How can I find a feminist therapist?

[veganbrownie]

A few years (decades!) ago I used London's Women's Therapy Centre to find a feminist therapist, but they aren't offering that service any more (and I am no longer in London) - don't know how to find a therapist, can anyone help with websites/resources please? Not bothered if they are psychotherapists or counsellors - have had mixed experiences with therapists but had great experiences with both a feminist counsellor and a feminist psychotherapist. Don't know enough of the theory/terminology to be more specific about what I'm looking for - it just helped they 'got' that women share certain experiences because of being female and that this can influence mental health. Thankyou.

Use the UKCP or BACP sites search functions to find people near you and then have a look through the women. Or google and see if any local therapists have said anything that resonates on their website and then use the registers to check they are qualified.

There is a thing on the UKCP site that explains some of the terminology but if you can say a bit more about what you want then I might be able to help translate. The Women’s Therapy Centre offer psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy, so if you want something similar then have a look for that.

I'd personally be careful of any BACP therapists given apparently 'woman' is all about stereotype (unless, apparently, you're northern, though they've deleted that bit now) www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3339137-BACP-Gender-Sexual-and-Relationship-Diversity-by-Dr-Meg-John-Barker

Their guidance includes such gems as " It is important not to assume, for example, that being a woman necessarily involves being able to bear children, or having XX sex chromosomes, or breasts. Being a woman in a British cultural context often means adhering to social norms of femininity, such as being nurturing, caring, social, emotional, vulnerable, and concerned with appearance"

I throughly disagree with the BACP document but I think you’ll find that many or possibly most of the therapists accrediated with them do too. The one I see certainly does, we’ve discussed it!

The accrediatation is there to ensure they have covered a suitable training curriculum and accumulated enough hours with clients to qualify. BACP don’t provide the training.

For reference, it would be a bit like saying you’d suggest avoiding GMC registered doctors because the GMC had published something that was absolute nonsense. There are very few organisations that register therapists and BACP is the biggest for counsellors.

I agree Witch, My DH’s therapist is utterly baffled with the BACP guidelines, of which he is a member.

You can’t assume every member will be behind the guidelines.

DP and I are seeing a counsellor. The counsellor's very nice, but he just doesn't get the role sexist conditioning plays in relationships at all.

The only time he's ever interrupted me and dismissed what I said as no relevant, was when I offered a very brief feminist perspective on the way (male) DP relates to me sometimes.

I haven't forgotten it. I'm sticking it out as it's free, and they say you need to go for several weeks to see any difference, so I'm not going to quit.

Wished I'd insisted on the female counsellor now. I was trying to be fair. (But not to me, it would seem).

If I can ever afford counselling for myself, I'll find a feminist counsellor.

I think they are as rare as rocking horse shit outside the refuge movement. And that is not psychoanalytic psychotherapy if that's what your looking for?

Many think they can't bring their beliefs into play in the room, but in that, downplay the actual reality of living as a woman in the patriarchy that fails to recognise the coercive control, subjugation and abuse that we are subjected to in a power structure that doesn't see women as equals.

Word of mouth I guess. There is that site that offers therapists but US-based.

I had a search this morning and it really is difficult. I found that the Psychology Today website has a filter for ‘feminist’ in its listings but I read the first few profiles it brought up for my area and none of them mentioned it as particular interest or perspective.

I think word of mouth is probably right - try contacting some women’s organisations locally and see if they can suggest anyone. There may also be therapists who work part time in the refuge movement and have a private private practice alongside that.

The only other way I can think is to identify therapists who’ve published stuff from a feminist perspective but that’s going to be quite hit and miss!

Have you got any therapy training organisations near you? Some of them will offer referrals services and they may think of someone who suits. It might also be worth trying some of the London ones simply because their members may have travelled to access to training in the first place (this is quite common) or moved to other areas of the UK after qualification.

I know the WTC aren’t offering an assessment and referral service at the moment but you could try contacting them for a word of mouth suggestion?

Thanks a lot everyone! I will try word of mouth and maybe contact a few women's organisations locally. I've had psychotherapy and also counselling. In both cases the therapists were female and feminists - it really helped - and we talked about my childhood and issues arising from that. The therapist in particular was fantastic, but has very inconsiderately retired! I have tried CBT and did not find it helpful. I subsequently had the kind of therapy where you lie on a couch - that didn't suit me at all. Really useful to know about BACP and not all therapists buying into their ridiculous and sexist guidance, because I must admit that left me feeling very wary of contacting them, and is one of the things that prompted me to start this thread. though my former therapist did suggest that I might like to try Cognitive Analytic Therapy at some point - has anyone tried that for longstanding mental health issues (I suffer from depression and have some unresolved stuff from childhood days)?

Thanks a lot everyone! I will try word of mouth and maybe contact a few women's organisations locally. I've had psychotherapy and also counselling. In both cases the therapists were female and feminists - it really helped - and we talked about my childhood and issues arising from that. The therapist in particular was fantastic, but has very inconsiderately retired! I have tried CBT and did not find it helpful. I subsequently had the kind of therapy where you lie on a couch - that didn't suit me at all. Really useful to know about BACP and not all therapists buying into their ridiculous and sexist guidance, because I must admit that left me feeling very wary of contacting them, and is one of the things that prompted me to start this thread. My former therapist did suggest that I might like to try Cognitive Analytic Therapy at some point - has anyone tried that for longstanding mental health issues (I suffer from depression and have some unresolved stuff from childhood days)?

Where do you live - roughly?

There are feminist therapists about including ones that don't believe the trans nonsense, but they tend to be pretty careful about advertising that