychotherapy with alien beings: Cultural competence (and incompetence) in psychotherapy practice
This article is a whimsical introduction to the core components of my model of how to be a culturally humble, and possibly competent, psychotherapist as we work with people in the context of their, and our, intersectional identities. In this piece I discuss the problems with the now out-moded “how to treat an alien being”… Read more »
Multicultural theories
In this chapter my co-author and I explore the range of multicultural theories that can be integrated into clinical psychology practice. This chapter is one part of a very large and expensive five-volume series, which I suggest getting from your library. Where to find Buy from Amazon Citation Comas-Diaz, L. & Brown, L.S. (2016). Multicultural… Read more »
Feminist and multicultural perspectives in trauma psychology
This is one chapter in a two-volume book series. If you work with trauma survivors it would probably be worth your while to invest in this purchase. This particular chapter discusses the roots of trauma psychology in early feminist practice with survivors of rape, intimate partner violence, and childhood sexual abuse, and considers how and… Read more »
Feminist therapy
This brief chapter reviews the heritage of feminist psychotherapy, and summarizes its core principles and practices. This is simply one short article in a four-volume series, which I suggest that you obtain from your library. The Kindle version costs more than 300.00. Where to find Buy from Amazon Citation Brown, L.S. (2017). Feminist therapy. In… Read more »
Effect of evidence-based treatment relationships on treatment outcome for adults with trauma: A systematic review
Because there were few if any studies of the importance of the evidence-based treatment relationship variables on trauma therapy, our group set out to explore the existing literature. We found that as with other psychotherapy clients, trauma survivors in therapy find treatment more effective when those relationship variables are present. Where to find Buy from… Read more »
Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Association for Women in Psychology: A life in feminist psychology: A long and interesting journey from Ft. Wayne to Newport
This article grew out of the keynote address that I gave at the 50th anniversary conference of the Association for Women in Psychology, the leading feminist psychology organization in the world. In it I review my own personal history with AWP, and then discuss some of the innovations that feminists brought to psychology that have… Read more »
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy and related treatments for trauma: An innovative, integrative trauma treatment
This article, co-authored with an expert consultant and trainer in EMDR, discusses its development as an innovative treatment for trauma. We describe the resistance and marginalization of this technique in its early years, and then discuss the growing body of research that demonstrates it being an evidence-based and effective practice for treating trauma. In an… Read more »
Trauma treatment: The need for on-going innovation
This article introduces a special issue of the journal Practice Innovations. Dr. Courtois and I were inspired to create this special issue, and the accompanying special issue of Psychotherapy because of our collective dissatisfaction with both the process and outcome of APA’s PTSD Treatment Guidelines work group, of which I was a member, and which… Read more »
Guideline orthodoxy and resulting limitations of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults: Introduction to the Special Issue
This article introduces a special issue of the journal Psychotherapy. Dr. Courtois and I were inspired to create this special issue, and the accompanying special issue of Practice Innovations because of our collective dissatisfaction with both the process and outcome of APA’s PTSD Treatment Guidelines work group, of which I was a member, and which… Read more »
Review of traumatic divorce and separation
This book review describes my response to a very impressive and thorough book for both attorneys and psychologists who work with women going through divorce after abusive or exploitative relationships. It’s must reading if you work with that population. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (2019). Review of traumatic divorce and separation…. Read more »
Feminist therapy, Second edition
In addition to updated references on feminist psychology and feminist practice, I have included analyses of feminist practice in the age of increased awareness of intersectional identities, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, and the effects of these and other emerging social movements on feminist practice.
Supervision essentials for the feminist psychotherapy model of supervision
In this volume I integrate the feminist therapy paradigm for practice into the realities of psychotherapy supervision. Because supervision and consultation are so core to the training and professional education of psychotherapists, having a clear model of how to integrate feminist constructs into supervisory roles makes it possible to offer training in feminist therapy to… Read more »
Not the price of admission: Healthy relationships after childhood trauma
I wrote this book because of my experience that many people who were abused, neglected, or otherwise given less-than-adequate experiences of attachment, love, and connection struggle in very predictable ways in their adult friendships, work relationships, and romantic relationships.
First do no harm: Is it any longer safe to write case reports?
