Instructor: B. Bain School of Social Work Summer '97

The Feminist Perspective

in

Direct Practice

Many of the stories we assume to be "true" or "fixed" about ourselves change dramatically when the context changes, and particularly, as we gain (or lose) economic power . . . there is no such thing as a "true story" (or a "True Self") that unfolds separate from the influence of family and culture. From: The Dance of Deception by Harriet Lerner

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Instructor: Bonnie Bain Summer '97

Feminist Perspective in Direct Practice Course at a Glance Dates

Description of Assignment

June 5-10th

Unit I Social Work and Feminism: Values and Issues

June 12-24th

Unit II Oppression by any other name: Sexism, racism, and homophobia

July 1-10th

Unit III Gender issues through the life cycle: Empowerment Implications

July 15-29th

Unit IV Women and Mental Health: Special client populations and needs Assignments, due dates and evaluation policies: June 26

Exam

100 pts.

July 22, 24, 29

Presentations on selected topics* (see attached guide)

50 pts.

Paper on selected topic due (see attached guide)

100 pts.

July 29

Total points for course

250 pts.

* Must be approved by instructor Grade/Rating Scale A = 250-225

B = 249-224

C = 223-118

D = 117-

Thank you for your interest in this topic. I hope you will enjoy the course as much as I do. - 2 -

T HE U NIVERSITY OF T EXAS AT A USTIN

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

Course Number:

390R26 N360K

Instructor’s Name:

Bain, Bonnie

Unique Number:

94805 and 94700

Office Number:

3.124H

Semester:

Summer 97

Office Phone:

471-0528 or 451-0298 or 331-0141

Office Hours:

By Appointment

Meeting Time/Place: Tues./Thurs. 8:30 - 11:00 SSW 2.118

F EMINIST PERSPECTIVE IN DIRECT PRACTICE I.

Course Description This course will use concepts from feminism and women's studies to enrich an empowerment model for clinical social work with individuals and families. Students will contrast cultural influences, gender issues, and treatment implications for women and men based on developmental theories. Students will experience the relationship between clinical issues and social policy and will discover practical psycho-social interventions within the context of social and economic justice.

II.

Course Objectives 1.

Understand history of evolving sex roles and differences in the psychosocial development of men and women in mainstream culture.

2.

Analyze and apply the concept of empowerment in the social work and feminist tradition to the assessment of individuals and family dynamics.

3.

Explore the implications of worker/client gender differences for direct practice.

4.

Recognize the limits of developmental theory as it applies to heterosexual women, lesbians and women of color.

5.

Understand the relationship of the feminist perspective and social work values to direct practice and the promotion of social justice.

6.

Discuss and explore manifestations of sexism in current theory and mental health treatment of women and men.

7.

Examine application of feminist concepts to individualize and humanize service delivery and treatment.

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III.

Teaching Methods Some lecture, but heavy reliance on experiential learning and group discussion a la a seminar model.

IV.

Recommended Texts and Materials Readings to be assigned. Some references used: Worell, Judith, and Remer, P. (1992) Feminist perspectives in therapy: An empowerment model for women. New York, New York: John Wiley and sons inc. Jordan, Kaplan, Miller, et. al. (1991) Women's growth in connection. New York, New York: The Guilford Press. See bibliography.

V.

VI.

Course Requirements Assignments Exam Term paper & presentation TOTAL

Points 100 150 250

Class Policies An appreciation for diverse experiences and opinions is critical for all of us to feel safe in voicing and exploring ideas. You are expected to come to class; come to class prepared; to re-evaluate your own ideas; and to dare to disagree with respect for other points of view. Attendance is mandatory. Five points will be deducted for every unexcused absence. We begin and end class on time. Out of courtesy for your colleagues please be on time. I have the right to add or subtract five points from your final grade for the quality of your class participation. Five points will be deducted for late papers. Incompletes are an option only as a result of extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. Office hours are by appointment. Feel free to call me at home: 331-0141.

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VII.

Course Schedule

Date June 5

Description

Text / Readings

Unit I (Part A) Social Work, & Feminism: Values & Issues A. Orientation and over-review of course B. Self-Assessments and get acquainted C. Is feminism a four letter word?: Brief history & critique D. Common denominators in Social Work and feminism a. Personal in political b. Self-determination/Empowerment

June 10

Unit I (Part B) A. Celebrating our strengths & appreciating our differences

Ruth, S., ed., (1990). “Feminist activism, issues, events, documents,” ...

B. Common human needs

Ibid. “Rediscovering American Women...”

C. Liaison, paradox, polarization in American culture

Piper, M. Chapters 1&2. Ruth, S. “The Dynamics of Patriarchy” Denfield, R. Chap. 8. “Why Young Women Are Abandoning the Movement”.

