Judith Worell

Judith Peschya Worell (born 1928) is a licensed clinical psychologist whose work has focused on developing a feminist model for counseling and psychotherapy. She is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Kentucky.

Worell served as President of the Society for the Psychology of Women, American Psychological Association (APA) Division 35, from 1997 to 1998 and as Editor of Psychology of Women Quarterly. The award citation recognized her as "one of the foremost feminist psychologists in the nation, she is among just a handful of individuals who have been instrumental in establishing and defining an entire field. Feminist psychology owes much of its shape and growth to Judith and her work in research about women and gender roles, in the unique treatment needs of women, and in education in the psychology of women." She received the Carolyn Wood Sherif Award in 2001 and the Heritage Award in 2004, both from the Society for the Psychology of Women. Her other awards include the 1991 Distinguished Psychologist Award from the Kentucky Psychological Association.

Biography Worell was born in 1928 and raised in Greenwich Village. She grew up in a Jewish family with strict gender roles. Her father's actions, specifically the gender rules in their house, are what taught her about sexism and about the division of labor, and it was not something she accepted easily. Later on in her career, Worell said, "Women are the ones delving into advice books because they are 'the caretakers of the relationship'". This idea came from the way she was raised and her mother's relationship with her father. As a child, Worell recalled going to the synagogue with her family, where the women had to sit separately from men because they were "unclean" or "distracting to men". and contributed to research examining whether meprobamate would reduce anxiety in patients.

Eventually Worell and her husband both landed faculty positions at the University of Kentucky. where she met many women in psychology who had their Ph.Ds but were unable to get teaching positions due to sexism and patriarchy in academia. As Worell put it, feminism raised women's consciousness about the personal also being political. With women she met, Worell engaged in conversations about sexual violence that made her aware of how common rape was and that women needed a voice. To bring about change, she began her lifework in feminist therapy, integrating tenets of feminism with a cognitive social learning approach to create more effective methods of counseling and psychotherapy that emphasized and supported women's empowerment. Worell put together a feminist counseling and referral service at the Women's Center at the University of Kentucky and went on to establish the first sexual harassment code at the University of Kentucky.

Books Johnson, N. G., Roberts, M. C., & Worell, J. E. (1999). Beyond appearance: A new look at adolescent girls. American Psychological Association. Worell, J. (Ed.). (2001). Encyclopedia of women and gender, two-volume set: Sex similarities and differences and the impact of society on gender (Vol. 1). Academic Press. Worell, J., & Goodheart, C. D. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook of girls' and women's psychological health. Oxford University Press. Worell, J. E., & Johnson, N. G. (Eds.) (1997). Shaping the future of feminist psychology: Education, research, and practice. American Psychological Association. Worell, J., & Remer, P. (2002). Feminist perspectives in therapy: Empowering diverse women. John Wiley & Sons.