`Wild Women Don't Have the Blues': A Feminist Critique of `Person-Centred' Counselling and Therapy

Abstract

Contemporary feminists have been concerned to address the impact of psychoanalysis on the social construction of femininity. By contrast, the work of humanistic psychologists has received relatively little in the way of feminist scrutiny. This is apparent within person-centred counselling which can be regarded as a rapidly developing social movement in contemporary Britain. The person-centred approach has been adopted not only by `mainstream' agencies but by many feminist agencies and women `s self-help groups. Drawing on the insights of feminist philosophy this article attempts to subject the key concepts of Rogerian counselling to gender analysis. The so-called `core conditions' are addressed from a feminist perspective and the principles of `responsibility' and `authenticity' examined from a woman-centred viewpoint. The problems of adopting Rogerian principles in the context of Rape Crisis counselling are addressed. A consideration is made of the extent to which humanism and the counselling practices informed by this tradition have failed to address the specific problems encountered by women in their search for personhood and agency.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Brown, L. (1992) `While Waiting for the Revolution: The Case for a Lesbian Feminist Psychotherapy', Feminism & Psychology 2(2): 239-253.

Burman, E. (1990) Feminists and Psychological Practice. London: Sage.

Chaplin, J. (1989) Feminist Counselling in Action. London: Sage.

Chesler, P. (1972) Women and Madness. New York: Doubleday.

Clarkson, P. (1989) Gestalt Counselling in Action. London: Sage.

Cox, I. (1990) `Wild Women Blues', in W. Mulford (ed.) The Virago Book of Love Poetry, p. 174. London: Virago.

Crawford, J. et al. (1992) Emotion and Gender. London: Sage.

Davis, A. (1982) Women, Race and Class. London: The Women's Press.

De Salvo, L. (1989) Virginia Woolf. London: The Women's Press.

10.

Dominelli, L. and McLeod, E. (1989) Feminist Social Work. London: Macmillan.

11.

Dryden, W. et al. , eds (1989) Handbook of Counselling in Britain. London: Routledge.

12.

Ehrenreich, B. and English, D. (1973) Witches, Midwives and Nurses. London: Writers and Readers.

13.

Ehrenreich, B. and English, D. (1979) For Her Own Good. New York: Anchor.

14.

Eichenbaum, L. and Orbach, S. (1982) Outside In, Inside Out. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

15.

Grimshaw, J. (1986) Feminist Philosophers. Hemel Hempstead, Herts: Wheatsheaf Books.

16.

Henriques, J. , et al. (1984) Changing the Subject: Psychology, Social Regulation and Subjectivity. London: Methuen.

17.

Hill Collins, P. (1991) Black Feminist Thought. London: Routledge.

18.

hooks, b. (1982) Ain't I a Woman. London: Pluto Press.

19.

Jagger, A. (1989) `Love and Knowledge: Emotion in Feminist Epistomology', in A. Garry and M. Pearsall (eds) Women, Knowledge and Reality, pp. 129-157. London: Unwin Hyman.

20.

Jeffreys, S. (1990) Anti-Climax. London: The Women's Press.

21.

Kelly, J. (1982) `Early Feminist Theory and the Querelle des Femmes 1400-1789', Signs 8(1): 4-28.

22.

Kelly, L. (1988) Surviving Sexual Violence. Cambridge: Polity Press.

23.

Kitzinger, C. (1989) `The Regulation of Lesbian Identities: Liberal Humanism as an Ideology of Social Control', in J. Shotter and K. Gergen (eds) Texts of Identity. London: Sage.

24.

Kitzinger, C. (1992) `The "Real" Lesbian Therapist-Who is She?', Feminism & Psychology 2(2): 262-265.

25.

Lernan, H. (1980) in S. Sturdivant (ed.) Therapy with Women. New York: Springer.

26.

McRobbie, A. (1991) Feminism and Youth Culture. London: Macmillan.

27.

Maslow, A. (1970) Motivation and Personality, 2nd edn. New York: Harper and Row.

28.

Masson, J. (1989) Against Therapy. London: William Collins.

29.

Miller, J. (1976) Toward a New Psychology of Women. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

30.

Mitchell, J. (1974) Psychoanalysis and Feminism. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

31.

Perkins, R. (1991a) `Therapy for Lesbians? The Case Against', Feminism & Psychology 1(3): 325-338.

32.

Perkins, R. (1991b) `Women with Long Term Mental Health Problems: Issues of Power and Powerlessness', Feminism & Psychology 1(1): 131-139.

33.

Perkins, R. (1992) `Waiting for the Revolution-Or Working for It? A Reply to Laura Brown and Katherine Sender', Feminism & Psychology 2(2): 258-262.

34.

Raymond, J. (1986) A Passion for Friends, pp. 155-160. London: Women's Press.

35.

Roberts, C. (1989) Women and Rape. Hemel Hempstead, Herts: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

36.

Rogers, C. (1989) On Becoming a Person. London: Constable.

37.

Rowbotham, S. (1972) Women, Resistance and Revolution. New York: Pantheon.

38.

Ruddick, S. (1990) Maternal Thinking. London: The Women's Press.

39.

Sachs, A. and Wilson, J. (1978) Sexism and the Law. Oxford: Martin Robertson.

40.

Sethna, C. (1992) `Accepting "Total and Complete Responsibility": New Age Violence against Women', Feminism & Psychology 2(2): 114-126.

41.

Showalter, E. (1981) `Feminist Critique in the Wilderness', Critical Inquiry: 8: 200-201.

42.

Showalter, E. (1987) The Female Malady. London: Virago.

43.

Sjoo, M. (1992) New Age and Armageddon, pp. 17-51. London: The Women's Press.

44.

Squire, C. (1989) Significant Differences-Feminism in Psychology. London: Routledge.

45.

Stere, L.K. (1985) `Feminist Assertiveness Training: Self-esteem Groups as Skill Training for Women', in L.B. Rosewater and L. Walker (eds) Handbook of Feminist Therapy. New York: Springer.

46.

Sturdivant, S. (1980) Therapy with Women. New York: Springer.

47.

Thome, B. (1989) `Person-Centred Therapy', in W. Dryden (ed.) Individual Therapy in Britain, pp. 102-129. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

48.

Walker, M. (1990) Women in Therapy and Counselling. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.