Sexual Relationships with Professionals

330 Words2 Pages
Having sexual relationships with professionals is a critical situation that makes a client and a professional cross boundaries. A sexual intimacy can be defined as any touching, fondling, kissing, or erotic acts including intercourse between the patient and the professional. Sexual misconduct between therapists, social workers or any professional takes various forms. It may include evident sexual behavior or sexually suggestive behavior such as sexual humor or suggestive remarks. Sometimes, people ignore the fact that touching is not having sexual intimacy but the truth is that it’s critical sexual act. For example, Megan is a beautiful young woman who has started counseling due to her substance abuse problem. Her counselor, Dr. Patrick, is a very attractive man who has been there for Megan every time she needs support after having some temptations with alcohol. After a few months of counseling, Megan got the professional’s phone number for emergencies. Megan started frequently calling Dr. Patrick on the phone, even though her calls are not about her addiction problems. They started a friendship without noticing and they get to know each other more intimately. Without realizing what was happening, Megan and Dr. Patrick were having more than a friendship. They started dating even though they continued meeting at the clinic for Megan’s therapy. They had a normal intimate relationship as any other couple, although they kept having a therapist-patient relationship. This case scenario is very harmful for the patient because she has been going to therapy because of a substance abuse problem. Maybe, Megan drinks because she is hurting, unhappy, frightened, or confused and Dr. Patrick could be taking advantage of Megan’s trust and vulnerability. Professional boundaries are integral for a good professional-client relationship. For that reason, it is very important never to

More about Sexual Relationships with Professionals

Open Document