Lesbian feminist fights organized psychiatry
Article Abstract:
A feminist clinical psychologist describes how it was like to be a lesbian studying to be a psychologist at Stanford during the Vietnam war. One of the prevalent problems was sexual harassment and abuse, a problem which turned out to be ubiquitous and persistent, especially among mental health workers. Another was homophobia. Homosexuality and lesbianism were classified as mental disorders. A third, though not the last, was sexual discrimination. All these three issues were conflated to become the focus of clinical and field research and part of the political discourse of feminism.
Publication Name: Women & Therapy
Subject: Women's issues/gender studies
ISSN: 0270-3149
Year: 1995
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Merger in lesbian relationships
Article Abstract:
Lesbian relationships are commonly characterized by the psychodynamic of merger and so an understanding of merger is necessary for lesbian psychotherapy. Original merger theories were based on the male-autonomous developmental model, classifying merger as regressive and so negative. However, recent psychotherapy research analyzes the positive aspects and characterizes the female developmental model as moving from autonomy to symbiosis rather than the opposite as for males. Therefore, the symbiotic lesbian relationship is a healthy growth in response to societal pressures.
Publication Name: Women & Therapy
Subject: Women's issues/gender studies
ISSN: 0270-3149
Year: 1992
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Lesbian grief and loss issues in the coming out process
Article Abstract:
The loss many lesbians experience when coming out has gone largely unrecognized and should be considered when treating a client in the process of coming out. Feelings of loss are reasonable because by coming out the client is giving up all the privileges of heterosexuality, often including acceptance by their families. Therapists should not attempt to divert that experience of loss by emphasizing the positive aspects of the choice because the only way to resolve the loss is to recognize and accept it as a part of the decision process.
Publication Name: Women & Therapy
Subject: Women's issues/gender studies
ISSN: 0270-3149
Year: 1992
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic: