Feminist Therapy

I am well-trained in feminist psychotherapeutic practice with members of the queer community, racial/ethnic minority populations, and with women/womxn.

I believe societal pressures and constructs impact every individual, and therefore, every relationship. Feminist therapy and feminist family therapy acknowledge how societal expectations, gender constructs, and personal biases can influence an individual's ability to connect with others and prescribe how they do so. As a feminist therapist, I can help you understand and examine how expectations from those around us influence our sense of self and how we show up in our relationships and lives.

I am a feminist and I use my education in Women's Studies to allow me the perspective to understand the complexity of how gender norms affect our daily lives. As a therapist I cannot separate my desire for gender equality from my work with my clients. Whether you identify as LGBTIQ or simply are seeking non-judgmental support for a non-traditional relationship, please know that my practice is open and accepting to all. We are all different and I learn from each of my clients to offer the best.

Feminist therapy examines how systems of oppression affect our lives. Ableism is often what my clients encounter the most, along with transphobia and homophobia. I talk with my clients about how their schools can be more accommodating to them and how they can have the best chance at success while advocating for themselves.

I work to stay open to and educated on a diverse array of approaches to gender and sexuality, I won’t shame you for the way you have sex or gaslight you about an experience that was non-consensual. It’s important to me to be LGBTQ+ Affirmative and a BIPOC Ally. I work with sex positive feminists of all genders, but my practice is focused on supporting women.

Let's be honest, systems of oppression are to blame here. I love supporting my clients in healing from systemic racism, sexism, fat-phobia, ableism, and queerphobia. You may not have control over these systems, but you do have control over how you show up for yourself in this sometimes fucked up world.

My approach with feminist theory is primarily focused on understanding how the client's identities influence their experience in the world as well as within the therapeutic space.

I often use feminist therapy principles in my work, including its focus on social justice, empowerment, and the intersectionality of identities. My training includes insights into how societal structures impact mental health and the importance of addressing power dynamics in therapy. I can help explain key concepts, discuss techniques, and explore how feminist therapy can be applied in various contexts

My therapy is always sensitive to issues of power, privilege, and oppression along many dimensions, not just gender. I approach feminism from an intersectional perspective, and am mindful of my own privileged identities as well. I take a collaborative, curious approach with all clients and recognize clients' expertise on their own lives.

I specialize in integrating feminist theory into therapy, providing a framework that addresses power imbalances, social inequalities, and the impact of gender roles on mental health. Through a feminist lens, I empower clients to explore and challenge societal norms, fostering self-awareness and personal agency. This approach aims to promote equality, inclusivity, and a deeper understanding of the intersectionality of clients' experiences.

I work from a feminist and social justice framework to hold clients up as the expert in their own experience and to acknowledge the relevance of social, environmental, and generational context.

Feminist therapy for me functions as the lens in which I understand client's presenting concerns and then use various interventions from other orientations for treatment. Basically this means that one of the goals in every session with me is to empower the client in front of me and help them find their internal power.

Mental health is a feminist issue! As a feminist therapist, I focus on helping my clients build on their existing strengths, explore intersecting identities, and break out of oppressive expectations and societal pressures that aren't serving them. My work recognizes the impact of the systems we live within, and honors the ways we've learned to cope and survive, while creating space to grow towards the lives we want. My clients are women and nonbinary folks who want to thrive at work and home.

I highly prioritize the equal value of all people, which means no one is more important or more valuable than anyone else. However, when experience has influenced your sense of self, you may struggle to life out that sense of worth. Therapy with me intentionally makes space to evaluate how you see yourself vs how you want to, so we can navigate a path forward together.

Nova Mental Health Services creates a unique treatment plan for our clients but use these three treatments often. Feminists' therapy is loosely used as a way to explain how society and it being built for cis, white AMAB (assigned male at birth) people, effects us in our daily lives. We use it to question our perspectives and explore new ways of navigating life that is not as based in outdated and often harmful thinking. We do this in a way that all genders can be responsive to.

Feminist therapy is a strength-based framework that is cognizant of power, bias, prejudice and systemic oppression. The problems the client brings to therapy are viewed in relationship to society at large. Rather than the problem being intrinsic to the person. In feminist therapy, we work diligently to foster an egalitarian relationship. This is the idea that you are the best expert of yourself and your problems. The therapist is bringing all their skills and training but doesn’t assert to be the expert of you. In this context, therapist and client collaborate as equals to help the client heal. Feminist therapists may use a variety of tools to help validate and normalize the client’s experiences. This includes analyzing how the social construction of gender has influenced the problems they are bringing to therapy – if at all. We may look at how power, unequal power, or the abuse of power impacts your well-being and capacity to thrive. Feminist therapy is particularly useful when considering experiences of inequality, race-based or gendered traumas, such as domestic and sexual violence.

Check out my website for more info at UniquelyYouTherapyCollective.com

I identify as a feminist who views all of my work through a justice-oriented framework, particularly working with women and non-binary individuals. What does this actually look like? I focus on the many societal, cultural, and political causes of issues faced in therapy that feel particularly relevant and pertinent to women and non-binary folks, especially considering most of the therapeutic frameworks we use today were researched and put to use with mostly white men.

In my time as a counselor I have become only more convinced that the root of many- maybe most- of people's presenting concerns in therapy are the result of systems of oppression. I believe that white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism and colonialism are inextricably linked to stress, trauma, anxiety and depression. I believe that one's environment (society, culture, systems big and small, etc) plays a huge role in a person's mental health.

Our society was founded by and built for Straight, White, Christian, Men. Our society is slowly evolving to be more inclusive of women, POC, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized populations. Empowering women involves deconstructing the toxic patriarchal culture that oppresses those that threaten the beneficiaries. Sessions are structured to identify personal strengths and build assertiveness by confronting social norms and gender roles.