319
Chapter 12- Feminist Therapy
Back to Top
MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST ITEMS
1. From the perspective of feminist therapy, the socialization of women inevitably affects their:
a. identity development.
b. self-concept.
c. goals and aspirations.
d. emotional well-being.
e. all of these
2. What do the four feminist philosophies (liberal, cultural, radical, and socialist feminism) have in
common?
a. the same view of the sources of oppression of women
b. the same methods of bringing about societal change
c. the same goal of activism
d. a basic agreement that the therapist is the expert
e. a basic agreement on the value of diagnosis in counseling
3. Feminist therapists, regardless of their philosophical orientation, believe all of the following except
that:
a. gender is at the core of therapeutic practice.
b. human development and interaction are similar across races, cultures, and nations.
c. understanding a client’s problems requires adopting a sociocultural perspective.
d. the client-therapist relationship should be an egalitarian one.
e. empowerment of the individual and societal changes are core goals of therapy.
4.Stephanie, who believes strongly in feminist principles, is working in an agency that requires
therapists to diagnose their clients using the DSM. Stephanie is likely to consider which of the
following questions?
a. Does my client suffer from Axis I or Axis II psychopathology?
b. Who benefits from using this label? How might this label contribute to disempowering the
person to whom it is assigned?
c. If my client is diagnosed with a personality disorder, will the insurance company cover long-
term treatment?
d. When is the next DSM being published? I can hardly wait. What a great read!
5. Which of the feminist principles views the therapist as simply another source of information, rather
than as the expert in the therapy process?
a. The person is political.
b. The counseling relationship is egalitarian.
320
c. Women’s ways of knowing are valued and their experiences are honored.
d. A focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of psychological distress.
e. All types of oppression are recognized.
6. Which of the following feminist principles recognizes the importance of working against oppression
and discrimination on the basis of race, class, culture, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, and
disability?
a. The person is political.
b. The counseling relationship is egalitarian.
c. Women’s ways of knowing are valued and their experiences are honored.
d. A focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of psychological distress.
e. All types of oppression are recognized.
7. Which of the following feminist principles implies that what has been typically viewed as individual
clients’ personal problems are really socially and politically caused?
a. The person is political.
b. The counseling relationship is egalitarian.
c. Women’s ways of knowing are valued and their experiences are honored.
d. A focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of psychological distress.
e. All types of oppression are recognized.
8. All of the following are goals of feminist therapy except for:
a. striving for gender equality.
b. confronting forms of institutional oppression.
c. resolving intrapsychic conflicts from early childhood.
d. helping clients embrace their personal power.
e. freeing clients of gender role socialization.
9. Although feminist therapy shares many of the premises of person-centered therapy, feminist therapy
does not agree with the notion that:
a. the therapeutic relationship is, in and of itself, sufficient to produce change.
b. therapy is based on unconditional positive regard and acceptance.
c. the therapeutic relationship should be a non-hierarchical one.
d. therapy aims to empower clients to live according to their own values and to rely on an internal
locus of control.
e. therapists should be genuine rather than hiding behind an expert role.
10. Which of the following themes would clients in feminist therapy be least likely to explore?
a. messages received while growing up
b. critically evaluating social dictates and expectations
c. power and control
d. transference reactions toward their therapist
e. external forces influencing behavior
321
11.After having a bad therapeutic experience with a mental health professional who pathologized
her anxiety over financial issues, Lillian decided to consult with a feminist therapist. How is her
new therapist likely to view her anxiety symptoms?
a. as a sign of distress rather than psychopathology
b. as an indication of deficits in her personality
c. as irrational beliefs
d. as a sign of unconscious conflicts that must be worked through
12. Of the following, which intervention would a feminist therapist probably consider most essential?
a. challenging irrational beliefs
b. making use of the empty-chair technique
c. conducting a lifestyle analysis
d. social action
e. interpretation of resistance
13. All of the following are reasons many feminist therapists do not use diagnostic labels, or use them
reluctantly, except that:
a. diagnostic labels reinforce gender role stereotypes.
b. diagnostic labels reflect the inappropriate application of power in the therapeutic relationship.
c. diagnostic labels focus on the social factors that cause dysfunctional behavior.
d. diagnostic labels encourage adjustment to the norms of the status quo.
14. The preferred alternative to traditional diagnosis and assessment of feminist therapists is:
a. power analysis.
b. gender role analysis.
c. lifestyle analysis.
d. analysis of transference and resistance.
15. Which of the following interventions involves a shift from “blaming the victim” to consideration of
social factors in the environment that contribute to a client’s problem?
a. paradoxical intention
b. reframing
c. relabeling
d. gender-role analysis
16. All of the following strategies are unique to feminist therapy except for:
a. cognitive restructuring.
b. encouraging clients to take social action.
c. being an advocate in challenging conventional attitudes about roles for women.
d. power analysis and intervention.
e. gender-role analysis and intervention.
17. Of the following, which is not an assumption shared by the cognitive behavioral and feminist therapy
approaches?
a. viewing the therapeutic relationship as collaborative
b. assuming that the therapeutic relationship alone is necessary and sufficient to bring about change
c. helping clients to take charge of their own lives
d. commitment to demystifying therapy
e. providing information to clients about how the therapy process works
18. Who is most noted for her contributions to the development of feminist therapy?
a. Miriam Polster
b. Laura Brown
c. Natalie Rogers
d. Laura Perls
e. Michele Weiner-Davis
19. A feminist therapist is likely to become an advocate for change in the social structure by arguing for:
a. the right to self-determination.
b. the freedom to pursue a career outside the home.
c. the right to an education.
d. equality in power in relationships.
e. all of these
20. Of the following, which is one of the major contributions that feminists have made to the field of
counseling?
a. a focus on dealing with family dynamics
b. a focus on exploring the unconscious factors contributing to current problems
c. paving the way for gender-sensitive practice
d. placing the therapeutic relationship at the core of the therapy process
e. assisting clients to increase awareness of here and now experiencing
21. Which of these statements is not true about lesbian feminism?
a. In recent years, lesbian feminism has been enriched through interaction with queer theory.
b. Some individuals identify “lesbian feminism” with 1970s and 1980s movements.
c. Lesbian feminists share commonalities with many aspects of radical feminism.
d. Queer theory and lesbian theory are identical.
