Feminist therapy and postmodern therapy

Feminist therapy is based on a gender-fair, flexible-multicultural, interactionist, and life-span-oriented view of human nature. The traditional androcentric, heterosexist, and deterministic theories are considered to be greatly limited, especially in relation to women and people of other cultures. The views of feminist theory then, are sensitive and flexible enough to be applied to people of any gender, race, age, ability, class, or sexual orientation. Feminist therapists believe that personality differences between men and women are the result of societal gender-role expectations that are in place from birth. Women identify with their mothers and tend to become caretakers, while boys identify with their fathers and learn to put less emphasis on relating to and caring for others.

[...] The major techniques used in feminist therapy are based on helping women differentiate between what society has taught them is acceptable and what is actually healthy for them. To achieve this, women are empowered by the therapist’s transparent use of therapy techniques, and being treated as an active partner in the therapy process. Therapists also use self-disclosure to equalize the relationship and enhance the therapist’s presence in the sessions. The therapist allows for the client to make an informed choice about whether or not they should work together by clearly stating her values and beliefs about society. [...]

[...] Specific techniques in solution-focused brief therapy include pre-therapy change, where the therapist asks the client what changes have occurred since they made their first appointment. Therapists also ask about exceptions to the problem situation, how the client would know if the problem was solved, and how the client rates the magnitude of their problems. Clients are often given observation homework between their first and second session to help them determine what they want to be different. Therapist feedback is usually in the form of a summary of the discussion in the last 5-10 minutes of the session. [...]

[...] Postmodern Therapy Postmodern therapy rejects the idea that there is one objective truth which we can observe and everyone relates to. Rather, they use a social constructionist viewpoint that says reality is subjective and does not exist without observation. Social constructionism also challenges many forms of conventional knowledge that has been taken for granted. It also assumes that language and concepts are culturally specific, and that our current understanding is not necessarily superior to other ways of understanding. Knowledge is also assumed to be constructed through social processes and daily interactions. [...]