In this wide-ranging interview with Dr. Jeff Magnavita, I discuss my life in the field of psychotherapy, and the ways in which I have been transformed by, and, I hope, have transformed the field of psychology. Where to find FREE – View on YouTube
Posts Tagged: feminist-therapy
Intersectional Feminist Therapy theory and its application in trauma treatment (November 14 and 28, Online)
In addition to providing cutting edge, evidence based trauma therapy, how can mental health practitioners living and working within oppressive systems (like colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy, heterosexism, or exploitative capitalism) ensure we’re less likely to perpetuate the harms of these systems through our therapy? How can we educate ourselves to support the empowerment and healing… Read more »
Decolonial, liberatory, intersectional feminist therapy: The next step on the path (August 2021-August 2022, On-Demand)
Feminist therapy has, in essence, argued that the entire project of psychotherapy was colonized and corrupt from its inception. The collusion of the “founding fathers” of western psychotherapy with both overt and covert moves by governments to control the behaviors of marginalized persons, as well as reinforce dangerous false narrative of toxic masculinity, are core… Read more »
Why psychology must pay attention to trauma
This presentation, which I recorded in early July, 2021, takes the form of a conversation between myself and Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis, a feminist/womanist trauma psychologist who was then running for the presidency of the American Psychological Association. In it I talk about the centrality of trauma to everything that psychologists do, and the necessity of… 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 »
Feminist perspectives on trauma treatment (March 8, Ramat Gan Israel)
This informal discussion program is being offered by invitation by the School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University. I’ll be sharing my work and insights into how to integrate feminist frameworks into trauma treatment, and engaging with my Israeli colleagues to learn about how they have been doing the same. Where to attend Event:… Read more »
Insights and innovative feminist models and techniques for working with complex PTSD (March 6, Tel Aviv Israel)
This informal discussion program is an invited presentation for the therapists of one of Israel’s oldest feminist therapy collectives. I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from my clients in four decades of working with the survivors of complex trauma, and engage with my Israeli counterparts to discover what their different social context brings to the… 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 »
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 »
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 and liberatory perspectives on psychotherapy supervision: Empowerment, not shame (February 25-March 5, Beersheva Israel)
This intensive course will introduce students to feminist and liberatory models of psychotherapy practice as they apply to supervision of counselors and therapists at any stage of professional development. We will discuss common challenges and pitfalls inherent in attempting to create an egalitarian, liberatory relationship in an evaluative setting, and explore together how to develop… Read more »
Liberatory counseling in challenging times: How can counseling centers show Institutional Courage (February 20, Evanston IL)
This keynote address will discuss how counseling center therapists, and the systems that support their work, can function in liberatory ways in their work. The questions of divided loyalties – to the university, to the counseling center’s own systems of hierarchy, to staff, to trainees, and to clients – will be considered. I’ll talk about… Read more »
Feminist perspectives on the treatment of trauma (April 13-14, Prague Czech Republic)
This two-day workshop is aimed at psychotherapists wishing to integrate feminist therapy principles into their work with trauma survivors. The workshop will explore feminist models of trauma beyond the diagnostic manuals. It will attend to issues of intersectional identity as sources of both risk and resilience in the face of trauma exposure, and will consider… Read more »
The feminist therapy model of psychotherapy supervision (April 12, Prague Czech Republic)
This presentation will consist of a brief didactic review of the feminist model of psychotherapy supervision followed by excerpts from a DVD of a live session of supervision in which this model is demonstrated. We will focus on ways in which the feminist emphasis on power analysis and the goal of creating an egalitarian relationship… 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.
Liberatory Models of Psychotherapy Supervision (December 8, Burlingame CA)
There is a dynamic tension between the necessarily hierarchical structure of psychotherapy supervision and the liberatory/egalitarian models of feminist and other liberatory practices. This will be a chance for psychotherapy supervisors who are struggling with this dilemma to discuss this topic with the author of The feminist model of psychotherapy supervision. Come with your own… Read more »
The feminist therapy model of psychotherapy supervision (June 27 Amsterdam The Netherlands)
This presentation, part of a symposium of master supervisors, will consist of a brief didactic review of the feminist model of psychotherapy supervision followed by excerpts from a DVD of a live session of supervision in which this model is demonstrated. We will focus on ways in which the feminist emphasis on power analysis and… Read more »
Feminist perspectives on the treatment of trauma (February 14, Beersheva Israel)
This full-day workshop is aimed at psychotherapists wishing to integrate feminist therapy principles into their work with trauma survivors. The workshop will explore feminist models of trauma beyond the diagnostic manuals. It will attend to issues of intersectional identity as both risk and resilience in the face of trauma exposure, and will consider ways in… Read more »
Women, trauma and psychotherapy: New insights (February 13, Beersheva Israel)
This invited address will introduce participants to feminist perspectives on treating women survivors of trauma, with an emphasis on interpersonal and intimate trauma. Feminist models for understanding trauma and for looking at women within the context of intersectional identities will be a focus of this speech. Where to attend Event: Women’s Health and Mental Health… Read more »
Feminist therapy supervision
