Constructions of Therapist-Client Sex: A Comparative Analysis of Retrospective Victim Reports
Authors: Eli Somer1; Irit Nachmani2
Source: Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, Volume 17, Number 1, January 2005 , pp. 47-62(16)
Publisher: Springer
- Free Content
- New Content
- Subscribed Content
- Free Trial Content
Abstract:
Former patients’ (n = 24) accounts of their experience during a sexual liaison with their psychotherapist (Therapist-Client Sex, TCS) could be classified as either romantic (TCS-Romance) or as an abusive encounter (TCS-Abuse). During TCS, individuals in the TCS-Romance group reported having experienced overall better emotional states and more favorable perceptions of both the perpetrating therapists and the treatments they provided. Pre-TCS assessments showed that initially TCS-Romance subjects may have had a relatively higher regard for their perpetrators and the quality of their treatments than TCS-Abuse subjects, but these between-group differences disappeared when the same variables were assessed for two post-TCS periods. These periods were marked in both groups by deteriorated indices of psychological well-being. These findings suggest that a romantic narrative of TCS could have a shielding, albeit temporary, impact on the subjective experience of what is otherwise considered an abusive relationship.Keywords: therapist-patient relationship; sexual exploitation; therapist abuse
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1007/s11194-005-1210-z
Affiliations: 1: University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel, Email: somer@research.haifa.ac.il 2: University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,
- Free Content
- New Content
- Subscribed Content
- Free Trial Content
Click here for Page Help