Ethical tensions in sex addiction counselling

Abstract

There is little research about how counsellors experience the process of sex addiction counselling. This study used the research methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how counsellors experience and manage ethical tensions in sex addiction counselling. Four certified sex addiction therapists (CSATs) were selected as participants and interviewed about their experiences. Analysis of interview transcripts produced three superordinate themes: preventative strategies, nuanced emotions during ethical tensions, and resolving tensions. Preventative strategies describe the counsellors’ efforts to implement practices that prevented negative experiences with ethical tensions. The theme of nuanced emotions refers to the intricate emotional experience the counsellors often had when they encountered ethical tensions. Resolving tensions relates how counsellors constructed ethical and personally meaningful decision-making processes to resolve their tensions. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature about sex addiction counselling, including this study’s contributions, implications for practice and future research, and strengths and limitations.