Psychological Practice with Girls and Women
Publication Date: February 1, 2018
Last Updated: March 14, 2022
GUIDELINES
Psychologists recognize girls’ and women’s strengths and resilience and work to honor and cultivate these.
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Psychologists strive to be aware that girls and women form their identities in contexts with multiple, contradictory, and changing messages about what it means to be female.
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Psychologists strive to recognize, understand, and use information about structural discrimination and legacies of oppression that continue to impact the lives and psychological well-being of girls and women.
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Psychologists are encouraged to use interventions and approaches with girls and women that are affirmative, developmentally appropriate, gender and culturally relevant, and effective.
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Psychologists are encouraged to reflect on their experiences with gender and on how their attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge about gender, and the way gender intersects with other identities, may affect their practice with girls and women.
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Psychologists strive to foster therapeutic practice that promotes agency, critical consciousness, and expanded choices for girls and women.
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Psychologists strive to assign diagnoses to girls and women only if and when diagnosis is necessary, use unbiased assessment tools, and bring to bear an understanding of the history of misuses and gender biases and diagnoses and assessment.
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Psychologists strive to understand girls and women in their sociopolitical and geopolitical contexts.
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Psychologists strive to be knowledgeable about, use, and provide support for relevant mental health, education, and community resources and, when indicated, folk, indigenous, and complementary or alternative forms of healing for girls and women.
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Psychologists engage in work to change hostile environments and institutional, systemic, and global discrimination that interfere with the health and well-being of girls and women.
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Recommendation Grading
Overview
Title
Psychological Practice with Girls and Women
Authoring Organizations
Publication Month/Year
February 1, 2018
Last Updated Month/Year
August 7, 2023
Document Type
Guideline
External Publication Status
Published
Country of Publication
US
Document Objectives
Assist psychologists in the provision of gender-sensitive, culturally competent, and developmentally appropriate psychological practice with girls and women across the lifespan from all social classes, ethnic and racial groups, sexual orientations, abilities and disabilities, and other diversity statuses in the U.S. and globally.
Inclusion Criteria
Female, Adolescent, Adult, Child
Health Care Settings
Ambulatory, School
Intended Users
Counselor, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician, physician assistant, psychologist
Scope
Counseling, Assessment and screening
Diseases/Conditions (MeSH)
D008603 - Mental Health, D016387 - Women's Health
Keywords
Mental health, women's health, Psychological Practice, girl's health