Women in Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a relatively new emerging field in Pakistan, and in the last decade or so, many women have joined the field as therapists. Women psychiatrists and clinical psychologists have been actively practicing for a long time and have been providing therapy and clinical support. However, therapy as an exclusive field has recently developed and picked up pace. Pakistan faces challenges in mental health rooted in cultural stigma and lack of awareness, but slowly and gradually, the landscape is changing.

So, what is it like to be a female therapist in Pakistan? Firstly, despite therapy being recognized as an exclusive field to seek mental health support, it is not recognized by any professional regulatory body as other fields of medicine are.

This leads to therapists, especially women therapists, not being taken seriously and being patronized. This leads to a lack of awareness around what therapy is and is mostly seen as, ‘You just have to sit and listen, and anyone can do that!’ Most therapists are trained by local institutions affiliated with foreign boards but not with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, which further dents the integrity of the training and professionalism of the therapists.

Most women therapists have set up their private practices in their homes for the sake of safety, and that leads to further misperception and doubt around the credibility of the profession. Safety is a big concern as they are dealing with male clients who sometimes are only reaching out for ulterior motives and not for mental health concerns. Women therapists are at risk of harassment, and perhaps an office at home is an attempt to maintain a boundary of sorts.

Another challenge is how a woman therapist is perceived by most. In a male-dominated society and against the landscape of patriarchy and religious extremism, the idea of a woman sharing private and intimate space with a male client for an hour while he discusses his innermost experiences is judged and considered immoral. To the outsider, it’s a woman talking to a man, and that too in a private setting, and that raises eyebrows. Unlike women, doctors with their lab coats and working in a clinical setting, a therapist in her casual attire and the setting is unfortunately not given the respect she deserves, and many doubts are raised out of sheer ignorance as to what is happening behind closed doors.

In all fairness, despite some of these serious concerns, it is also true that most clients come from a privileged, educated class of society, and there is sufficient openness and understanding of psychotherapy and willingness to work with female therapists. Having said that, within the therapeutic work, a Pakistani male client, despite openness to work at the conscious level, has an ancestral bias towards getting any feedback from a woman that he believes at an unconscious level rooted in the patriarchal subcontinental environment.

There is an opposing energy of resistance vs. fascination to share space with a female therapist and a fantasy of healing colliding with the fear of being emasculated by the challenge in therapy.

Ironically, women dominate the field of psychotherapy in Pakistan, and there is a greater demand for working with them than for men. I believe that’s the intuition that is pulsating in society, which recognizes the female as an archetype of a ‘mother’ and ‘nurturer’ and sees her as someone who can hold emotions and feelings and is more right-brained than a man.

I think that as the field of mental health is slowly evolving in Pakistan, so is the Pakistani female therapist, as she is finding her space and niche when it comes to mental health treatment. She is becoming more confident and comfortable in her skin. Therapists develop over time, and the training is the start of this journey. The female therapist in Pakistan continues to focus on her personal and professional development; her journey is parallel to the development of the field. More training institutions led by women are opening up in Pakistan. It seems like the Pakistani woman has taken the responsibility of leading the way in creating a mentally healthy society and paving the way for opening important and difficult conversations around mental health and seeking support from a female therapist.

Despite its challenges, a female therapist is growing and thriving and, through the profession of psychotherapy, is nudging its way into the fabric of society and striving for respect and recognition.