A phenomenological investigation of the experience of being a male counsellor relative to issues of sex and gender-roles

An individual's sex and associated gender-role expectations exert a primary influence on one's sense of self and nearly all the individual's interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this research project is to investigate how male counsellors experience the phenomenon of being a man, relative to issues associated with his sex and gender-role expectations, in the field of counselling. Because the emphasis is on the experience of sex and gender-role issues for male counsellors a phenomenological research method was chosen. Seven male counsellors were interviewed. The investigator conducted two interviews with each counsellor. The initial interview was designed to elicit the person's experiences of the phenomenon of being a male counsellor. After a preliminary analysis of this interview, a summary was prepared and shared with the respondent during the follow up interview. The purpose of this meeting was to verify the interpretation of the previous interview and to offer the individual an opportunity to supplement or modify his remarks. The interviews were transcribed by the investigator and analyzed using a method described by Karlsson (1993). The analysis of the data yielded three general categories of experience. They were experiences related to gender-role stereotyping, the experience of erotic feelings and the experience of being a man in a field in which they are a minority. A fourth category, which described the experience of the interviews, was included to further illuminate the results. for counsellor training, consultation The findings are discussed in light of previous research and include suggestions and further research.Education, Faculty ofEducational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department ofGraduat