Abstract
The significance of changes made to the therapeutic process that emerged from early feminist critiques can hardly be underestimated. The changes (e.g., thorough informed consent, sexual contact with clients as unethical, and much more) are so woven into the fabric of today’s solid, ethical practice that it is often forgotten that they were subsequent to critiques. Feminist therapy, as a distinct approach to treatment, may have faded into obscurity had early successes continued unabated. That possibility, however, is moot, especially with continued illumination of abuse of the oppressed and marginalized by those in power and with privilege. Thus, the second edition of Feminist Therapy is a welcome reality check on the profound cultural and societal challenges our clients continue to face, which overlay and inform any healing of the difficulties presented in therapy.
This edition continues to complement the APA Psychotherapy Video Series, Feminist Therapy Over Time, which also showcases Brown at her clinical best. In the updated, compact volume, she distills feminist history, theory, and therapy into a cogent, manageable resource, while also addressing concerns about feminist therapy’s lack of an “evidence base” and future research possibilities. There are brief case studies that clarify important concepts, welcome in any classroom setting where students may struggle with how to translate theory into practice.
As accessible as this updated version of Feminist Therapy is, the more complete and profound canon remains Brown’s (1994) Subversive Dialogues. The depth of feminist thought and provocative examination of all that the enterprise of psychotherapy brings to bear simply cannot be distilled in such a succinct manner without losing some complexity and wisdom. For example, the unique aspects of the client/therapist relationship in feminist therapy are discussed in both works, yet in the older volume, Brown delves more deeply into the necessarily complex nature of this relationship, with its de-emphasis on power differentials and aspiration of egalitarianism. While the new edition of Feminist Therapy reframes the relationship as egalitarian and liberatory, it unfortunately does not address the longstanding misunderstanding of this applied principle of feminist theory as deeply as Subversive Dialogues. Another example is the importance of demystifying all aspects of the psychotherapeutic endeavor, including diagnosis, evaluation and treatment planning, the goal of client empowerment, and genuine informed consent. The profundity of this effort, and its clear connection to feminist ideology and that the “personal is political,” simply cannot be captured in the same way. Last, the insistence that there is no feminist therapy without subversive dialogue is more thoroughly captured in the book that bears its name and provokes a more substantive discussion of what it truly means to conduct therapy that is feminist at its core.
Nevertheless, the second edition of Feminist Therapy can be applauded for increased attention to intersectionality, its strong connection to feminist theory, and the consequent effects on the counseling process. Brown continues to be one of the preeminent foremothers of feminist practice and must be required reading for all clinicians who seek to facilitate clients leading their most empowered lives, with an eye toward upending the status quo. If the goal of the reader is to understand the basic precepts of feminist therapy, along with a complementary video to demonstrate its practice, then the second edition of Feminist Therapy can adeptly serve that function. For the most thorough, transformative, identity-challenging readings of how therapy can be one of the master’s tools yet dismantle the master’s house (with all due respect to Lorde, 1984), Subversive Dialogues and the second edition of Feminist Therapy together make ideal companions.
