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Feminism in Couple and Family Therapy

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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

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Introduction

The word feminist evokes mixed responses in people. Take a moment and honestly reflect on the imagery, stereotypes, and feelings that arise when you think of feminism. For many, feminism is associated with angry protest, bra burning, and man hating. Although all of these things have occurred in the name of feminism, to only consider them is both limited and limiting. This chapter highlights how feminism, especially as applied to couple and family therapy (CFT), entails so much more. Feminism is about inclusion, accountability, mutuality, equal access to resources, respect for the value of all people, and promoting freedom of life choices. The Feminist Therapy Institute (1996) included this definition in the Preamble to the Feminist Therapy Code of Ethics:

Feminists believe the personal is political. Basic tenets of feminism include a belief in the equal worth of all human beings, a recognition that each individual’s personal experiences and situations are reflective of and...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Connected Couples (Private Practice), Fort Worth, TX, USA

    Nicole Van Ness

Authors
  1. Nicole Van Ness
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicole Van Ness .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, CT, USA

    Rachel M. Diamond Ph.D.

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Van Ness, N. (2017). Feminism in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_530-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_530-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

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