The Influence of Therapists' Ethnicity on the Practice of Feminist Family Therapy

Abstract

This study investigated how feminists perceived the relationship between their practice of feminist family therapy and their ethnic background. Data were collected through a focus group interview and an open-ended web-based survey and analyzed using content analysis and the developmental research sequence. The majority of participants reported a significant relationship between their ethnicity and how they practiced feminist family therapy. Both opportunities and constraints were expressed regarding the complexities of integrating ethnic and feminist values into their clinical work. Participants stated that their majority or minority status was a significant factor in how they interacted with clients also. These findings reflect therapists' dilemmas when working with clients from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Key Words:

• Feminism
• family therapy
• ethnicity
• clinical models
• feminist research