How might we navigate misogyny when it emerges in our clinical practice? Whether expressed subtly through gendered assumptions and hostility or more explicitly through anti-women rhetoric, misogyny has long been present across social work settings, including mental health care, schools, community agencies, and healthcare. For many social workers (particularly women-identifying and gender-diverse clinicians) these encounters can evoke strong emotional, ethical, and embodied responses, as well as concerns for safety. Drawing on the presenter’s doctoral research examining social workers’ experiences supporting incel clients who express misogynistic beliefs, this webinar explores how misogyny manifests within practice, common countertransference reactions practitioners may experience, how practitioners can respond in ways that maintain therapeutic boundaries without reinforcing harmful ideologies, and how social workers can care for themselves while engaging in emotionally demanding work.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Identify ways that misogyny may emerge within social work practice settings.
2. Recognize common emotional and countertransference responses social workers may experience when engaging with misogynistic client content.
3. Highlight practical strategies for responding to the client therapeutically while maintaining boundaries, safety, and professional integrity.
