Counselors' Perceptions of Sexuality in Counseling: a Pilot Study
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Originally Published In
The Practitioner Scholar: Journal of Counseling and Professional Psychology
Volume Number
3
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
63-81
Abstract
In spite of a recent emphasis on the developmental nature of sexuality, the counseling profession does not promote a consistent definition of sexuality or guidelines for conducting sexuality counseling. Using a qualitative approach, this study was conducted to examine the construct “sexuality” and “sexuality counseling” from counselors' perspectives. One synchronous online focus group and two online individual interviews were conducted with counselors predominantly in the Southeastern United States. Themes from the data include: sexuality is multi-dimensional; sexuality is developmental; sexuality counseling is dialectical; and sexuality training in counseling is insufficient. Implications of these findings for counselors, counselor education, training, and supervision are discussed.
