Reasons Offered for Refraining from Sexual Intimacies with Clients

Table 3 lists the major reasons offered in order of frequency mentioned. Patterns were proportionately similar for male and female therapists except for two categories, fear of retaliation by clients and the illegality factor, which were offered only by male therapists as reasons for not acting out sexual feelings toward clients.

Table 3 - Reasons Offered for Refraining from Sexual Intimacies with Clients

Content category // Frequency

Unethical 289
Countertherapeutic/exploitative 251
Unprofessional practice 134
Against therapists' personal values 133
Therapist already in a committed relationship 67
Fear of censure/loss of reputation 48
Damaging to therapist 43
Disrupts handling of transference/countertransference 28
Fear of retaliation by client 19
Attraction too weak/short-lived 18
Illegal 13
Self-control 8
Common sense 8
Miscellaneous 32

Sexual Attraction to Clients - The Human Therapist and the (Sometimes)
Inhuman Training System