The Meaning of a Multicultural Perspective for Theory-Building in Feminist Therapy

This article critically examines the development of theory in feminist therapy and raises the question of whether feminist therapy is currently a therapy reflecting the lives and realities of all women. Internal and external barriers to the inclusion of women of color, poor women, and other non-white or middle class groups in the process of feminist therapy theory-building are examined. A specific topic within feminist therapy theory, that of women and eating, is analyzed as an example of how a Eurocentric bias comes to pervade feminist therapy theorizing. Finally, some suggestions are made regarding directions that must be taken in theory development for feminist therapy to become genuinely multicultural and representative of the variety and diversity of women's lives.