| The potential for conflict or tension between the cultural variables of sexual identity and religious belief for counselors, clients, and counseling students is well-documented by the counseling literature. The tension has existed primarily due to competing religious values for counselors and clients most often with respect to the phenomena of homosexuality, bisexuality, masturbation, female sexuality, and various expressions of sexuality outside the context of marriage. The purpose of this study was to explore the counselor experience of the intersection of sexuality and religious belief in the context of the counseling relationship from a phenomenological perspective using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). As stated, a tension has been recognized between these cultural values, and gaps in the literature exist for effectively addressing this tension in a manner that does not grant privilege to one cultural variable over the other. The following research utilized qualitative data from 16 interviews with eight counselor participants in order to effectively delineate the role of values pertaining to factors of sexual identity and religious belief in the therapeutic relationship. The specific findings of the research suggest the intersectionality of religious belief and sexuality in the context of a therapeutic relationship is highly prone to the possibility for emotional harm and negative judgment. Secondly, the religious or spiritual identity of a counselor highly influences case conceptualization and counselor practice. These findings are considered in reference to current research and are discussed in reference to implications for the counseling profession. |
