Female therapists vs male therapists?

Question

Do you think there's an actual difference in how they evaluate and treat patients? I'm mean yeah I'm sure there is some kind of universal "therapist language" that they all share, but given that men and women tend to think differently and have different problem solving skills, is it possible that if you are seeing a therapist, depending on the gender you may get help a different way than you would if the therapist were the opposite gender? Is it even possible that maybe one gender's methods is somehow more effective than the others?

I'm not saying this difference is necessarily a bad thing, I'm just asking if there is even a difference in the first place.

If YOU were seeing a therapist, one you prefer a specific gender to be your therapist?

Answer 1

Here is the answer:

http://allpsych.com/disorders/dsm.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_...

Gender makes no difference: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is used by psychiatrists and psychologists in making clinical diagnosis.  Its not "make it up as you go along", as you appear to think.

As I said above the DSM is used by psychiatrists (medical doctors with a specialization in psychiatry) and psychologists (PhD).  Anybody can hang out a shingle claiming to be a "therapist": "therapist" is not a professional, regulated occupation: psychiatrist and psychologist *IS*.

Answer 2

CAustin said it best.

I see much more variety in problem solving skills among individuals than in genders, specifically. When it comes to doctors and therapists, I am inclined to believe people choose gender more because of their own preconceived notions of competence and comfort with that particular gender, versus actual skill.

Answer 3

Dunno about therapists but seeing a pregnant woman mid birthing stop birthing to fight with nurses that were trying to forcibly remove a man being present - has given me a certain impression. The male doctors that were there at the time didn't have the same problem.

Answer 4

Well, I don't know. Good question. I think it's a toss-up, really.

When choosing a therapist, you have to find someone you think you might be comfortable with. My BF sees a man, and I've seen a man and a woman.

The man made me uncomfortable because of his demeanor (he seemed shy and very young), and I didn't feel like I could talk to him about things, like the rape that happened in 1994. I just didn't feel comfortable disclosing all of that to a man. It wasn't anything against him or his work, it was about my comfort level.

The current one I see is a man, and he's a little more soft-spoken and experienced than the other guy I saw. I feel I can be forthcoming with him.

The woman therapist I had a while back was no-nonsense but she was also a therapist of my brother & sister-in-law, so I eventually stopped going to her because I didn't feel comfortable about that. I didn't want to say something about how I grew up that could reflect negatively on him.

Right now, I'm going to stick with the guy.

Answer 5

Hopefully the idea that all women think a certain way and all men think a certain, different way will dry up as it becomes more and more evident that this isn't the case.

But with specific respect to psychiatry, many people prefer a certain gender for psychiatric (and sometimes other medical) treatment, simply because many people associate very deeply held personal prejudices with gender, and this can be particularly pronounced in psychiatric patients.

A particular patient who had serious issues rooted in abuse by one parent or another, for instance, might prefer to see a psychiatrist of the opposite gender of the parent who abused them, because of gender-related security issues, not because therapists of a certain gender universally think in a certain way.

If I was seeing a therapist, I think it any sort of preferences on the sort of person my therapist should be would depend heavily on what sort of psychological problem I was experiencing.

Answer 6

Well my experience with therapists,Irish therapists at least is that women tend to be more empathetic and affectionate, intimate from the beginning while men seem to sustain you, reinvigour you, have a more 'get up and go ' attitude..They are robust and make you strong again..A woman suffers with you, cries with you...Some female therapists though have never experienced the self same circumstance as you or perhaps have never had to contend wth the reality of depression and so lack the natural sensitivity and insight that the trials of life invariably bring. For some, it is a job alone like accountency and for others it is indeed a vocation...One female therapist I went to see blamed me for the people in m life that were vituperative and abusive to me..