Feminist therapy : a client with substance abuse issues

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Summary

In the third session with a 34-year-old female client with substance abuse problems and an unstable work history, clinical psychologist Laura S. Brown uses a feminist therapy perspective, encompass...

In the third session with a 34-year-old female client with substance abuse problems and an unstable work history, clinical psychologist Laura S. Brown uses a feminist therapy perspective, encompassing integrative psychotherapeutic techniques, to encourage the client to explore her sexuality and assumptions and expectations for herself as an adult woman with occupational and personal goals that diverge from expectations of her father. Dr. Brown encourages the client's affective expression, particularly around perceived parental expectations and a traumatic college experience in which she was raped. The therapist seeks to build the therapeutic alliance by empathizing with the client's distress and presenting herself as a supportive figure, highlighting that while the therapy was initially court ordered, the course of therapy is open-ended and the choice to continue will remain with the client. Working with the client's creativity as an area of strength, the therapist connects with her by encouraging self-exploration in an artistic mode while keeping a realistic focus on the client's substance abuse issues.

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