This panel looks at the approach that feminist family therapy takes to dealing with women; first in the context of their daily lives, and then in the context of crisis events. The first presentation provides a historical overview of the development of feminist family therapy in the U.S., and outlines the theoretical framework underlying this approach.

The other three presentations outline specific approaches to working with families from a feminist perspective. Each presentation begins with a theoretical perspective, and then illustrates how theory is put into practice by describing specific case examples. All of the presentations are sensitive to the challenges of integrating feminist practice within traditional cultural contexts.

1. An Historical Overview of Feminist Family Therapy in the U.S., Louise B. Silverstein

For the first 20 years of development of family systems theory in the U.S., gender was invisible. This presentation describes the evolution of the feminist theory and practice in family therapy. Analyzing the pitfalls of this evaluation in the context of one western, industrialized nation, may help other nations avoid similar setbacks.

2. The Cultural Context Model, Rhea V. Almeada

This presentation examines the interplay of feminist theory and cultural norms within several subcultures of U.S. society. It presents innovative approach to working with families in multiple modalities: pscyhoeducation, single sex groups, and family therapy.

3. Integrating Feminism and Confusian Cultural Tradition, Liang Tien

This presentation outlines the tenets of Chinese Confusian Cultural Tradition, and presents an approach to working within this tradition from a feminist standpoint.

4. Domestic Violence – Feminist and Systemic Issues, Michele Harway

The final presentation examines the issue of domestic violence and describes a framework their focuses both on ensuring safety for women in families, and working with husbands to decrease violence