Counseling Psychologists' Training to Deal with their Sexual Feelings in Therapy

Abstract

Research examining therapists' sexual feelings toward their clients is limited, and there is minimal information on graduate training regarding how to cope with such feelings when they arise. We examined the training practices of counseling psychology programs, with regard to preparing students to deal with sexual feelings toward clients. We also examined the perceived adequacy of this training by practicing graduates of these programs. Results show that although most programs report addressing this issue (generally in practicum), only about half the practicing graduates of these programs report receiving such training; and of those, only 60% report it as adequate. Implications for training are discussed.