ABSTRACT
In the normal course of doing our work, we are likely to meet colleagues, students, or clients to whom we are sexually attracted. This is not only normal, but if we are truly honest with ourselves, our caring for and about people probably has a lot to do with why we do what we do for a living. We are given the rare privilege of sharing in the intimacies of strangers. The vulnerability inherent in a client sharing his or her private stories and feelings with us may have a powerful meaning to us and thus evoke feelings in us. How we handle these feelings is one of the great challenges for the health-care professional, especially those in the mental health professions. If these feelings are unrecognized, denied, or mishandled, we may cross what are considered to be appropriate provider-client boundaries. Such boundary crossings may occur in many ways, ranging from social contact outside the practice setting to excessive personal disclosure to overt sexual contact.
