Radical Visionaries: Feminist Therapy Pioneers, 1970-1975

Radical Visionaries documents and honours those feminist therapy pioneers of the 1970s who moved the mental health establishment, and possibly the world, through radical action, to begin to consider women as fully human. It is remarkable today, even in these difficult times, to realize how far we have come, and to know it was these women who galvanized this move forward toward self-exploration and equality. As we move into the current era of feminism and social justice, it is imperative to pause to consider how these ‘second wave’ feminist pioneers gave us feminist therapy and all that followed from it. From the earliest stages of the movement, feminists used consciousness raising, which moved into the notion of the egalitarian therapy and ultimately led toward a cultural shift towards female empowerment and the groundswell of women into clinical psychology programs. These founding feminist therapists impacted structures including the criminal justice system, divorce proceedings, domestic violence services, education, medicine, and banking. This book highlight these women’s stories, told by the pioneers themselves, as they forged the trail for those of us who follow them. This book was originally published as a special issue of Women & Therapy.

Claudia Pitts is an Associate Professor in the College of Professional Studies and Advancement at National Louis University, Chicago, USA, where she is director of the Master’s in Psychology program. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist with a group practice. Her professional interests focus on the intersections between emotional and physical health.Debra M. Kawahara is Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, USA. She also maintains a small private practice. Her primary areas of interests include feminism, multicultural psychology, family systems and processes, cultural competency, and qualitative methodology.