How Therapists Experience and Manage Patients’ Romantic and Sexual Feelings for Them

Abstract

with details of the nature of the infringement. We will investigate the claim and if justified, we will take the appropriate steps.

The Vital Importance of Professionalism in Medical Education

“…Godschalx and van Mook [1] point to the need for evidenced-based strategies to rectify professionalism, as residents in their study who were dismissed for unprofessional behaviors had failed multiple methods of remediation. Vesentini et al [2] discuss the need for more practical and solutions-oriented education related to romantic and sexual feelings in psychotherapy training. Academic psychiatrists and educators should be aware of the needs of students as they progress through medical school and residency training and create, study, and disseminate curricula, assessment methods, and remediation strategies that help to develop professional and ethical physicians.…”

“…In the first, "Dismissed Residents Who Appeal: Exploring Unprofessional Behaviors" [1], the authors retrospectively examine publicly available data on Dutch psychiatry residents who had been dismissed by their program director and had appealed the decision to a national conciliation board. In the second, "How Therapists Experience and Manage Patients' Romantic and Sexual Feelings for Them" [2], the authors use thematic data analysis based on focus group responses from 36 therapists-in-training and therapists-in-practice, 8 of whom were psychiatrists, to investigate how participants experience and manage situations in which a patient either displays or discloses attraction.…”

“…The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) all stress this importance of professionalism and set standards for professional development for medical students and resident physicians. Despite these recommendations, professional behaviors continue to be a complicated concern facing medical educators, as reflected in these two new articles [1,2]. In order to put these articles into context, this editorial will briefly describe selected literature published on professionalism within this journal over the last two decades, with a focus on the definition of professionalism and on teaching and assessment methods.…”

Comment on “The Vital Importance of Professionalism in Medical Education”

“…It includes not entering into dual relationships (e.g., treating a close friend or relative), not becoming emotionally or romantically involved with patients, and avoiding any other actions that could be perceived as exploitative. We applaud the empirical report by Vesentini et al [4] and would encourage the added context that this report, while somewhat applicable to all medical specialties, is especially significant for professionalism in psychiatry. Patients often share deeply personal and sensitive information, and any breach of confidentiality can have profound psychological impact.…”