The Growth Center is a small, non-profit collective of therapists. We view the relationship between client and therapist as a partnership. 

​

A feminist approach to therapy is not a specific style of practicing therapy as much as it is a way of recognizing the need for one’s experiences to be understood within a socio-cultural and political context. What this means varies among individuals, but our practitioners are aware of the impact that discrimination and oppression may have had on a client’s life, including, but not limited to gender, race, class, size, religion, sexual orientation, relationship style, disability, age, and health issues. We recognize identity as intersectional and support our clients in self-empowerment. 

​

A hallmark of a feminist approach to therapy is the egalitarian relationship between client and therapist where the client is viewed as the expert in their experience, needs, and values, and the therapist is seen as the expert in facilitating therapy. The relationship between the client and therapist minimizes the power differential and serves as a model for subsequent relationships as it familiarizes the client with shared power in relationships. The client is encouraged to recognize their own strengths and to set their own goals for therapy; reflecting that they will essentially become ultimately responsible for change.