Feminist Mental Health Activism in England, C. 1968-95 - (Gender in History) by Kate Mahoney (Paperback)

About the Book

This book provides the first in-depth examination of feminist mental health activism in England from c.1968-1995. It explores how feminist activists initially rejected Freud before using psychoanalysis to enhance their politics; examines the development of feminist therapy; and charts the influence of feminism on national mental health charities.

Book Synopsis

Feminist mental health activism in England, c.1968-1995 provides the first in-depth examination of feminist mental health activism in England, employing original oral history interviews alongside detailed case studies of unexplored feminist initiatives. It charts how feminist activists in the late 1960s initially rejected psychological approaches, before employing a range of therapies to understand themselves and support one another. This book charts the emergence of feminist mental health groups in the early 1970s, the development of feminist therapy across the 1980s, and the influence of feminist politics on national charity Mind in the 1990s. It examines what participation in feminist activism felt like; demonstrating how these emotions have influenced the construction of its history. The book simultaneously forges a new direction in the history of mental healthcare in postwar England, establishing how feminists' grassroots support for women redefined 'community care'.

From the Back Cover

Feminist mental health activism in England, c.1968-95 provides the first in-depth examination of feminist mental health activism in England. Drawing on original oral history interviews and case studies of previously unexplored feminist initiatives, it charts how members of the Women's Liberation Movement initially rejected Freudian psychoanalysis, before employing a range of therapeutic approaches to better understand themselves and politics.
The book charts the emergence of feminist mental health groups in the early 1970s, who fostered self-help approaches to support activists experiencing emotional distress, before exploring the development of feminist therapy in England. This examination incorporates the efforts of Black psychotherapists who fought to ensure the accessibility and inclusivity of feminist therapy organisations. It also examines how feminist politics came to influence mental health policies and practices on a national scale via the charity Mind. Feminist activists adopted an increasingly collaborative approach to mental health by working with members of the service user movement.
In charting this history, Feminist mental health activism in England, c.1968-1995 showcases what it felt like to be a feminist activist, illustrating how these emotions have since come to influence the construction of histories of the women's movement. It simultaneously forges a new direction in the history of mental healthcare in postwar England, establishing how feminists' grassroots support for women redefined 'community care'.

Review Quotes

'Kate Mahoney offers an engaging account of feminist mental health activism in twentieth-century England... Feminist Mental Health Activism contributes to disability history by contextualizing the experiences of psychiatric disability in a framework of feminism, activism, and the shifting scene of mental health care in England.' - H-Disability

About the Author

Kate Mahoney is an independent researcher and Visiting Fellow at the University of Essex