Sexual attraction in the therapeutic relationship

Abstract

This study investigates sexual attraction in the therapeutic relationship from the psychologists' perspectives. Six warranted clinical and counselling psychologists of mixed gender over the age of thirty participated in this study. Data was collected using individual, semi-structured interviews. Data from the participants’ transcribed narratives was analysed utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. From this analysis, five major themes emerged: There but hard to bear, Culture, Religion and Morality, Unwanted Sexual Attention, Why we like who we like, Journey towards Resolution. The major findings of this research suggested that although aspects of sexual attraction in therapy were negatively construed by practitioners, they were able to manage these situations with ethical sensitivity. Participants were able to make use of these experiences to gain insight into the client's world and to improve the therapeutic process. Moreover, the results indicate that psychologists tend to describe sexual attraction in terms of transference and countertransference. The findings were interpreted and discussed in the light of existing literature on the topic.