ABSTRACT
A carefully articulated and coherent theoretical grounding in feminist theory provides support for purposeful and ethical feminist practice. Feminist theory provides a lens for making one’s assumptions visible and transparent, which allows the therapist to practice with assurance as well as evaluate her or his actions on an ongoing basis (Halifax, 1997). In preparation for discussing the diversity of theory and practice in feminist therapy, this chapter describes the complexity of feminist therapy and summarizes the common principles and practices shared by feminist counselors and therapists. These commonalities include (1) a conceptual framework for understanding problems, (2) basic principles of feminist therapy as they relate to the therapeutic relationship and the goals of feminist therapy, and (3) distinctive techniques of feminist therapy. In this chapter, I refer to many of the original definitions of feminist therapy from the 1970s and 1980s in order to preserve the “herstory” and enduring, shared themes of feminist therapy. To demonstrate the continuity of central principles over time as well as emerging themes, I also cite recent definitions that build on original and influential statements about feminist therapy.