This article, part of a special issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, explores the risks of harm to clients whose lives become the topic of a professional case study. Drawing upon the experience of Nicole Taus, who was subjected to multiple invasions of privacy by a psychological researcher intent on refuting her report of… Read more »
Looking outside the (voice)box
This article is one of several follow-ups to my classic piece, New voices new visions, originally published in 1989. It is part of a special issue on how various lesbians in positions of leadership in their communities have dealt with illness and disability. In it I revisit my experience of having my larynx stop working… Read more »
Feminist therapy process
This chapter, excerpted from the book Feminist Therapy, is a brief introduction to dynamics of the process of feminist therapy. The function of the egalitarian relationship and strategies for empowerment of clients in the therapy context are emphasized. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (2013). Feminist therapy process. In G. Vandenbos, E…. Read more »
Feminist therapy
This chapter, excerpted from the book Feminist Therapy, is a brief introduction to theory in feminist therapy. Theoretical roots of feminist therapy and major contributors to underlying theoretical constructs are reviewed. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Citation Brown, L.S. (2013). Feminist therapy. In G. Vandenbos, E. Meidenbauer & J. Frank-McNeil (Eds). Psychotherapy theories… Read more »
Treating the effects of psychological trauma
This chapter is a brief introduction to the essentials of working psychotherapeutically with survivors of traumatic experiences. The range of traumagenic phenomena is explored, and evidence-based treatments for symptoms of trauma exposure are presented. Readers also have access to a bibliography of foundational literature in the field of psychology trauma. Where to find Buy from… Read more »
Treating women in psychotherapy
This chapter offers the reader a succinct introduction to the literature on working with women clients in psychotherapy. Intended as a stepping-stone into the five decades of literature on the topic, readers can use this chapter as a means of integrating awareness of gender into their work. A bibliography of foundational references is included. Where… Read more »
On not quitting my day job
This very personal chapter describes my experiences of becoming disillusioned with my work, and the transformative process of falling in love with being a psychotherapist all over again. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L. S. (2012). On not quitting my day job. In M. Hoyt (Ed). Therapist stories of inspiration, passion and… Read more »
Compassion amidst oppression: Increasing cultural competence for managing difficult dialogues in therapy
This chapter describes my process of learning to relate to a client across barriers of difference and bias, hers and mine alike. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L. S. (2012). Compassion amidst oppression: Increasing cultural competence for managing difficult dialogues in therapy. In M. Goldfried, A. Wolf & J.C. Muran (Eds). Transforming… Read more »
Feminist therapy as a path to friendship with women
This chapter chronicles the ways in which my becoming a feminist therapist has made me more capable of deep friendships with other women. Where to find Buy book from amazon.com FREE – Download this chapter from publisher (pdf) Citation Brown, L.S. (2012). Feminist therapy as a path to friendship with women. In L. Comas-Diaz and… Read more »
Your turn for care: Surviving the aging and death of the adults who harmed you
Your Turn is a book I wrote for adult survivors of childhood maltreatment and abuse whose abusive elder family member is now aging or dying. In it I speak to the special challenges and needs of people in this predicament and offer support for dealing with the emotional challenges of being a family caregiver or surviving the death of the abusive elder.
Emotional and cultural competence in the trauma-aware therapist
This course is part three of a three-part series on becoming a trauma-aware psychotherapist. Each course may be read online for free, with the option to purchase CE credits upon completion.
Treating trauma: Basic skills and specific treatments
This course is part two of a three-part series on becoming a trauma-aware psychotherapist. Each course may be read online for free, with the option to purchase CE credits upon completion.
