Working with Sexual Attraction in Psychotherapy Practice and Supervision
A Humanistic-Relational Approach

Working with Sexual Attraction in Psychotherapy Practice and Supervision addresses some of the challenges associated with sexual attraction in psychotherapy practice and supervision, as well as within services, and helps therapists, supervisors, and managers to navigate them with openness and self-reflection.

The book focuses on practical and applied issues, using a relational humanistic-integrative theoretical approach as a backdrop for understanding. Split into three parts, it deals with issues related to clinical practice, supervision and ethical issues. Chapters support in-depth exploration in all three arenas of practice and are completed by editors providing a reflective summary.

Enriched with case examples and research written by senior relational practitioners, the book will be beneficial to therapists, supervisors, and service managers in the field of psychotherapy.

Part 1. Clinical Practice: Sexual attraction in the therapy room; 1.1 Let’s talk about sex: Female therapists’ experiences of working with male clients who are sexually attracted to them; 1.2Mapping the ‘Erotic’ in the therapeutic relationship; 1.3 The Meaning of the Asking; 1.4 Gender Identity & Sexual attraction in the therapeutic encounter. A Transgender perspective; 1.5 Editor’s summary and reflection of the themes related to practice issues; Part 2.Sexual attraction and Sexual Identity in Supervision; 2.1 The Supervisory Dimension; 2.2 The Comfort and disturbance of Forbidden Conversations: Sexuality and Erotic Forces in Relational Psychotherapy Supervision; 2.3. Sexual Orientation in the supervisory relationship: Exploring Fears and Fantasies when different sexual orientations are present in the client/therapist and/or supervisory dyad; 2.4. Editor’s Summary and reflection on sexual attraction and orientation in supervision; Part 3. Ethics: Preventing and dealing with transgressions; 3.1. Sexual Transgressions and Transgressing Gender and Sexuality; 3.2. Firefighting. Managing sexual ruptures and transgressions within counselling and psychotherapy services; 3.3. An ethical container for erotic confusion; 3.4. Editor’s Summary and reflection on ethical practice and prevention of transgressions

Biljana van Rijn is a psychotherapist, supervisor, and an author. She works at Metanoia Institute in London, where she heads a Faculty for Research Strategy and Innovation, and teaches. She also practices as a Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist and Supervisor, and a Counselling Psychologist. Biljana has established a long-standing research clinic at Metanoia Institute with an emphasis on routine outcomes evaluation of humanistic and integrative psychotherapies.

Jasenka Lukac-Greenwood is a Chartered Psychologist and an Integrative Psychotherapist, working in a variety of self-employed roles: as a therapist in private practice, as a visiting lecturer, and as an organisational consultant and coach. She has a particular interest in understanding and working with gender dynamics at work, which instigated her doctoral research and inspired this book.