tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1427404636563815125.post4846303506518497016..comments2022-03-25T01:03:05.807-07:00Comments on The Elephant in the Hot Tub: Kink in Context: Client-Centered TherapyRussell J Stambaugh, PhD, DST, CSSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15920016759140581456noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1427404636563815125.post-88689681427843485242016-03-19T09:56:27.573-07:002016-03-19T09:56:27.573-07:00This post was shared on the AASECT general listser...This post was shared on the AASECT general listserv, and introduced as relevant to an long running debate about 'sex addiction' therapy and what, if any, legitimacy it might have.<br />A thoughtful therapist who works in a setting that treats sex offenders took issue with my claim that it was difficult to work in a client-centered manner in such therapies. That discussant cited W E R D techniques (Warm, Empathetic, Reflective, and Directive). Three of those techniques are straight out of Rogers. Wasn't I saying that it was not client-centered at all when it was actually was conscious of being as Rogerian as possible?<br />First, while private practice fee-for-service is the easiest institutional setting to be client-centered, being client-centered is not an all or nothing choice. Some compromises are necessary everywhere. Some of these are more damaging than others. <br />Second, client-centeredness is a crucial virtue, but it is not the only good that needs to be pursued in therapy. <br />Third, It is not assumed that a client-centered therapy is realistic in all settings, and court-ordered treatment for illegal and non-consensual behavior is not the kind of setting any of us should imagine good, kink-accepting therapy is going to get done. This blog is not really mainly about forensic work.<br />For a great many clients, and across a great many settings, being 3/4 a cop, or being a really Rogerian cop, is still being a cop. Client-centeredness is NOT just a matter of whether the client can be made to agree to a treatment plan that emphasizes control of their sexual behavior. It is also about who is in charge of those decisions in an ongoing way, how much power imbalance influenced the consent to treatment, and to whom else is the treatment accountable. Russell J Stambaugh, PhD, DST, CSSPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15920016759140581456noreply@blogger.com