CHAPTER 25 COUNSELING WOMEN

1. CHAPTER 25 COUNSELING WOMEN

2. Sexism • Women continue to face barriers in many career tracks—especially math and science • Teachers continue to discriminate against women in classroom setting • Stereotypes against women inhibit their performance • Women also continue to receive about 75% of what men earn

3. Economic Issues • Women continue to be overrepresented in lower wage jobs (e.g. cashier, secretary, nurse’s aid, and teaching) • Mental health professions need to become aware of economic issues faced by women and work to assist them as needed

4. Barriers to Career Choices • College women perceive more obstacles to their career choices than do men—for women of color—it is worse • When a women does not behave in a stereotypically feminine manner—she is less liked by others • Women continue to face difficulties in the workplace (e.g. harassment, lack of mentorship, tokenism, etc.)

5. Discrimination and Victimization • Over 70% of women office workers have reported harassment at their place of employment • Approximately 20% of female students report being physically or sexually abused by their dating partner • As a result of abuse, many women are depressed

6. Counselor Bias • One study revealed that therapists were not aware of it, but, they were subtly conveying gender role expectations to women • Biases can also exist in diagnostic categories (e.g. Histrionic, Borderline, and Dependent personality disorders) • Codependency may reflect a sense of connectedness and nurturance rather than being pathological

7. Feminist Identity Theory • Feminist therapists believe that the patriarchal aspect of U.S. society is responsible for many of the problems faced by women • Feminist identity theory posits an evolution of consciousness of societal subjugation of women: • Passive-acceptance—the women accepts traditional gender roles and believes that men are superior to women • Revelation—events of sexism occur in a way that cannot be ignored or denied • Embeddedness-emanation—formation of close relationships with other women • Synthesis—a positive feminist identity is fully developed • Active-commitment—the woman is now interested in turning her attention towards making societal changes

8. Therapy for Women • It is important for counselors to be aware of bias in the counseling process • One study revealed that therapists were not aware of it, but, they were subtly conveying gender role expectations to women • Biases can also exist in diagnostic categories (e.g. Histrionic, Borderline, and Dependent personality disorders) • Codependency may reflect a sense of connectedness and nurturance rather than being pathological

9. Guidelines for Clinical Practice • Possess up-to-date information regarding the biological, psychological, and sociological issues that impact women--for example, knowledge about menstruation, pregnancy, birth, infertility and miscarriage, gender roles and health, and discrimination, as well as their impact on women, is important • Recognize that most counseling theories are male-centered and require modification when working with women--for example, cognitive approaches can focus on societal messages • Attend workshops to explore gender-related factors in mental health and be knowledgeable about issues related to women

10. Guidelines for Clinical Practice • Maintain awareness of all forms of oppression and understand how they interact with sexism • Employ skills that may be particularly appropriate for the needs of women, such as assertiveness training, gender role analysis, and consciousness-raising groups • Assess sociocultural factors to determine their role in the presenting problem • Help clients realize the impact of gender expectations and societal definitions of attractiveness on the mental health of women so that they do not engage in self-blame • Be ready to take an advocacy role in initiating systems-level changes as they relate to sexism in education, business, and other endeavors • Assess for the possible impact of abuse or violence in all women