ABSTRACT
In 1989, Robert Simon’s seminal article “Sexual Exploitation of Patients: How it Begins Before It Happens” was published in Psychiatric Annals. Simon and those that followed determined that there are key features of therapy that facilitate the progression from well-intentioned professional therapeutic work to a sexual boundary violation. Other than rape in a therapy context – a rare occurrence – sexual boundary violations are the end result of an extended process, whether the involved professional is a psychologist, counselor, therapist, or social worker. Sexual attraction and arousal are parts of the human condition and will inevitably find their way into the consulting room. All clinicians at some point in their career will experience sexual fantasies or sexual attraction towards a client or will be the object of a client’s erotic attention. Mental health treatment facilities, licensing boards, and professional associations have done what they can to prevent sexual boundary violations.
