Sexual Contact During and After Professional Relationships: Practices and Attitudes of Female Counselors

A national sample of female counselors (N = 377) was surveyed regarding sexual contact in professional relationships. Few respondents reported engaging in sexual contact either during or following professional relationships with clients, supervisees, or students. Individuals with doctoral degrees were more likely to have engaged in sexual contact with their own counselors, supervisors, or teachers. Counselors viewed sexual contact in current professional relationships as less ethical than contact in subsequent relationships, although relationships with former clients were seen as less ethical than relationships with former supervisees or students. Compared with male counselors from a previous study, female counselors were less likely to report sexual contact in their professional roles. Implications for research and training are discussed. 1995 American Counseling Association