I haven’t double-checked with my mother, but I’m pretty sure I was already standing on my soapbox the second I could walk. I was pretty clear as a child that I wanted to be a doctor, a writer, and the President of the United States. I had a lot of knowledge and opinions to share! One of those opinions, that we should use our capacities for connection and change, is closely related to my favorite theoretical orientation, Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT). In the 1970s, many feminist writers and scholars were theorizing about how women’s growth and relational needs differed from those of men, and what that might mean in terms of their psychological developing, suffering, and disorders. More meaningfully, how might that change the approach to treating women’s psychological distress? What if we not only acknowledged our differences, but treated women accordingly? Because PCOS exclusively exists in women, and RCT is woman-specific (although it also applies to men), I like the way it fits into an integrated treatment approach for the mood disorders associated with PCOS – anxiety, depression, etc. It is also clear to me that an isolated approach to wellness almost never works, and working on and within a holistic continuum that involves an expansion of support, leads to a minimization of suffering – and I like that outcome! RCT offers some interesting thoughts and guidelines that are applicable to the treatment I provide my PCOS clients. The theory is actually quite accessible. What it says, in ultra-brief form (note that I’ve tailored it a bit to make sense in the context of PCOS), is that: · Growth-fostering relationships that support the well-being of all parties should be the goal of treatment and life itself. · Isolation is a source of suffering; by moving into growth-fostering relationships, we will decrease isolation, which is a common component of depression.
· Emotional availability, openness, and mutual respect are hallmarks of the growth-enhancing relationship.
· Free-flowing empathy, concern, and affirmation of one’s experiences assist in transcending the self and decreasing isolation. The therapist and client both exist fully, in the relationship.
· The relationship that takes place in the therapy room is a model for our relationships in the rest of our lives.
· What we do and how we live CAN change the world (this is the social activism part). RCT impacts the community as a whole, not just the client. RCT expects its practitioners to be social activists in many ways, including serving as the voice for women who have not yet developed the strength to speak out for themselves.
This blog is a form of social activism. By speaking my truth as a health psychologist, woman with PCOS, and member of the community, I hope to effect change in the mental health of individuals and the community. Knowing that I CAN effect change, and join with other women in doing so, is empowering for me and the community. It decreases isolation. I’ve found that the more empowered a woman feels to confront her condition head-on and do something meaningful about it, the less likely she is to be affected by depression. And that, in a nutshell, is how social activism might be good for your health.
Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She specializes in counseling women and couples who are coping with infertility, PCOS, and related endocrine disorders and chronic illnesses.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. HOUSE or her practice, or obtain referrals in the Los Angeles area, please visit her website at www.drhousemd.com, or e-mail her at Gretchen@drhousemd.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd.
References/Further Reading:
Jean Baker Miller Training Instititute, www.jbmti.org
The Healing Connection. Jean Baker Miller and Irene Stiver. 1997.
The Stone Center at Wellesley, www.wellesley.edu/counseling