Addressing female trainee experiences of sexual harassment and discrimination in a veterans affairs mental health service.

Abstract

Experiences of sexual harassment in clinical environments have long been a concern of female mental health trainees and training programs. To better understand and facilitate organizational change related to these problems, a workgroup within a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center was created to address this issue. Workgroup members reviewed the mental health and broader health care literature to inform recommendations for addressing sexual harassment in mental health care settings. To formally collect information from female mental health trainees, the workgroup held four facilitated listening sessions (FLS) to understand their specific concerns. The main themes that emerged from these FLS included experiences of inappropriate behaviors, safety concerns, the negative impact of gender discrimination, lack of support, lack of empowerment, not knowing the best way to address or cope with experiences, the importance of supportive supervision, needing more system-wide interventions, and needing more and better training to manage sexual harassment. Recommendations to improve mental health settings were developed based on this feedback and the literature, including proposals for the training of trainees and staff to prevent and address sexual harassment and gender discrimination, system-wide interventions in mental health services, improving the institutional environment, and supporting the professional development of female staff and trainees.