Ch 8: Gender and health

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Emotional well-being
• Gender disparities in health care
• Culturally competent and inclusive healthcare
• Chapter reflection: Example of implicit bias training
• Chapter application: Gender differences in response to being pranked

• Identify different approaches to therapy
• Analyze gender bias in therapy
• Explain gender-sensitive therapies
• Explore gender issues in self-help

Identifying Different Approaches to Therapy

• Overview of Major Therapy Approaches:
  • Psychodynamic Therapy: Focuses on unconscious processes and early experiences shaping current behavior.
  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Targets patterns of thinking and behavior to address psychological distress.
  • Humanistic Therapy: Emphasizes personal growth, self-awareness, and the therapeutic relationship.
  • Feminist Therapy: Explicitly addresses power imbalances, gender roles, and social context in therapy.
  • Multicultural and Integrative Approaches: Incorporate clients’ cultural and social identities, including gender.
• Emphasize that therapists may blend these approaches depending on client needs.

Analyzing Gender Bias in Therapy

• Common Gender Biases:
  • Assumptions about gender roles influencing diagnosis or treatment (e.g., labeling assertive women as “aggressive”).
  • Underestimating men’s emotional expression or ignoring women’s experiences with trauma and oppression.
  • Therapists’ own cultural and gender biases impacting therapeutic alliance and outcomes.
• Impact of Bias:
  • Can lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, or reduced client comfort and trust.
  • May reinforce stereotypes or ignore systemic factors affecting mental health.
• Use research examples illustrating gender bias in clinical settings.

Explaining Gender-Sensitive Therapies

• Definition: Therapies that actively recognize and incorporate gender as a central factor in understanding clients’ experiences.
• Key Principles:
  • Validating and affirming diverse gender identities and expressions.
  • Addressing the impact of sexism, discrimination, and gender socialization on mental health.
  • Empowering clients to challenge restrictive gender norms and roles.
  • Considering intersectionality—how gender interacts with race, class, sexuality, etc.
• Examples:
  • Feminist therapy emphasizing social justice and power dynamics.
  • Affirmative therapy practices for transgender and non-binary clients.

Exploring Gender Issues in Self-Help

• Self-Help and Gender Norms:
  • Many self-help books and programs reflect cultural gender norms—e.g., encouraging women to be nurturing or men to be assertive.
  • Some self-help resources may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes or exclude gender-diverse experiences.
• Gender-Sensitive Self-Help:
  • Materials that acknowledge diverse gender identities and challenge restrictive roles.
  • Resources that address how gender-based stressors (like discrimination or caregiving burdens) affect mental health.
• Critical Evaluation:
  • Encourage students to think critically about who self-help materials are written for and whose experiences they represent or omit.

Purpose:  The goal of this activity is to analyze gender bias and gender-sensitive approaches in therapy through real-world scenarios and foster critical thinking and empathy.

Materials Needed:

• Printed or digital case studies (3-4 scenarios) illustrating therapy situations involving gender issues.
• Discussion questions handout or projected on screen.
• Paper or devices for note-taking.

Step 1: Introduce the Activity (5 minutes)

Briefly review the key concepts of gender bias and gender-sensitive therapy from the lecture. Explain that students will work in small groups to analyze case studies and apply their understanding.

Step 2: Group Work – Case Study Analysis (20 minutes)

• Divide students into small groups (3-5 per group).
• Assign each group a different case study describing a therapy scenario involving gender dynamics, such as:
  • A female client labeled as “too emotional” by her male therapist.
  • A transgender client struggling to find affirming mental health care.
  • A male client discouraged from expressing vulnerability.
  • A client receiving self-help advice that reinforces harmful gender stereotypes.
• Each group discusses these questions:
  • What gender biases are evident or could occur in this case?
  • How could the therapist or self-help approach be more gender-sensitive?
  • What are potential impacts on the client’s mental health and therapeutic outcome?

Step 3: Group Presentations and Class Discussion (15 minutes)

• Each group shares a summary of their case and discussion points.
• Facilitate a class-wide conversation, drawing connections between cases and broader themes of gender bias and therapy.

Step 4: Reflection (5 minutes)

• Individually, students write a short reflection on:
  • What they learned about the importance of gender sensitivity in therapy.
  • How they might apply this awareness in their personal or professional lives.

Identifying Different Approaches to Therapy

• How might different therapeutic approaches (e.g., psychodynamic vs. cognitive-behavioral) address gender-related issues differently?
• Can you think of ways a therapist might integrate multiple approaches to better support clients with diverse gender identities?

Analyzing Gender Bias in Therapy

• What are some examples of gender bias you’ve seen or heard about in mental health treatment?
• How might a therapist’s unconscious gender biases impact the therapeutic relationship or treatment outcomes?
• What steps can therapists take to become more aware of and reduce their gender biases?

Explaining Gender-Sensitive Therapies

• What are some key elements that make therapy gender-sensitive?
• How can gender-sensitive therapy improve outcomes for transgender and non-binary clients?
• Why is it important to consider intersectionality (e.g., race, class, gender identity) in therapy?

Exploring Gender Issues in Self-Help

• How can self-help materials reinforce traditional gender roles? Can you give examples?
• What might be some challenges in creating self-help resources that are inclusive of all gender identities?
• How can individuals critically evaluate self-help materials for gender bias or inclusivity?

Assignment Overview:

In this 4–5 page essay, you will critically analyze how gender is constructed, represented, and reinforced in the self-help industry. This includes self-help books, podcasts, influencers, online courses, and other wellness-related content. You will examine how self-help materials engage with gender norms, expectations, and identities, considering how different messages are directed at or shaped by ideas of masculinity, femininity, and gender diversity.

Assignment Prompt:

Part I: Analyzing Gender in Self-Help Media (2–2.5 pages)

• Select at least one specific self-help source (e.g., a book, influencer, video series, or podcast episode).
• Describe the key messages or themes presented in the material.
• Analyze how these messages reflect, reinforce, or challenge gender norms or roles.
• Consider how the source addresses (explicitly or implicitly) ideas such as success, self-improvement, emotional expression, independence, or relationships, and whether these are framed differently depending on gender.

Part II: Broader Gender Dynamics in the Self-Help Industry (2–2.5 pages)

• Examine how self-help content is marketed or targeted toward different genders. What visual, linguistic, or branding cues are used?
• Discuss how gender intersects with other identities (race, class, sexuality, ability) in shaping who is represented as needing or deserving “help.”
• Consider whether the genre promotes empowerment, reinforces gender stereotypes, or both.
• Optionally, reflect on specific trends such as “alpha male” branding, “girlboss” feminism, or wellness culture as they relate to gender.

Expectations:

• Use at least two academic sources to support your analysis (from course readings or scholarly research).
• Include at least one concrete example from self-help media.
• Clearly define key concepts such as gender norms, gender roles, or intersectionality if you use them.
• Write in a clear, analytical style with a central thesis or argument guiding your essay.