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Andrea Celenza has written an ambitious and wide-ranging book on sexual boundary violations by therapists. Although Dr Celenza is thoroughly familiar with the extensive forensic literature on this topic, she brings a psychoanalytic
perspective. In fact, she is one of the psychoanalysts who, along with Glen Gabbard, has contributed most to the literature on sexual boundary violations by therapists.
Celenza's goal in writing this book is strongly felt and clearly stated. She aims to change what she sees as an overly politicized, moralistic and punitive approach by people in the mental health field toward therapists who engage in sexual relationships with patients, students or supervisees. She sees these therapists as “badly stereotyped” (p. ix) and argues forcefully that most of them can be rehabilitated. In fact she goes further. Ultimately she hopes to make therapist sexual misconduct “perhaps preventable” (p. x) by making it easier for therapists to get help without worrying so much about getting into trouble.
The author shows the depth of her commitment to this goal by designing much of her book to serve as a practical resource for those working in the area of professional sexual misconduct. Some of this will be useful largely to practitioners in the United States, since it is based on that country's laws and professional ethical codes. For example, she includes a chapter on providing mandated supervision of therapists who have gotten into trouble with state licensing boards. This is a tricky area. She draws on her experience to show us how to steer through the Scylla and Charybdis of mandated supervisions without getting utterly lost in the sea of possible dangers. Celenza even provides samples of her letters to licensing boards about her therapist supervisees. This is generous, and very helpful for anyone interested in doing this kind of work.
However, much of the book will be of interest to a broader audience. Whether supervising therapists who have engaged in