Abstract

Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 account for the majority of sexual assaults in the United States. Counselors who work with youth with problem sexual behaviors need to have appropriate clinical skills consistent with current professional knowledge to increase effective results. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of counselors who work with youth with problem sexual behaviors. Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology was the conceptual framework for this study where the focus of phenomenology is pre-suppositional. Hence, through the process of reduction, this study was aimed at illuminating the essence of problem sexual behaviors as lived experiences, and no additional frameworks could be added. A purposeful sample of eight licensed professional clinical counselors employed at a mental health agency shared their experiences through semi structured, in-person interviews in their natural settings. The data was collected, transcribed, and
analyzed through horizontalization, clusters of meanings, and coding for emergent themes. The findings for this study highlighted the need for self-care strategies related to wellness and job performance as well as the need for more specific training in graduate school. Academic institutions and mental health programs can use the results of this study to amend certification areas on the requirements and clinical skills necessary for counselors working with youth with problem sexual behaviors, resulting in effective clinical outcomes and reduced counselor impairment.

Keywords: Sexual behaviors; Counseling challenges; Professional impairment; Impaired counselors; Diagnosis and treatment