gender differences
According to Sue & Sue (2015, p. 735), “one study of family therapy sessions revealed that counselors interrupted women more often than they interrupted men”. Additionally, the authors suggest “Therapists can use multicultural therapy models such as feminist relational advocacy, a therapeutic approach focused on listening to women’s narratives, recognizing the role of oppression in creating emotional distress, recognizing strengths, and providing advocacy as well as emotional and practical support”
Imagine this scenario: a female client expresses her narratives and emotions and the male client quickly steps in to attempt to stifle the conflict by challenging her experience in an attempt to “fix” the issue. Sometimes the male client is attempting to help rescue his partner from distress by offering a different perspective; other times the male client is moving against his partner in conflict, using his power (male privilege) in the relationship. How would you, as a gender sensitive MFT, respond? What does Sue & Sue (2015) mean when they direct MFTs to “recognize the role of oppression in creating emotional distress” (p. 735).
Share your thoughts on this topic and bring in examples. Bring in relevant material from texts, videos, or other useful sources. Please cite at lease one creditable source in your response. Response must be a minimum of 200 words.