We’re in the throes of editing our Theories text, meaning I’m so deep into existential, feminist, and third wave counseling and psychotherapy theories that I may have lost myself. If any of you find me somewhere on the street babbling about Judith Jordan and Frantz Fanon and Bryan Cochran, please guide me home.
This brings me to a big ask.
As part of 4th wave feminism, we’re more deeply integrating intersectionality into the practice of feminist therapy. Among other things, intersectionality is about identity. I’m interested in using a variation of Irvin Yalom’s “Who are you?” group technique to explore identity in anyone willing to respond to this post.
To participate, follow these instructions.
- Clear a space for thinking, writing, and exploring your identity.
- Ask yourself the question: “Who am I?” and write down the response as it flows into your brain/psyche.
- Repeat this process nine more times, for a total of 10 responses, numbering each response. One rule about this: You can’t use the same response twice.
- After you finish your list of 10, write a paragraph or two about how you were affected by this activity.
- If you’re comfortable sharing, send me your list of 10 identities along with your reflections (email: john.sf@mso.umt.edu). If you prefer the more public route, you can post your responses here on my blog. Either way, because I’m in 24/7 theories mode, you may not hear back from me until middle November!
There’s a chance I might want to quote one or more of you in the theories text, instructor’s manual, student guide, or in this blog. If that’s the case, I will email you and request permission.
Thanks for considering this activity and request. Identity and identity development are fascinating. Whether we’re talking about multiple identities (intersectionality), emotions and behaviors (Blake), or the “microbes within us” (Yong), we all contain multitudes.
John Sommers-Flanagan 
I’ll do it. Do you want me to ask others?
Yes! That would be fabulous. Also, sorry not to respond to your other email yet. Between CAPE and our book revision deadline, I’m burning that proverbial candle. Thank you Nancy!
Who Am I?
10 Identities
1. Licensed clinical social worker
2. Wife
3. Mother
4. Friend
5. Sister
6. Cousin
7. Colleague
8. Member and leader in a church women’s group
9. Learner
10. Female
Reflection on Who Am I and how I was affected by the activity:
It didn’t take long to write down my identities and yet, they are all so layered, complicated, filled with insecurities and wonderings about how I am showing up in those identities. For most of them, I have a part of me that feels confident and able and I smiled as I wrote out the identify and another part, as I wrote out the identity, wanted to show up and say, “But how are you really doing with that? Are you really good at showing up in this way or does it just look good to you on paper?”
On the other hand, I noticed I wrote down mostly roles I play in my life and yet does that define my identity? Did I really write down identities or did I play it safe and wrote down roles. Maybe it was safer to write down the roles rather than the true grit of my identify, like really who I am at my core because as I reflect, at my core, I am scared and insecure with wounds still needing to be healed and yet I am strong, secure, confident and an overcomer who loves what I do as a clinical social worker…I love my work…back to the roles. I am safe behind a role. Or am I?
Wow! I love this! Thanks very much for sharing. I am grateful.
Thank you!
When do you need to hear by John? Date and so forth. I was indisposed for about two months now so just got this message.. Suvendrini H. C. Christopher-Schuhmann, EDD