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June 12

Unit II Oppression By Any Other Name.... Comas-Diaz & Greene, eds. (Part A) (1994) "Overview: An ethnocultural mosaic", in A. Oppression as a shared experience Women of Color. B. Women of color & lesbians

Gutierrez, L. (1990). "Working with women of color: An empowerment perspective," Social Work Journal. Comas-Diaz & Green. “Lesbian women of color” in Women of Color. Markowitz, L. “Homosexuality: Are we still in the dark?”; Hirsch, P. “Secret Lives”; Daeheimer, D. and Feigel, J. “Bridging the Gap”, Family Therapy Networker.

June 17

Unit II (Part B) A.

The casualties of patriarchy

B.

Gender and sex role stereotyping

C.

Power, power, who’s got the power?

Castex, G. "Frames of reference: The effects of ethnocentric map projections on professional practice," Social Work Journal. Inclan, J. and Hernandez, M. “Cross-cultural perspectives and codependence,” American Journal of Orthopsychology. Webb-Watson, L. “The Sociology of Power”, in Women and Power: Perspectives for family therapy. Miller, J. “Women & Power: Reflections 10 Years Later”, in Women and Power: Perspectives for family therapy.

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June 19

Unit II (Part C) A.

Social justice and the female perspective

B.

Social service delivery: putting our ideals and programs to work

Kasl, C. Chapter 1 “Sexuality & Spirituality” in Women Sex & Addiction. Imber-Black, E. “Women’s Relations with Larger Systems” Women in Families: A framework for family therapy. Harper, J. and Davis, L. “Working with women: Building a policy and practice agenda,” Social Work Journal. Ruth, S., ed. "Talking Back: Female responses to sexist stereotypes”.

June 24

Unit II (Part D)

Ruth, S., ed. “Femininity”.

A. Theory: Its contributions and Limits

Lerner, H. “A Critique of the Feminist Psychoanalytic Contribution” Women in Therapy. Worrell, J. and Remer, P. “A Fem. View of Counseling & Therapy”. Piper, M. “Developmental Issues”. Jimenez, M.A. “Gender and psychiatry: Psychiatric conceptions of mental disorders in women”.

June 26

EXAM

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July 1

Unit III (Part A) Gender Issues in the Life Cycle A. Men and Women in Relationships

Bergman, S. and Surry, J. “The Woman-Man Relationship: Impasses & Possibilities” Work In Progress #55.

B. Impact of gender on human development

Wainrib, B. “Men’s and Women’s gender role journeys.....”. Ibid. “Who’s Who and What’s What? The effects of gender on adolescence”. Ibid. “The research findings on gender issues in aging men and women”. July 3

Unit III (Part B) A.

Feminist social work assessment

B.

The relational model

Cowger, C. “Assessing Client Strengths. Clinical assessment for client empowerment”. Miller, J.B. “The development of women’s sense of self.” Women’s Growth in Connection. Surrey, J. “The self-in-relation: A theory of women’s development”. Sands, R. “The elusiveness of identity in social work practice with women: A post modern prospective,” Clinical Social Work Journal.

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July 10

Unit III (Part C)

Sands, R. and Nuccio, K. “Post-modern feminist Theory & Social Work” Social Work Journal.

Women and Social Work

Browne, C. “Empowerment in Social Work Practice with Older Women” Social Work Journal. Davis, L. “Why we still need a Woman’s Agenda for Social Work”, in Building onWomen’s Strengths: A social work agenda for the twenty-first century. Miller, D. “What is Needed for true equality: an overview of policy issues for women”. July 15

Unit IV Women and Mental Health

Kasl, C. “We are more alike than different”.

A. Intimacy and Independence B. Gender in Worker/Client Relationship C. Gender in Therapy

Kapplan, A. “Female or Male Psychotherapists for Women: New Formulations”. Gruber, C. “Projective Identification or Relational Introjection: Gender, Metaphor, and Theory”. Nelson-Zbysko, et. al. “Gender Differences in Drug Addiction and Treatment: Implications for Social Work Intervention with Substance Abusing Women” Worell, J. “Feminist Transformation of Counseling Theories”. Stiver, I. “The Meaning of Care: Reframing Treatment Models”.

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July 17

July 22-29

Unit IV (Part B)

Nicarthy, G., et. al. “You don’t have to take it”.

A.

The World of Work

B.

Sexual Harassment and Role Conflicts

C.

The Heroine Within

Murdock, M. “Beyond Duality” in The Heroine’s Journey.

Unit IV (Part C) STUDENT PRESENTATIONS: Women’s Issues and Implications for Practice

July 29

Morris, B. “Executive Women Confront Mid-life Crisis”.

Final Paper Due

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VIII.

