This session will explore characteristics of professionals within the context of sexual harassment, sexual boundary violations, and sexually offensive behaviors. This will include disrupted professional trajectories: 1) externally motivated, such as gaining esteem, status, privilege, power, and income; and 2) internally motivated, such as one’s belief in legacy relationships, service to others, choosing one’s vocation, self-efficacy, the ability to be goal-directed, the capacity for endurance, the sense of responsibility, intellectual abilities, and the desire to help others. Often the professional’s sense of failure is equated with a lack of effort and struggles with asking and receiving assistance, which will be integrated into the presentation as risk factors. The professional’s extreme competition, requirement of making difficult decisions, lack of limits, suppressed emotions, living up to a position, lack of balance, social isolation, pressure to excel, self-neglect, cynicism, family discord, expectations of perfection, and conflict of values will be knitted into the discussion as points of vulnerability among some individuals.

Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to: