Breaking Taboos: Acknowledging Therapist Arousal and Disgust

Abstract

In this discussion paper I do not necessarily have answers but I hope to ask some thought‐provoking questions about arousal and disgust when they occur in the therapist. These two internal phenomena seem particularly relevant to my area of specialism of sexual health; however, these experiences might occur for any therapist working with individual adults or couples and, of more concern, when working with adolescents or children. Yet these experiences are rarely discussed in the literature, supervision, training or staff meetings. My hope is that this paper will inspire further conversations within the reader’s work settings to break the silence taboo and improve the quality and safety of our work.