Trends in discussing sexuality among psychotherapists in Türkiye: An exploratory study

This study examined the factors influencing psychotherapists’ engagement in sexuality-related discussions with clients in Türkiye, addressing a significant gap in the local literature. A sample of 201 therapists, whose professional experience ranged from 1 to 25 years, completed a survey measuring demographic variables, clinical training experiences, therapist characteristics, and a newly developed Perceived Comfort and Competence Discussing Sexuality Scale (PCCDSS). The PCCDSS makes a valuable contribution to the field by offering a promising tool with preliminary evidence of validity and reliability. Multiple regression analyses revealed that therapists’ perceived comfort and competence, years in the profession, and sexuality-related education and supervision experiences were significant predictors of their frequency of discussing sexuality with clients. Interestingly, sexual orientation also emerged as a meaningful contributor, suggesting that queer-identified therapists discuss sexuality more than their heterosexual counterparts. Moreover, findings indicated an indirect association between therapists’ sexual attitudes and their professional behavior, mediated through perceived comfort. Overall, the results successfully reflect existing trends described in prior international literature. The results also highlight the need to integrate sexuality more thoroughly into psychotherapy training in Türkiye, suggesting that enhanced educational opportunities and supportive environments may foster therapists’ readiness to address this essential dimension of human well-being in clinical practice.