A look back at New voices, new visions: The view from here
This invited journal article, part of PWQ’s anniversary series of commentary from authors of its citation classics, revisits and reconsiders the author’s proposal of a lesbian and gay paradigm for psychology. It expands the original vision of this paradigm and discusses how it would apply in the current social and politcal context. Where to find… Read more »
Motivated forgetting and misremembering: Perspectives from Betrayal Trauma Theory
This chapter describes recent research in and applications of Betrayal Trauma Theory (BTT). It discusses how the BTT model has explicated relationships between trauma and memory where interpersonal betrayal has been a factor in trauma. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation DePrince, A.P, Brown, L.S., Cheit, R.E., Freyd, J.J., Gold, S.N., Pezdek, K. &… Read more »
Becoming a trauma-aware therapist: Definitions and assessment
This course is part one of a three-part series on becoming a trauma-aware psychotherapist. Each course may be read online for free, with the option to purchase CE credits upon completion.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in trauma psychology: A topic comes out of the closet
This article is the editors’ introduction to the special issue of the journal, which is the first complilation of original research examining the intersection of LGBT issues and psychological trauma. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. & Pantalone, D. (2011). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in trauma psychology: A topic comes… Read more »
Everyone I know knows everyone I know: Boundary overlap in the life of one lesbian psychotherapist
This chapter considers the ethical challenges arising from psychotherapy practice in a socially small community where therapists and their clients have lives that overlap. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (2011). Everyone I know knows everyone I know: Boundary overlap in the life of one lesbian psychotherapist. In. G.A. Koocher & W…. Read more »
Guidelines for treating dissociative identity disorder in adults, Third revision: A tour de force for the dissociation field
This article introduces and briefly reviews the Guidelines developed by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. Where to find FREE – Download full text from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (2011). Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults, Third Revision: A tour de force for the dissociation field. Journal of Trauma… Read more »
Working with diverse clients in psychotherapy
This chapter considers the particular needs and challenges for therapists working with diverse clients, and discusses a model of cultural competence for effectively working with human diversity. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (2010). Working with diverse clients in psychotherapy. In J.C. Norcross, G. Vandenbos & D. Freedheim (Eds.). History of psychotherapy:… Read more »
Cultural competence: A new way of looking at integration in psychotherapy
This article is based on a keynote address given at the meeting of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. Using metaphors from Star Trek, I discuss a 21st Century paradigm for understanding culturally competent practice, and describe how this model promotes integrative psychotherapy. Where to find Buy from APA Citation Brown, L.S. (2009)…. Read more »
Feminist therapy, First edition
It was quite exciting to have APA decide to include Feminist Therapy in their Theories of Psychotherapy monograph series, simply because that inclusion was a statement about how far the field has come in four decades. In writing this book, which is intentionally shorter than Subversive Dialogues, I tried to distill the very best and… Read more »
True drama or true trauma? Forensic trauma assessment and the challenge of detecting malingering
In this chapter I discuss a step-wise process, using both formal psychometrics and interview data, for determining the likelihood that a forensic presentation of dissociative symptoms is genuine or feigned. I also discuss the difficulties inherent in teasing apart the very dramatic presentations of truly traumatized persons from those who are attempting to malinger dissociation…. Read more »
Cultural competence in the treatment of complex trauma
This chapter offers a very condensed discussion of themes that I treat at length in my book on this topic. I discuss the specifics of treating complex trauma survivors through the lens of my model of culturally competent practice. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (2009). Cultural competence in the treatment of… Read more »
Attributes of a powerful person
This handout includes the most recent version of my description of the four components of power — somatic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and spiritual/existential, and offers examples of what it means to be powerful on each of these variables. Feel free to download and utilize for yourself or your clients, but please do not modify it. If… Read more »
Cultural competence in trauma therapy: Beyond the flashback
In this book I hope to invite readers to become more culturally competent via strategies that reduce shame, enhance self-awareness, and increase understanding of peoples’ multiple and intersecting identities.
Feminist therapy and self-inflicted violence
This article offers an excellent example of how feminist principles of empowerment and self-determination are applied in work with clients who harm themselves. Where to find Buy from publisher – free for those with Society for Clinical Psychology (Division 12) membership or institutional access. Citation Brown, L.S. & Bryan, T.C. (2007). Feminist therapy and self-inflicted… Read more »
Trauma and dissociation in convicted offenders: Issues of gender, science, and treatment
This is an edited volume of papers looking at the relationship between a history of severe trauma, dissociative symptoms, and the experience of incarceration. It is the first book to make the direct connection between variables that have long been identified as risk factors for entry into the criminal justice system. Where to find Buy… Read more »
Still subversive after all these years: The relevance of feminist therapy in the age of evidence-based practice
In this article, based on my Carolyn Wood Sherif Memorial Award Address, I address questions of the viability of feminist practice in the current zeitgeist. Using the framework of responding to questions raised by doctoral students about feminist therapy, I address how feminist practice aligns with the evidence-based practice movement, particularly those aspects focusing on… Read more »
Don’t be a sheep: How this eldest daughter became a feminist therapist
If you want to know how I ended up here professionally, this is the article to read. Where to find Buy from publisher – free for those with Society for Clinical Psychology (Division 12) membership or institutional access. Citation Brown, L.S. (2005). Don’t be a sheep: How this eldest daughter became a feminist therapist. In… Read more »
Note-taking form
This is the form that I use for note-taking in my therapy practice. It was designed to comply with the elements of APA’s note-taking guidelines for psychologists. Feel free to use and modify without additional permission from me. Where to find FREE – Download from this site (pdf)
Sexuality, lies, and loss: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual perspectives on trauma
An article in which I explore how exposure to homophobia and heterosexism is systemically traumatizing to many LGBT individuals. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (2003). Sexuality, lies, and loss: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual perspectives on trauma. Journal of Trauma Practice,2, pp. 55-68.
