Module

Module 6

6.0 Aims

Awareness

6.1a Sexuality

6.1b Issues

6.1c Values

Rights, needs and issues

6.2a Rights and responsibility

6.2b Myths

6.2c Responding to individual needs

Communication

6.3a Verbal/
non-verbal

6.3b Special needs

6.3c Our responses

6.3d Interviewing
about sexuality

Treatment strategies

6.4a Treatment

6.4b Case studies

Managing inappropriate behaviour

6.5a Sexually inappropriate behaviour

6.5b Management of inappropriate behaviour

Resources

6.6 Take home      messages

6.7 Resources

6.8 Take the Test

Feedback
Copyright

It is normal to feel emotional discomfort in response to socially and sexually inappropriate behaviour. Our own memories of experiences with sexual connotations colour how we respond to similar encounters with other people, including people who have had head injuries.

Have there been situations where you have felt uncomfortable?

Ways of dealing with our feelings include:

• talking about what has happened and how we feel to other workers or a supervisor
• giving ourselves permission to feel what we feel, i.e. saying to ourselves, “I feel quite shaky after what happened,” rather than saying, “I shouldn’t feel this way, he/she can’t help behaving like that” or “I’m a professional, I shouldn’t get upset”
• remembering that feelings do not have to be acted out, eg. we can feel angry but may decide not to show the anger to the client if the anger would be unhelpful
• remembering not to take it personally
• saying something to reassure ourselves, eg. “It’s over now”
• using a quick relaxation procedure to help ourselves calm down, so that one upsetting event does not contaminate the whole day. A few slow, deep breaths are useful for calming down quickly.