The psychotherapy and social action model is an approach to psychotherapy characterized by concentration on past and present personal, social, and political obstacles to mental health. In particular, the goal of this therapeutic approach is to acknowledge that individual symptoms are not unique, but rather shared by people similarly oppressed and marginalized. Ultimately, the psychotherapy and social action model aims to aid clients in overcoming mental illness through personal psychotherapy, group coping, and collective social action. Background The psychotherapy and social action model was initially proposed by Sue Holland, a psychotherapist with a background in community action. Holland developed this framework in 1980 following her experience working with women coping with psychological disorders at a housing estate in West London. At this estate, Holland observed the psychological difficulties experienced by women, noticing that their mental health was fundamentally tied to the social and economic obstacles they encountered as females in their society. In addition, Holland took issue with the way Depression (mood) was being treated at the shelter, believing that individualized treatment, especially with the use of psychotropic medication, was not successfully addressing the root of the dysfunction for these women. Instead, Holland posited a pathway from individual treatment to sociopolitical action that empowered women to deal with their mental dysfunction both privately and socially. As such, the psychotherapy and social action model is rooted in the ideals of both traditional psychotherapy and feminist empowerment. Implementation of the model began with a three-year trial run and, according to Holland (1992), achieved its three initial goals, including providing private focused psychotherapy, promoting mental health, and fostering community continuity. There was initial evidence supporting the efficacy of the model in treating individual psychological dysfunction. The model The square model derives from the sociological theory of the four paradigms for the analysis of social theory. Outside the frame of the model, the dichotomy of individual versus social approaches to personal well-being is represented. The two bottom cells of the square delineate the changing of individuals to conform to social convention while the two top cells of the square represent the changing of social structures as opposed to the individual. The four cells within the frame represent the four paradigms of social theory including functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical structuralist paradigms. Functionalism here is rooted in regulation and objective thinking, and represents the individual, status-quo approach to mental health. The interpretive paradigm is