The effects of psychotherapists' values on their work with clients who practice consensual sexual sadomasochism

The purpose of this study was to examine conflicts in therapists' values and how those value conflicts are caused by and affect therapy relationships. Although the influence of therapists' values on their work has only recently become a subject of psychological literature, studies have shown that this influence can be considerable. This paper reviewed and discussed these studies, as well as the theoretical strategies which have been proposed to help therapists to effectively use their values in therapy without unduly influencing, constricting or condemning their clients. In order to examine these strategies more carefully, the study looked at a specific instance in which therapists' values could come into question: therapies with clients who practice consensual sexual sadomasochism, or BDSM. The psychological literature on sexual sadomasochism was reviewed and examined for inherent values.;To further examine how values affect therapy in reality, interviews were conducted with ten therapists who worked with clients who practiced BDSM. These therapists filled out a questionnaire regarding their views on sexuality and BDSM, and were then interviewed. The participants spoke about their clients, their views on BDSM, their values, and their experience of how these factors interacted. Data from these interviews was then analyzed for thematic content.;Results of the study were discussed. Most prominent among the results was the conflict for these therapists between the values of value-neutrality and prevention of harm. Therapists were best able to resolve this conflict through consultation which helped them to gain more information about and comfort with BDSM material. Consultation also helped them to clarify their own values and so become better able to see their own value conflicts. This clarification helped some therapists to accept and understand their clients' views while still securely holding their own, and so work effectively with those clients across their differences.