Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-94). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-94). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1938. / Includes index. Bibliography: p. 59-61 ; Bibliography: p. 62-72.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1938. / Includes index. Bibliography: p. 59-61 ; Bibliography: p. 62-72.

This thesis describes a study designed to explore the emerging field of feminist therapy. The goal was not to test the validity of feminist therapy, to probe the assumptions on which it is based, or to compare it to other forms of therapy but to characterize the theory and practice of feminist therapy as it now exists. Feminist therapy was seen as growing out of the cultural and historical context of the feminist movement, which includes a critique of society with emphasis on the particular psychological consequences for women, and a critique of psychotherapy, particularly Freudian psychotherapy, as oppressive to women and adhering to a double standard of mental health. The field of mental health responded to these criticisms, and feminism simultaneously began a search for alternatives to therapy, Out of both developed feminist therapy. The literature, both in the field and in the alternative press, was reviewed to present a picture of the development of feminist therapy and to highlight issues to pursue in the research itself. Following this review, a study was undertaken of feminist therapists in three metropolitan areas on the West Coast--Portland, Seattle, and the Bay Area--utilizing a qualitative methodology to gather descriptive data and potential patterns for analysis. A natural network approach was utilized to generate the population, following much the same process a woman would go through in locating a feminist therapist. Potential feminist therapists were surveyed via a questionnaire. Self-identification as a feminist therapist was the primary criteria for inclusion in the sample frame. A random sample of 20 percent of the sample frame (20 feminist therapists) was interviewed, and the results transcribed and thematically analyzed to answer five questions: 1) Who are the feminist therapists? 2) How do feminist therapists define feminism? 3) What is feminist therapy? 4) How does feminist therapy perceive and incorporate therapeutic issues? 5) How does feminist therapy perceive and incorporate feminist issues?

Despite a wealth of studies on differences regarding the biobehavioral and social–psychological bases of mental disorders in men and women and repeated calls for increased attention, women-specific issues have so far not been comprehensively addressed in past diagnostic classification systems of mental disorders. There is also increasing evidence that this situation will not change significantly in the upcoming revisions of ICD-11 and DSM-V. This paper explores reasons for this continued failure, highlighting three major barriers: the fragmentation of the field of women's mental health research, lack of emphasis on diagnostic classificatory issues beyond a few selected clinical conditions, and finally, the “current rules of game” used by the current DSM-V Task Forces in the revision process of DSM-V. The paper calls for concerted efforts of researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders within a more coherent and comprehensive framework aiming at broader coverage of women-specific diagnostic classificatory issues in future diagnostic systems.

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