BOOK REVIEW
Guidance and Guidelines for the Theory and Practice
of Feminist Therapy
Feminist Therapy Theory and Practice: A Contemporary Perspective. Edited by Mary
Ballou, Marcia Hill, and Carolyn West, New York, Springer Publishing Company, 2008,
224 pp. $40.00 (hardback), ISBN-10: 0826119573
Debra Mollen
Published online: 12 July 2008
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Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008
This text makes a significant, timely contribution to the
growing scholarship on feminist theory and therapy.
Generally thoughtfully written and cogently prepared, this
edited volume is organized primarily around three clinical
vignettes detailed in the book’s introductory chapter. Each
of the ensuing ten chapters alternates between a focus on
theory and on practice, utilizing the cases for demonstration
and application. An appendix provides a sample question-
naire, health form, and detailed information about therapy
intended for clients, all of which are useful exemplars
therapists can modify to complement their individual
practices. Congruent with current trends in feminist and
multicultural theory, the authors’ choice for the case
examples yields ample attention to rich facets of identity
that impact our lives and our functioning, including race,
ethnicity, gender, gender identity/expression, disability,
national origin, and social class. This attention to context
is vital and represents one of the primary cruxes and
contributions of third-wave feminist thought.
Additionally, I appreciated the complexity with which
the editors and contributing authors approached the
material. As astutely noted in the penultimate chapter,
“Feminist therapy is not a technique, but a way of thinking
about therapy, about the etiology of problems, about
responses to pain or injury, and about how to help” (p.
137). Indeed, given that feminist approaches to therapy are
more about principles and perspectives and less about
techniques and interventions, I was pleased to find a good
deal of attention paid to sociopolitical considerations,
economic matters, ethical and moral factors, and socioeco-
nomic issues. Issues of context, particularly the lived
experience of sexism, racism, classism, and other forms of
oppression, figure substantially in how we and our clients
come to the therapeutic table. That the authors resisted the
urge to provide parsimonious solutions to multifarious
problems is among the book’s greatest strengths. Further-
more, there is substantial attention paid to the pragmatics of
therapy, including managed care, diagnostic considerations,
fees for services, and the utilization of psychotropic
medication to supplement therapy.
Equally as significant are the focuses on activism and
social justice, hallmarks of both feminist and multicultural
counseling movements that set these domains apart from
the vast majority of other therapeutic schools of thought.
No longer is therapy best practiced solely in the confines of
four walls bedecked with framed diplomas. There is
growing awareness of and emphasis on the need for
therapists to be advocates, allies, and activists, and the
authors provide several thoughtful ideas for how we can
work differently and more effectively for and with our
clients. For example, the contributors to this volume noted
that therapists can join grassroots organizations, identify
legal recourses, support parents in school settings, initiate
conversations about social class, attend rallies, offer work-
shops, and assist clients in accessing community groups.
There is no shortage of the ways we can be involved and
fortunately, we are increasingly called to act by our
feminist, multicultural ethics, standards, and principles.
While heeding the call to act, the authors acknowledge
the palpable obstacles that make activism difficult: few
academic programs include it as part of the curriculum, and
insurance companies and some professional organizations
are likely to be dismissive. More sustained efforts need to
Sex Roles (2008) 59:900–902
DOI 10.1007/s11199-008-9492-5
D. Mollen (*)
Texas Woman’s University,
Denton, TX, USA
e-mail: dmollen@mail.twu.edu