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The Dominion Sunday Times
December 15, 1991.
Sex abuse victims say male counsellors harassed them
by Amanda Cropp
Health professionals are angry about several cases where sexual abuse victims
have been sexually harassed by male counsellors.
They are also worried about the number of poorly trained counsellors working
in the sexual abuse field and suspect that some people prolong counselling to
make extra money from accident compensation payments.
The Health Alternatives for Women group in Christchurch keeps a file of comments on
counsellors and during the past year has received allegations of sexual
misconduct by three men.
The allegations were backed up by two experienced sexual abuse counsellors.
In one case a man asked sexually intrusive and voyeuristic questions. He
hugged the woman and rubbed against her when she had made it clear she did
not want physical contact.
In another cast a counsel or breached ethical standards by having a sexual
relationship with a client after her professional visits had ceased.
Both women were too frightened to lay official complaints or even to reveal
the names of the men
Qualified
A counsellor said a male counsellor who was the subject of sexual abuse
allegations was professionally qualified and still in practice. Another was
confronted about his sexual relationship with a client and had stopped work.
Accident Compensation Corporation sexual abuse counsellors are vetted
carefully. Several counsellors have been removed from the approved list after
allegations of sexual harassment
The Association of Psychotherapists has received complaints but president Jan
Currie said many of them concerned people who were not association members.
Vulnerable
She said women in counselling for sexual abuse were vulnerable and it was
unacceptable for a counsellor to have a relationship with a client even if
therapy had ended. The association was un happy that anyone could legally use
the title counsellor.
Health Alternatives spokeswoman Korinne Stevenson said corporation approved
counsellors were generally better than others, but a lot of good
practitioners had long waiting lists.
This meant there was a risk victims would seek help from "fringe”
counsellors who lacked proper training, were not part of a professional
organisation with a code of ethics and did not work under supervision
Ms Stevenson said some people seemed to regard sexual abuse counselling
almost as a money-making venture and charged a fee on top of the compensation
payment.
The corporation has tightened its rules on sexual abuse counselling and
requires a written report every 20 sessions.
Counsellors must justify the need for more than 60 Sessions.
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