title: The sex of the psychotherapist.
abstract: The authors note the recent controversy about whether the sex of the psychotherapist is an important factor in the treatment of patients with certain neurotic and personality disturbances and suggest that much of the confusion is because supportive and insight-oriented psychotherapy are not clearly distinguished. After reviewing the relevant literature they present five clinical vignettes which suggest that the sex of the therapist is immaterial in insight-oriented psychotherapy and that attention to defenses, transference, and resistance remains the cornerstone of successful psychotherapy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012737:Sex Factors; D014167:Transference, Psychology