It's Women's History Month! And Did You Know...
There was once a time when women were denied Ph.D. diplomas in Psychology for the sole reason of being female. Well, let us introduce you to some real Boss Babes who decided to succeed anyway. Advances in Psychotherapy would not be the same without them!
Women's History Month
Women's History Month is an opportunity to discover and celebrate the countless contributions and achievements women have made over the course of American history. In a field dominated by men from its inception, we present just a handful of the women that have impacted and advanced the field of psychotherapy. As a business filled with female therapists, we are proud to share this slice of history with you.
If you have ever heard of a "defense mechanism", Brown v. the Board of Education, or received EMDR, you are going to enjoy reading how these incredible women have changed our lives.
Dr. Anna Freud (1885 -- 1982)
Yes, that is Sigmund Freud's daughter. Ever heard of "defense mechanisms"? Well Dr. Freud wrote the book on them! In 1936 she penned, The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense. So the next time someone says you're "in denial", you can "blame" Dr. Freud for it!
Dr. Mary Ainsworth (1913 -- 1999)
A pioneer in the development of Attachment Theory. She categorized attachment patterns between very young children and their primary caregivers. It is increasingly that the quality of attachment in children predicts the quality of relationship attachment in adulthood. Sooooo...If you're not diggin' on your relationships today......Dr. Ainsworth would suggest digging back to when you were little to find out what's really been goin on.
Dr. Marsha Linehan (1943 -- Present)
Created Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). This therapeutic approach combines cognitive behavioral therapies, mindfulness, and skills building to learn to tolerate very distressful emotions, change unhealthy beliefs, and interact with others more effectively and with higher satisfaction. Dr. Linehan really connects the spiritual practice of acceptance and distress tolerance with practical "how to" knowledge to get through everyday life. DBT is very effective to treat depressive and anxiety disorders, as well as addictions and eating disorders.
Dr. Melanie Klein (1882 -- 1960)
Dr. Klein defined Object Relations Theory, a precursor to Dr. Mary Ainsworth's Attachment Theory. Dr. Klein also created Play Therapy which is still the therapy of choice for children today. Through the use of toys, games, puzzles, and the like, Dr. Klein developed play therapy techniques to assist children to explore, express, and resolve their feelings through play. How children interact with the toys reflects how they feel about themselves and relate to people and events in their worlds. SoulSpring Counseling's Grace Childs is certified both to practice Play Therapy as well as supervise Play Therapy Interns working toward certification.
Dr. Jane Addams (1860 -- 1935)
Dr. Addams is the founder of the Social Work profession. She was passionate to provide opportunities for the oppressed and underprivileged to live in clean and safe housing, to get education, basic needs met, and find joy beyond just survival through arts, literature, and good company. She advocated for social justice, and many of her ideas were written into US social policies that were developed in the early 1900's.
Dr. Insoo Kim Berg (1934 -- 2007)
Dr. Berg co-created with her husband Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. SFBT works miracles! Well, what we really mean is that from SFBT we get the "Miracle Question" which so many therapists use today: "If you wake up tomorrow and your problem is miraculously solved, what would be different?" Solution-Focused Brief Therapy offers many interventions that help clients get to the point. Sort of like Type A, "Ain't nobody got time for that" therapy. What can we say? It's brief.
Dr. Francine Shapiro (1948 -- 2019)
Dr. Shapiro created Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) which has shown great success in the treatment of trauma. We're still not sure why fingers swishing in front of a client's face heals deep emotional scars but hey, if it works, why the heck not?
Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark (1917 -- 1983)
Dr. Clark and her husband, also a psychologist, made great strides in New York City to provide mental health and social services to black persons living in Harlem. She created the Clark Doll Test. Through the use of black and white dolls and a series of questions, her experiments revealed how black children, as a group, had lower regard for persons of color compared to whites. Her findings demonstrated the negative psychological impact segregation had on children, and were instrumental in the outcome of Brown v. the Board of Education, the legal decision that led to desegregation in schools.
Interested in working with one of our amazing women therapists? Give us a call to schedule your free consultation at (561) 223-8203.
Thank you so much to #teamsoulspring counselor Wynne Stallings for her contributions to the content of this article. References: Wikipedia, Talkspace, Zencare, Verywell Mind
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