Differential Needs and Treatment Approaches for Women in Psychotherapy

Abstract

“Can a male therapist really understand the needs of a woman client?” That question was asked of the senior author nearly ten years ago as he was interviewed for a faculty position at a large northeastern university. The woman student who asked the question quickly followed it up with “and what must he know before he attempts to treat her?” Albeit that these questions were asked during an “informal” opportunity for the clinical psychology graduate students to meet the faculty candidate, neither the setting nor the question felt “informal” at that moment. Had he not known better, he would have sworn that his chair was equipped with a heating element because it certainly felt quite warm! In fact to ease the tension in the room (it seemed that you could cut it with a knife) and to gain at least a moment to formulate a coherent answer, he responded facetiously to the second question with: “at the very least, the therapist must recognize that his client is a woman.”