NCJ Number
192487
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 1405-1428
Date Published
December 2001
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article criticizes feminist therapy for failing to acknowledge the diversity among immigrant and racially visible women who have been abused.
Abstract
Feminist therapy is a powerful means of helping abused women because of its focus on systemic sources of oppression and hegemony. These forms of oppression are intimately linked to a woman's cultural and socioeconomic background and affect the way she experiences domestic abuse. Although researchers have shown that feminist therapy can be an effective approach for counseling abused women, this paper criticizes it for failing to acknowledge the diversity among immigrant and racially visible women who have been abused. The paper examines both the effectiveness of feminist therapy and its limitations when counseling these women. The paper also describes the reality of domestic violence among these women and how their needs differ from women in the dominant culture. To properly address the service and delivery needs of immigrant and racially visible abused women, feminist therapy must become cognizant of the diverse sociocultural and economic contexts in which these women live. The article concludes that becoming aware of the myriad factors that influence the psychology of each woman, along with her experience of intimate violence, will improve the effectiveness of feminist therapeutic interventions and begin healing the wounds of domestic abuse. References