Hello folks, I hope you all having a good day. I want to talk about the complex issue of sexual attraction in the counseling relationship. This is a issues that is often not told about for a variety of reasons. I will be getting into those reasons in a couple of paragraphs. The idea of this blog is coming from a conversation I had with a colleague and a friend of mine about the subject of sexual attraction is the counseling relationship.
So let me give you some ethical and legal guidelines about this subject. Some of this is pretty common sense. It is unethical to have sex with a active client. There is no way around this ethical principle. In the state of Florida, you can lose your license if you violate this ethical principle.As mental health professions we have a duty to take action if we know about professional that is doing this.
This is the ethical standard that we must follow. However the issue of sexual attraction is very complicated. because of the nature of the counseling relationship, attraction does take place. This is a natural. However, acting on those feelings is unethical.
So what should you do if a client says they are attracted to you? This is a topic that you should talk about it session. You as a professional have the duty to set appropriate boundaries with the client. You should explore the meaning behind the attraction. We always want to approach the subject like we do in all subjects, in a unconditional positive regard manner. We always want to be non-judgmental.
Okay so we know how to handle this issue, but what happens if the practitioner is attracted to the client? This does sometimes happen. However again , we can not violate this ethical standard above. So how do you handle a situation of attraction? There was not a lot of the literature on this, but the literature does have some recommendations. You should never discuss this with the client. By discussing it, you will bring your business into the counseling relationship. You should seek supervision on this issue. it is very appropriate to ask for help. You need to remember that, this is not relevant to the Relationship you have with the client. See a counselor your self if it is appropriate to discuss the underlying issue.
Hello, I came across your blog through a friend. I find this post interesting as I recently read a candid article in The Atlantic that talks abt sexual attraction in counseling. I've never been counseled but it would be my preference to have a same-sex counselor if it came down to it, because the possibility of becoming attracted to my counselor would ruin the relationship. You might like the article too - http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/seduction-therapy-can-men-be-treated-by-female-psychiatrists/248698/
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I also think that it is sometimes based on the preference of the client. Thank you for sharing the link to the article.
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