Bibliography Comas-Diaz, L. and Greene, B., eds. (1994). Women of color. New York, New York: Guilford Press. Davis, L. (1994). Building on Women’s Strengths: A social work agenda for the twentyfirst century. New York, New York: Haworth Press. Denfield, R. (1995). The new Victorians. New York, New York: Warner Books, Inc. Goodrich, T. ed. (1991). Women and power: Perspectives for family therapy. New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Jordan, J. et. al. (1991) Women's growth in connection, New York, New York. Guilford Press. Kasl, C. (1990). Women, sex, and addiction. New York, New York: Harper & Row. Lerner, H. (1989). Women in therapy. New York, New York: Harper and Row. McGoldrick, M., et. al. (eds.) Women in Families: A framework for family therapy. Murdock, M. (1990). The heroine’s journey. Boston, Shambhala Press. Nicarthy, G., et. al., (1993) You don’t have to take it. Seattle, Washington: Seal Press. Piper, M. (1994). Reviewing Ophelia. New York, New York: Ballantine Press. Ruth, S. ed. (1990). Issues in feminism: An introduction to women's studies (2nd edition). Mountainview, California: Mayfield Publishing Company. Wainrib, B., ed. (1992). Gender issues across the life cycle. New York, New York: Springer Publishing Company. Worell, Judith, and Remer, P (1992). Feminist perspectives in therapy: An empowerment model for women. New York, New York: John Wiley & Sons. Journals: Browne, C. (1995) Empowerment in social work practice with older women. Social Work, 40, 358-363. Cowger, C. (1994) Assessing client strengths: Clinical Assessment for client empowerment. Social Work 39, 262-267. Castex, G. (1993) Frames of reference: The effects of ethnocentric map projections on professional practice. Social Work, 38, 685-702. Dahlheimer, D. and Feigal, J. (1991). Bridging the gap. Family Therapy Networker, Jan/Feb. 44-60. Gutierrez, L. Working with women of color: an empowerment perspective. Social Work Journal, 35, 6, 149-159. Hajin, J. and Davis, L. (1992) Working with Women: Building a policy and practice agenda. Social Work, 37, 495-501. Hersch, P. (1991) Secret Lives. The Family Therapy Networker. Jan/Feb. 37-43. Inclan, J. & Hernandez, M. (1992). Cross cultural perspectives and codependence. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2, 245-255. Jimenez, M. A. (1997). “Gender and psychiatry: Psychiatric conceptions of mental disorders in women, 1960-1994,” Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work 12 (2), 154-175. - 11 -

Lukes, C. and Land, H. (1990) Biculturality and homosexuality. Social work: 35, 155167. Markowitz, L. (1991). Homosexuality: Are we still in the dark? The Family Therapy Networker. Jan/Feb., 2235. Morris, B. (1995). Executive women confront a new kind of mid-life crisis, Fortune, Sept., 62-72. Nelson-Zbysko, L. et. al. (1995). Gender differences in drug addiction and treatment: Implications for social work intervention with substance abusing women. Social work, 40. 1-44. Sands, R. and Nuccio, K. (1992) Postmodern feminist theory and social work. Social Work, 37. 489-494. Sands, R. (1995). “The elusiveness of identity in social work practice with women: A post-modern prospective,” Clinical Social Work Journal, 24, (2) pp. 167-184.

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Bain Summer '97 N390R-26 N360K

Guide for Critique

of

Readings

I.

Note any content or ideas that validated or contradicted your own experience/opinion. What is the basis/rationale for your agency with the main ideas?

II.

Note any new ideas encountered or inspired by the article. What are the implications for you as a social worker or in your chosen career? Your life as a whole?

III.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 = excellent and 1 = not worth reading, how would you rate the article. Give rationale and state your opinion on the overall quality, organization, and writing style, as well as the content itself. Be brief!

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Bain

N360K N390R26

Summer '97

Guide for Special Topic

Paper and Presentation

(Paper 15-20 pages, Presentation 45-60 min.)

Paper due July 31st Presentations July 24-26th Please provide bibliography and other relevant handouts for your classmates. pts rec'd

poss.pts.

I.

_____

__20_

Rationale for selection of topic. Definition & brief history of the issue, problem, and previous attempts to address the issue or problem, and with what result.

II.

_____

__20_

Social, cultural, political context for the problem, issue

III.

_____

__20_

Review & critique of the literature (and a chapter selected biography)

IV.

_____

__20_

Clinical and policy implication

V.

_____

__20_

Proposed solutions and goals with rationale, possible negative outcomes and obstacles to implementation.

VI.

_____

__20_

Demonstration to sensitize or educate audience to the issues and proposed clinical or policy interventions.

VII.

_____

__20_

Recommendations, goals, means to evaluate outcome

VIII.

_____

__10_

Creativity, overall quality outcomes.

Total _____

_150_

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Bain Summer '97

Women’s Issues

and

Clinical Interventions in Cultural Context

Rape

Day Care

Depression & Suicide

Abortion/ Birth Control/ Family Placement

The feminization of poverty

Women and the mental health system

Women and addiction

Eating Disorders/ Body Image

Self-Esteem & assertiveness

Women in Religion

Sexual Abuse

Lesbian Couples/ families

Working with Client gender differences

Homelessness

Infertility

Teenage pregnancy

Domestic violence

Ageism

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