This video features my early career colleague Samantha Slaughter PsyD consulting with me on the topic of countertransference. It offers a real-time experience of what feminist supervision or consultation looks and sounds like. The DVD also includes an interview with me and Dr. Slaughter, and a discussion of some of clips in the session that… Read more »
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 »
The feminist therapy model of psychotherapy supervision (June 16, Dublin Republic of Ireland)
This presentation, part of a symposium of master supervisors, will consist of a brief didactic review of the feminist model of psychotherapy supervision followed by excerpts from a DVD of a live session of supervision in which this model is demonstrated. Both the supervisor and the supervisee will be present to comment on the experience… Read more »
Feminist therapy with complex trauma: Accompanying a survivor on her hobbit journey (August 6, Toronto ON)
Part of a symposium, Frodo and Sam Enter Mordor—The Feminist Therapy Alliance in Complex Trauma, this presentation will reflect my experiences of a feminist trauma specialist working as a therapist with a colleague who is a survivor of complex childhood trauma, as well as a member of several of the same small professional and social… Read more »
No easy answers: Ethics and the emphasis on social justice in the practice of psychotherapy (January 15, Atlanta GA)
In this symposium I will be speaking to the specific topic of the ethics of self-care: social justice for the therapist, too. This presentation addresses the thorny ethical conundrum of psychotherapist self-care. I will frame my discussion through the lens of feminist practice and the necessity of justice for the therapist in the context of… Read more »
What does egalitarian look like? Dynamics of empowerment in feminist practice (August 10, Washington DC)
This presentation, part of the symposium Psychotherapy Revealed: A Glimpse of Eminent Psychotherapists in Session, illustrates how I attempt to develop egalitarian relationship in therapy, using examples of my work from the APA video series. Egalitarian interactions are theorized to be at the heart of the feminist treatment model of empowerment, and can be challenging… Read more »
On not quitting my day job: How being a therapist heals me (August 9, Washington DC)
This presentation, part of a symposium titled Therapist Stories of Inspiration, Passion, and Renewal shares my story of personal and professional existential crisis, and describes the ways in which the practice of psychotherapy allowed me to feel a sense of hope and refine meaning-making in life. Where to attend Event: 122nd Annual Convention of the… Read more »
Dear sister/friend: Working with intimate female friendships in psychotherapy (August 8, Washington DC)
This discussion program explores the ways in which being a feminist psychotherapist influences how one is a friend to other women. I will discuss the trajectory of my development of emotionally intimate female friends through the experience of being a feminist therapist. Where to attend Event: 122nd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association Sponsoring… Read more »
Empowerment as an ingredient of effective psychotherapy (August 7, Washington DC)
This presentation, part of a symposium titled How Does Psychotherapy Work? Looking to Theory and Evidence to Identify Change Mechanisms, explores the “secret sauce” of Feminist Therapy, empowerment, Feminist therapy theory has consistently focused on the construct of empowerment of clients as a central ingredient in the effectiveness of psychotherapy. In this presentation I will… 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 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 »
Feminist therapy: What empowerment looks like (August 4, Honolulu HI)
This presentation is a component of the symposium Psychotherapy Revealed—A Glimpse of Eminent Psychotherapists at Work. I will demonstrate the application of feminist therapy’s core construct of empowerment in a therapy session from the APA Psychotherapy Video Series. The client in this case was not interested in becoming empowered, and exerted strong pulls for me… Read more »
Breathing in power: Bringing the body back in feminist practice (August 3, Honolulu HI)
This presentation will discuss and describe the presenter’s integration of the body into the practice of feminist therapy. One persistent effect of women’s disempowerment in the context of interpersonal trauma has been disconnection from the body. Utilizing constructs from the martial art of aikido that emphasize the importance of moving from the center and awareness… 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 »
Seasoned psychotherapy supervisors’ visions of supervision: Abiding convictions about supervisory process and practice (August 5, Orlando FL)
This presentation discusses what I consider to be core components of effective psychotherapy supervision, drawing on a feminist supervisory model. Where to attend Event: 120th Annual Convention Sponsoring organization: American Psychological Association Date: August 5, 2012 Time: 8:00 am – 9:50 am Room: Convention Center W311D Venue: Orange County Convention Center City: Orlando, Florida
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 »
Psychotherapists face-to-face
This is a candid interview conducted with me in 2010 by Jeffrey Magnavita, Ph.D., then-President of APA’s Division of Psychotherapy. It’s a good way to get to know me and how I think about what I do in a somewhat more informal manner. Where to find FREE – View on the Division of Psychotherapy website
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 »
Feminist Therapy over time
This DVD is a revealing and true-to-life portrait of how I practice feminist therapy. It’s a good teaching video for classes on feminist therapy, and also on psychotherapy skills in general.
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Feminist couples therapy
This is the video of a lecture and demonstration that I was invited to give on working with same sex couples. Imagine my surprise when the couple who were recruited for the demonstration turned out to be heterosexual. I had a chance to model therapist flexibility, and the session turned out to be a nice… 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 »
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.
Feminist Therapy
This session, with an actor playing the client, is from APA’s initial efforts to create a video series. Even though the “client’s” story is not her own, we were able to generate some emotionally truthful work, and I had a chance to show the basic principles of Feminist Therapy. You’ll get a better idea of… Read more »
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 »