Towards gender awareness in couple therapy and in treatment of intimate partner violence

Authors:
Helena Päivinen University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Search for other papers by Helena Päivinen in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close
and
Juha Holma University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Search for other papers by Juha Holma in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close
Restricted access
Get eTOC alerts
Rights and permissions Cite this article

Gender is the most pervasive classification of individuals and thus strongly defines couple relationships. Cultural discourses on couple relationships reproduce hierarchical gender differences, and couple distress is often linked to gendered power inequalities. At worst, gender is the basis for intimate partner violence (IPV). Generally, however, therapeutic interventions do not address the issues of gender and gendered power. This paper discusses the meaning and functions of gender in the context of couple therapy, in particular for IPV. It is argued that the therapist needs to be skilled in discursive deconstruction to be able not only to address the client’s situation as an individual experience but also to locate it in the wider social and cultural context. Addressing the gendered positioning of others and themselves is a clinical tool of potential value in therapeutic conversations.

Helena Päivinen University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Search for other papers by Helena Päivinen in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close
and
Juha Holma University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Search for other papers by Juha Holma in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close

Content Metrics

May 2022 onwards Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 774 352 42
Full Text Views 28 4 0
PDF Downloads 29 8 0

Altmetrics

Dimensions