Personality characteristics of mental health professionals who have engaged in sexualized dual relationships: a Rorschach investigation.

This study is the first to empirically investigate the psychological characteristics of mental health professionals who have engaged in sexualized dual relationships. Twenty mental health professionals were administered the Rorschach as part of a comprehensive evaluation to assess rehabilitation potential during or after a disciplinary hearing. The Rorschach protocols were scored according to Exner's (1993) Comprehensive System. Results included a total of seven scores that differed by more than 3 standard deviations from the normative mean. These included measures of distress (especially interpersonal longing, helplessness, and generalized dysphoria), primitive sexualization, and idiosyncratic reality contact. Other indicators differing by 2 standard deviations from the normative mean included measures of vulnerable self-boundaries and long-standing, characterological dysphoria. These characteristics and vulnerabilities are consistent with previous observations emphasizing long-standing conflicts involving interpersonal longing and deprivation, anxiety regarding body integrity or self-boundaries, primitive sexualization of anxiety-provoking issues, and depression (Celenza, 1995b). Awareness of such vulnerabilities may represent useful guidelines to supervisors and educators as a focus of concern in an individual's training and personal development.