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Ethics and morality

Sexual contact between patients and psychologists

Sexual relations between applied psychologists and service users, and between psychologists and students/trainees was the subject of a study by Tanya Garrett. Here she presents her findings and calls on the Society to give urgent attention to the issue.

18 May 1998

In 1992 I conducted a national, anonymous survey of members of the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) of The British Psychological Society in relation to their experiences of sexual contact with patients, both personal and at second hand, for example through their patients who had engaged in sexual contact with previous therapists. While I surveyed 1,000 members, I had not expected the level of response which I eventually received (58.1 per cent).

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