Rethinking mental health and disorder: Feminist perspectives
This is the revised and updated version of the earlier Brown and Ballou text. This edited volume contains feminist critiques of current diagnostic systems and epistemologies, and proposes alternative models through which to conceptualize emotional distress and behavioral dysfunction. Useful as a textbook in courses on psychopathology. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Ballou,… Read more »
Symptomatic clients and memories of childhood abuse: What the trauma and child sexual abuse literature tells us
This article represents the final work and opinions of the three trauma experts, myself included, who served on the APA Working Group on Recovered Memories of Abuse. Although practice norms have evolved and the scientific foundation for working with remembering adults has expanded, this is an important historical document for anyone interested in the memory… Read more »
The private practice of subversion: Psychology as Tikkun Olam
This is the awards address I gave after being honored by APA for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Public Service. In it I used the Biblical metaphor of “dry bones” as a springboard for exploring external and internal threats to the practice of a social justice-oriented psychology. I use the concept of Tikkun Olam, the Hebrew… Read more »
Recovered memories of abuse: Assessment, therapy, forensics
This book reviewed the scientific literature on memory and trauma available at the time, and proposed strategies for therapists to practice ethically and competently with clients who are experiencing delayed recall of trauma. Introduces the concept of “emotional competence” for working with trauma survivor clients. Although the science of trauma and memory has evolved and… Read more »
Subversive dialogues: Theory in feminist therapy
Subversive Dialogues represented my desire to create a true theoretical foundation for feminist therapy, which had been developing from grass roots practice for nearly two decades as I began to write.
Personality and psychopathology: Feminist reappraisals
This edited text arose out of the experience of feminists as the DSM was being revised in 1985. Our growing awareness that diagnosis mattered, and that feminist therapists needed to think critically about diagnostic schemata, led to the development of this project. It was the first compilation of feminist critiques of standard diagnostic systems, and… Read more »
Diversity and complexity in feminist therapy
This edited volume contains papers from the 1998 Advanced Feminist Therapy Institute. A foundational document in the history of feminist therapy theory and practice, it offers one of the first integrations of feminist therapy theory with cultural competence. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. and Root, M.P.P. (Eds.) (1990). Diversity and complexity… Read more »
The meaning of a multicultural perspective for theory development in feminist therapy
Some of my initial attempts to integrate feminist therapy into a model of culturally competent practice. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (1990). The meaning of a multicultural perspective for theory development in feminist therapy. In Brown,L.S. and Root, M.P.P. (Eds) Diversity and complexity in feminist therapy. New York: The Haworth Press.
New voices, new visions: Toward a lesbian/gay paradigm for psychology
My citation classic, in which I used an experience of illness as the stepping-off point for proposing a theory about how the experience of marginalized people could expand psychology’s worldview. My recent article in Psychology of Women Quarterly, A look back at New voices, new visions: The view from here, revisits some of the points… Read more »
Overcoming fear of fat
This edited volume represents some of the first work in the field of feminist analysis of fat oppression. Includes some of my own early analysis of the ways in which marginalization of fat women represents an expression of cultural sexism via the stigmatization of women’s taking up of space. Where to find Buy from amazon.com… Read more »
Beyond thou shalt not: Thinking about ethics in the lesbian therapy community
Some of my earliest work looking at issues of living and practicing ethically in the context of role overlap in the small towns that are urban lesbian communities. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (1988). Beyond thou shalt not: Thinking about ethics in the lesbian therapy community. Women and Therapy, 8, pp…. Read more »
From alienation to connection: Feminist therapy with Post-traumatic stress disorder
This is my first published work on trauma, which won the Distinguished Publication Award from the Association for Women in Psychology. The start of my integration of feminist and trauma treatment concepts. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (1986). From alienation to connection: Feminist therapy with Post-traumatic stress disorder. Women and Therapy…. Read more »
Finding new language: Getting beyond analytic verbal shorthand in feminist therapy
My first attempt at doing theory in feminist therapy. Readers can see the roots of what eventually came to fruition ten years later in Subversive Dialogues. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (1984). Finding new language: Getting beyond analytic verbal shorthand in feminist therapy. Women and Therapy, 3, pp. 73-80. See also… Read more »