Lecture 7 Flashcards
Sexual relationships with students and supervisees
7.07 Psychologists do not engage in sexual relationships with students or supervisees who are in their department, agency, or training center or over whom psychologists have or are likely to have evaluative authority. 10.05 - psychologists do not engage in sexual intimacies with current therapy clients/patients. 10.06 - psychologists do not engage in sexual intimacies with individuals they know to be close relatives, guardians, or significant others of current clients/patients. Psychologists do not terminate therapy to circumvent the standard. 10.07 - psychologists do not accept as therapy clients/patients persons with whom they have engaged in sexual intimacies. 10.08 - psychologists do not engage in sexual intimacies with former clients/patients for at least two years after cessation or termination of therapy. Psychologists do not engage in sexual intimacies with former clients/patients even after a 2 year interval except in the most unusual circumstances. Psychologists who engage in such activity after 2 years bear burden of demonstrating that there has been no exploitation
Sexual relationships
1960s debate with Greenwald recommending people study sexual contact between clients and patients. The NY Psychological Association wanted to kick him out for saying that. James McCartney in his article “overt transference” talked about sexual contact with clients, alluded to doing that with over 200 clients. Martin Sheppard’s book Love Treatment - benefits and harm from having sex with client, how to do it so you don’t harm the client, didn’t say he had sex with clients. Both of them got kicked out of APA, all that led to suppression of the topic because people didn’t want kicked out.
Renewed interest in late 1970s
Roy v Hartogs (1973) - Roy brought lawsuit for sexual misconduct, Hartogs lost license but then became a therapist (not licensed since generic term). California Task Force - states developed task forces to look at this. Consumer groups sprung up. Media began writing about this. Book - A Killing Cure describes $4.6 million lawsuit against Hartog.
Data
Sheldon Kardener (1973) - male physicians - 10% of psychiatrists, OB/GYN - 18%. This survey did not define sexual contact. Judith Perry (1976) 0% of female physicians. Holroyd and Brodsky (1977) - psychologists contact - 10.9% males, 1.9% females. Intercourse 5.5% males, 0.6% females. Pope (1979) psychologists: 12% males, 3% females. Pope (1986) psychologists: 9.4% males, 2.5% females. Gartrell (1986) psychiatrists - 7.1% males, 3.1% females. Gender of relationships across some surveys - M/F 80% plus, M/M 5-7%, F/F 2-12%, F/M 3-4%. Most recent data is less than 1% each gender do anything. Even criminal offense, and more women becoming psychologists.
Client characteristics
None although some do try to seduce their therapists.
Therapist characteristics
Mostly males in 40s and 50s. Uninformed, healthy or mildly neurotic (isolated events), more severely neurotic or socially isolated (get all needs met through work), sociopathic/narcissistic, psychotic, borderline PD. 95% of all male and 75% of all female psychologists report occasionally being attracted to clients.
Other issues
Seductive enterprise - some describe psychotherapy as this, your clients will like you if you’re good, requires close working relationship. How are you seducible? Two year controversy - many argued that it was forever unethical. Have to justify that type of relationship was not alluded to before therapy ended, not have undue influence of power, most relationships started within two years of therapy ending, so unlikely to happen after two years. 90% of people exploited by a therapist never disclose that- self-blame, etc, didn’t realize it was therapist’s responsibility not to do that, might not know what to do, fearful, may be a long process and end up in court, have public records, don’t want partner to know what happened. Don’t have to report ex therapist uless you work in MN. Let clients have autonomy, let them decide what to do. Can’t break confidentiality, so can’t get evidence, can still call to accumulate info though.
Student survey
88% of student responses had ethics class/knew code. 448 student affiliates in 2006. 1) Are contacts/advances occurring in your program - 6% said advance, 2% had sex with psychology educator (male educator, female student). 2) How do they perceive appropriateness of contact before, during, and after the professional relationship? 88% said not appropriate during, 42% said ok before or after. 3) Would you have sexual contact if no one would find out? 13% said yes (equal male and female). 4) If know of inappropriate contact, would you feel safe to pursue action? Slightly less than half.
