Indian Counselors’ Comfort and Interventions With Sexuality-Related Concerns

Abstract

Sexuality is an important aspect of an individual’s life which is often surrounded by stigma. The lack of acceptability to talk about sexuality creates considerable stress for individuals. Consequently, sexuality concerns present themselves in psychotherapy. In such situations, the counselors’ ability to create a safe environment, develop an empathic understanding, and affirm the client’s identity facilitates competent practice. Counselors’ ability to engage with issues of sexuality may, in turn, be determined by their own comfort. Thus, to understand the quality of counseling available for sexuality concerns, it is primary to study the counselors’ comfort and interventions with these issues. For this exploratory study, self-constructed questionnaires were administered to 31 counselors from Delhi, capital city of India and the National Capital Region (NCR), with a postgraduate degree in psychology and at least a year experience as practicing counselors. Ten case vignettes were presented and the counselors were asked to rate their comfort on a 5-point Likert-type scale and provide three interventions. Descriptive analysis of the Likert-type scale responses was undertaken while the interventions listed were analyzed thematically. The counselors perceived themselves to be very comfortable with sexuality concerns and obtained a mean score of 41.806 out of 50. Counselors’ interventions were reflective of their approach, and some interventions employed could be conceptualized along the affirmative sexuality framework. The counselors listed evidence-based strategies which were influenced by their own theoretical orientation and experience. The counselors varied in their engagement with ethical and legal issues. This study has implications for research, counselor training, and practice.