A Female Therapist's Dilemma

Abstract

This article is an examination of the subjective experience of a female therapist as she establishes a therapeutic relationship with heterosexual couples in feminist-informed therapy. A female therapist's efforts to engage and ally with male clients may feel similar to gendered patterns of accommodation and deference from her personal experience, and may also perpetuate male gender privilege in therapy. In addition, efforts to build a therapeutic relationship with the male partner in couple therapy may detract from the relationship with the female partner. This dynamic has implications at many levels, within and beyond the therapy room. A review of relevant literature is provided, followed by a case illustration from the author's practice. doi:10.1300/J086vl9n04_03

Key Words:

• Feminist therapy
• couple therapy
• gender
• therapy process