Counseling Women Across the Life Span

"Jill Schwarz' book, Counseling Women Across the Life Span: Empowerment, Advocacy, and Intervention, will be an excellent addition to any gender library, or a course in gender. It is a solid and innovative text."

--Catherine B. Roland, Ed.D, LPC, NCC; President, American Counseling Association (2016-2017)

" provides] a comprehensive understanding of women's development and explains how to apply a positive, feminist empowerment model to address the major issues and challenges women experience across the life span. It will be well suited for use as a textbook in courses in Women's and Gender Studies and specialized courses on counseling women. I am confident that it will also appeal] to a wide audience of practitioners from the mental health professions who work with girls and women."

--Mark S. Kiselica, PhD, HSPP, NCC, LPC, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Cabrini University. Past-President, Division 51 of the APA

"Dr. Schwarz and contributors provide a comprehensive picture of key issues experienced by girls and women across ages and cultures. This is an easy-to-read book, full of case examples and practical suggestions based on current research as well as the authors' clinical and teaching experiences. The focus on empowerment, prevention, and intervention strategies along with the inclusion of real-life experiences related to each chapter's topics, reflection and discussion questions, and practical suggestions for ways in which readers can engage in advocacy efforts to create social change makes this book an invaluable resource for students and seasoned professionals alike."-

--Harriet L. Glosoff, PhD, American Counseling Association Fellow, Professor, Counseling Program, Montclair State University

This book, the first comprehensive text to focus specifically on counseling women and girls, provides a sweeping overview of female lifespan development and issues and offers a unique integration of prevention, advocacy, and interventions. Containing contributions from leading scholars and practitioners in diverse fields, it provides information, resources, and practical suggestions for how counselors can both help individual women and girls to be empowered to live as their authentic selves, as well as engage as effective collaborators in addressing societal inequities. With a strong focus on empowerment and adherence to a social justice framework, the book highlights the value of mental health practitioners employing strengths-based approaches and advocating for systemic change.

Based on a foundation of understanding females' diverse, holistic development, the text explores the major theoretical approaches relevant to counseling and psychotherapy with women and girls. It then discusses the key issues faced by females at different developmental stages and describes appropriate counseling strategies for each, focusing on prevention as well as intervention. Specific concerns and strategies for women in different contexts, such as educational, physical health and body image concerns, and violence, are emphasized. Unique to the text is coverage of how men specifically can serve as allies and advocates in creating healthier and safer societies for women and girls. Replete with supporting features such as learning objectives, self-reflection prompts, personal narratives, discussion questions, abundant resources, and strategies for how professionals can serve as advocates and change agents, this book is an ideal core text for courses on counseling women or gender issues in counseling, social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, and women's studies programs, as well as a useful resource for mental health practitioners.

Key Features:
• Uniquely covers lifespan development and counseling issues, needs, and application for females across the lifespan
• Emphasizes advocacy, prevention, and practical intervention strategies
• Examines the contextual elements that affect the female experience including the oppressive structures in which they live
• Addresses global perspectives, diverse women, a social justice framework, and empowerment
• Includes learning objectives, first-person accounts, "Calls to Action," and self-reflection and discussion questions