Training in Feminist Research Methodology: Doing Research on the Margins

Abstract Feminist research experiences could greatly enhance the training of clinical psychology graduate students. This article describes principles of feminist research methodology, such as attention to power imbalances, listening to women's voices and experiences, and reflectivity. Approaches to training include feminist classrooms, feminist research teams, required courses on feminist methodology, integrating feminist research throughout the curriculum, and postdoctoral training and continuing education programs. Among the challenges to incorporation of feminist research into clinical graduate training are the logical positivistic epistemology of many traditional programs, the lack of colleagues' support within many programs, and the hierarchical structure of educational institutions. KEYWORDS: clinical psychologyfeminismgraduate educationresearch methodologytraining Notes Although this article primarily considers clinical psychology training programs, my comments also are applicable to graduate programs in counseling psychology. Discussion here is limited to researcher-participant encounters; similar issues of potential exploitation apply to researchers' interactions with community members, students and junior colleagues.