2016 Intimate attractions and sexual misconduct in the therapeutic relationship: Implications for socially just practice

Despite the fact that there is controversy on the relevant ethical rules, sexually intimate behavior between psychologists and their customers, mentors, and students poses a severe challenge within psychological and allied fields. For those involved, the negative effects are frequently wide and nuanced. In addition, clients from marginalized backgrounds may be more susceptible to therapist exploitation as a result of wider power gaps. This conversation focuses on how the therapeutic alliance and its applicability to minority communities have implications for training, monitoring, and practice. Suggestions were put forward to assist practitioners in differentiating between sexual desires and intimate behaviors and dealing with them in an ethical, socially just manner. A deeper comprehension of these problems might also be helpful to clients.