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Information for Victims and Victim Advocates on Sexual Exploitation by
Counselors and Therapists
Introduction
 It's really hard to explain how powerful the therapist
seems to the client. He is supposed to be the expert, the trusted person who knows
what is best for you. I wish I hadn't ignored my uneasiness and confusion when he
started touching me. I guess I wanted him to take my pain away and to take care of
me. It turned out that I was taking care of his needs most of the time. I was
someone for him to confide in, to hold, to be flattered by.
Sexual or romantic involvement between a counselor and a client is never
okay. Such behavior is considered taboo by all groups in the mental health
professions. It is both unethical and illegal behavior. The consequences are
destructive and far reaching for the client who has become the victim of the counselor.
Within therapy relationships, it is common for clients to admire, depend
on and feel attracted to their counselor. When the counselor accepts or encourages
these positive feelings in a sexual or romantic way, the process of therapy has broken
down and is destructive to the client. Then the therapeutic relationship is used to
meet the needs of the counselor at the expense of the client. The issues that led
the client to therapy are sidetracked, postponed, even lost. The combination of
trust placed in a professional helper and the vulnerability a client feels makes it
difficult for clients to recognize that the situation is exploitative and victimizing.
My counselor often
said how nice it was when I could come in and give him a hug at the start of the
hour. When I didn't want to do that, he made me feel inadequate somehow. Not
greeting him warmly was then a problem we should "work on." I learned to
put aside the questions that were really bothering me.
There are a few victims of sexual exploitation by counselors who do not
appear to be having any special problems. Some feel that it was not all right but
they have handled the situation. There are others who find that they are having
difficulty coping with the experience. Many did not get help for the issues that led
them to therapy in the first place. Still others want to make sure that the
counselor will not be able to sexually exploit anyone in therapy again.
It is the purpose of this resource to define sexual exploitation by
counselors, to describe options available to victims of sexual exploitation and to present
methods of choosing counselors who are not exploitative. This resource is geared
toward persons who have been sexually exploited as adults. When children are victims
of sexual exploitation, some of the laws and other options covered here apply and
additional resources are also available. For more information on child sexual abuse,
contact a rape crisis center in your area or your county's child protection services.
Copyright © 1988 Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault,
with edits by AdvocateWeb.
[ Intro ] [ Introduction ] [ Definitions of Sexual Exploitation ] [ Warning Signs ] [ If it is You ] [ Questions You May Be Asking ] [ Counselors Who Exploit ] [ Consider the Options ] [ You Don't Have to Do This Alone ] [ For Concerned Persons ] [ Choosing a Counselor ] [ Client's Bill of Rights ]
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Exploitation
