SUGAR AND SPICE, TOADS AND MICE: GENDER ISSUES IN FAMILY THERAPY TRAINING

Whereas family therapists have become increasingly aware of gender as a central organizing principle in how we think about families, few methods have been presented to help trainees and clinicians articulate how to adress gender. Four experiential exercises (including gender survival messages, gender framed circular questions, and process observation sheets) that can be used in training and adapted for use with clients are described. What we have learned about gender from our families of origin, the larger culture, and in the construction of family therapy models can be examined with these activities.