ABSTRACT
Women are frequently portrayed as invisible, victimised or lacking the powers that are commonly associated with men. The female therapist in an all-men’s group can similarly be conceived as disruptive of the private public zero-sum construction of power as her leadership in men’s groups affords her the opportunity to shape male attitudes and behaviour that has private and public consequences for men, women and the broader society. The group facilitator occupies a contradictory position of being both central and peripheral in the group therapy process. The significance of the revised hypothesis of early male gender identity development is that it highlights the central importance of women during the early phases of human development. Most critically in the therapeutic encounter, the female facilitator actively facilitates and nurtures male vulnerability. The female therapist in a men’s group is a potential transference object for the reworking of men’s mother-related conflicts. For men’s mother scars, a female therapist can be a source of healing.
