Research from Australia indicates that one tenth of all therapists will have sex problems with their clients. This contrasts with a know rate of 1 to 2 percent for other medical practitioners. Our own quick research indicates that the number is higher for the duration of their careers. Numbers may vary by region. As seen in the West Australian News
One in every ten male therapists will have sex or develop an intimate link with a female client, according to Australian research.
Leading psychiatrist Professor Carolyn Quadrio will present findings at a mental health conference on how those in her profession blur the line with their patients.
She said her research had found between seven and ten per cent of male therapists had some sort of sexual contact with a female client. Just one to three per cent of women therapists had done the same.
"It's clear that patients often idealise their therapists, that's kind of part of the process and that's what the therapist has to manage very carefully," said Prof Quadrio, from the school of psychiatry at the University of NSW.
"What I've done is identify the groups of therapists who take on, foster and enjoy this idealisation and let the whole thing go too far."
She said professionals most likely to let this happen fitted into three groups - depressed men who were going through difficult times and were more likely respond to an adoring client, the bad eggs who "prey" on vulnerable clients and the "ego maniacs".
"The bad eggs we can't do much about because they're psychopathic. Every profession has them, they just need to be expelled," said Prof Quadrio, who is well known for her research into sexual abuse in fiduciary relationships.
Those who are depressed are often easy to identify because they are troubled and not coping, the researcher said. The narcissistic types were the hardest to weed out because these therapists were often highly talented and admired by colleagues and patients alike.
"In this group they get on an ego trip," she said.
"They lose perspective and think that it is right that they should be adored.
"From there, a sexual relationship often develops - particularly if the client has been abused or has gone through trauma as a child."
Prof Quandrio, who has assessed hundreds of cases of people who were abused by teachers, clergy and in institutional care as children, will tell the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) conference that ethical practitioners to construct and maintain boundaries with their patients.
"It's a pretty uncomfortable thing for psychiatrists to hear, especially the men, but it's important to talk about it.
"We've come a long way in recent years, with public awareness and good investigation processes, but there's always further to go."
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