323
22. The constructs of feminist theory, in contrast to traditional theories, include all of the following except
for which characteristic?
a. intrapsychic orientation
b. gender-fair stance
c. flexible-multicultural
d. life-span orientation
e. interactionist perspective
23. The relational-cultural theory emphasizes the vital role:
a. that relationships and connectedness with others play in the lives of women.
b. of a spiritual or religious perspective in providing women with strength.
c. in understanding how early childhood is a crucial factor in a woman’s personality
development.
d. that siblings play in the shaping of personality.
24. The feminist perspectives on the development of personality:
a. encompass the diversity and complexity of women’s lives.
b. attend to the ways in which diversity influences self-structures.
c. recognize the inextricable connection between internal and external worlds.
d. acknowledge the political and social oppression of women.
e. all of these
25. Which of the following principles of feminist psychology is most aimed at advancing a transformation
in society?
a. The person is political.
b. Commitment to social change.
c. Women’s ways of knowing are valued and their experiences are honored.
d. A focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of psychological distress.
e. All types of oppression are recognized.
26. The feminist approach to group counseling involves all of the following except:
a. support for the experience of being a woman.
b. political involvement.
c. providing members a place to reflect on their role in society.
d. empowerment.
e. an opportunity to experience and analyze multiple transferences.
27. During the past 20 years ____________ have found classic feminist theories wanting and have
offered new theoretical perspectives focused on issues of diversity, the complexity of sexism, and
the centrality of social context in understanding gender issues.
a. postmodern feminists
b. radical feminists
c. socialist feminists
d. liberal feminists
e. cultural feminists
28. A limit of the feminist approach from a diversity perspective is:
a. the tendency to impose upon a client personal values that may not be consistent with the client’s
cultural framework.
b. the lack of sensitivity to individual differences in clients.
c. the broad focus on respect and equality.
d. the emphasis on the use of standardized therapeutic techniques.
29. Which of the following is not considered one of the six core principles of feminist therapy?
a. an intrapsychic orientation
b. the person is political
c. commitment to social change
d. recognition of all types of oppression
e. an egalitarian therapeutic relationship
30. Feminist therapists reject:
a. the interactionist view.
b. the androcentric view.
c. the life-span perspective.
d. the relational-cultural theory.
TRUE/FALSE TEST ITEMS
Decide if the following statements are “more true” or “more false” from the feminist therapy perspective.
1. Feminist therapy is not static, but is continually evolving.
2. Feminist therapists do not tend to engage in self-disclosure because of their concern over unduly
influencing the client.
3. By considering contextual variables, symptoms are reframed as survival strategies.
4. The female therapist may share some of her own struggles with sex role oppression with her client.
325
5. Feminist therapists restrict their practices to women clients.
6. Feminist therapists avoid sharing their values with clients in order to reduce the chance of value
imposition.
7. Feminist therapists work to demystify the counseling relationship.
8. Bibliotherapy is frequently used in feminist therapy.
9. Feminist therapy incorporates techniques from many of the various traditional approaches.
10. Traditional theories of counseling consider external circumstances and environmental factors at the
root of psychological problems.
11. It is possible to incorporate the principle of feminist therapy with a multicultural perspective.
12. A feminist therapist generally does not expect the client to assume responsibility for making internal or
external changes.
13. According to feminist therapists, an intrapsychic orientation tends to result in blaming the victim.
14. Gender-free theories explain differences in the behavior of women and men on the basis of true
natures, rather than on learning.
15. An andocentric theory uses female-oriented constructs to draw conclusions about human nature.
16. Heterosexism views a heterosexual orientation as normative and desirable, and devalues same-sex life
styles.
17. Gendercentric theories propose two separate paths of development for women and men.
18. Feminist therapists emphasize that societal gender role expectations profoundly influence a person’s
identity from birth and become deeply engrained in adult personality.
19. According to the relational-cultural model, a woman’s sense of self depends largely on how she
connects with others.
20. In feminist therapy, adjustment rather than transcendence is a primary goal of therapy.
326
21. Today’s feminists believe that gender can be considered separately from other identity areas such as
race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation.
22. The contemporary version of feminist therapy and the multicultural and social justice approaches to
counseling practice have a great deal in common.
23. At the present time there is a unified feminist theory.
24. The beginnings of feminism can be traced to the late 1800s, but it is the women’s movement of
the 1960s that laid the foundation for the development of feminist therapy.
25. While most feminist therapists believe that gender is always an important factor, they realize that
ethnicity, sexual orientation, and class may be more important factors in certain situations for many
women.
26. Empowerment is a central tenet of feminist psychotherapy.
27. Feminist therapy is a technically integrative approach that stresses tailoring interventions to
meet clients with their strengths.
28. Historically, feminist psychotherapy groups were a vehicle for consciousness-raising.
29. Feminist group work uses a structured approach and focuses on the use of techniques.
30. Feminist theorists consider depression a somewhat normative experience for women due to socio–
political factors.