NCJ Number
142642
Date Published
1989
Length
254 pages
Annotation
The frequency with which sexual misconduct occurs between mental health practitioners and their patients represents an increasingly important issue in the professional and public arenas, and the author recounts her own experience of sexual intimacy with her doctor and the subsequent malpractice lawsuit.
Abstract
The author, in training as a psychologist, reviews her deep sense of betrayal, the emotional devastation of her doctor's sexual misconduct, and the frustration of seeking legal redress. She notes that her own integrity was challenged throughout the legal process, due to the assumption that any female professional who testifies does so with vindictive intent. In recounting her experience, the author attempts to bridge the gap between professional understanding and public awareness of sexual misconduct by therapists and to show how a therapist can easily control the client situation and how pervasive the effects of misconduct can be. The author's description of her emotional history clearly shows why clients in improper therapeutic relationships become confused about the therapist's motives and even about what constitutes therapy versus seduction or exploitation. She notes such symptoms as loss of self-esteem, heightened sense of mistrust, depression, guilt, and anger and indicates how, after being victimized, she attempted to understand why the therapist engaged in sexual misconduct. Difficulties in checking the references of prospective employees, including therapists, are examined. Consideration is also given to the decision to report sexual misconduct by therapists, difficulties in initiating civil litigation, psychological recovery, damage assessment, ethical issues, and training and rehabilitation of mental health professionals. Appendixes contain a chronology of events experienced by the author and supplemental information on what to do if sex enters into the psychotherapy relationship. References and figures