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Feminist therapy with people who self‐inflict violence
Author(s) -
Brown Laura S.,
Bryan Tracy C.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20419
Subject(s) - psychology , suicide prevention , human factors and ergonomics , psychotherapist , poison control , injury prevention , domestic violence , medical emergency , occupational safety and health , clinical psychology , medicine , pathology
Abstract In this article, the authors describe how a feminist therapist approaches work with clients who practice self‐inflicted violence (SIV). They begin by discussing feminist therapy, with its focus on empowerment of clients and the use of noncoercive strategies. The feminist perspective on understanding SIV behaviors is described, with SIV being defined as a coping strategy used by survivors of complex trauma as a means of self‐care. Feminist therapy is illustrated with a case example of a woman who used SIV, and the challenges to a therapist wishing to promote client safety while empowering the client. Practice recommendations and cautions are advanced. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 63: 1121–1133, 2007.