Professional Competence and Attitudes Towards NON-OFFENDING People With Paraphilia in Czech Mental Health Professional
Abstract
Non-offending individuals with paraphilia are an under-researched, hardto-reach population. Despite their wanting help from a mental health professional, most report that they were reluctant to seek counselling services due to beliefs that they would be treated judgmentally without knowledgeable understanding of their unusual sexual interest.
Previous studies have suggested that mental health providers report many reasons for reluctance to work with paraphilic clients, e.g. they might feel low competence due to a lack of adequate educational training programs, lack of empathy, insufficient knowledge, or stigmatization toward people with paraphilia. The current study explored professionals' perspectives about their attitudes and stigmatization toward people with paraphilia.